ABSTRACT
Even American capitalism puts tight fetters on the individual, even American capitalism cannot deny that it holds its workers in a condition of slavery, and even American capitalism has had periods of stagnation with all their destructive consequences for the worker. However, if one is explaining the development of the proletarian psyche, the significance of the fact that American capitalism evolved in a country with vast areas of free land is in no way exhausted merely by stating the number of settlers who have escaped from capitalist bondage over the years. Instead, it has to be borne in mind that the mere knowledge that he could become a free farmer at any time could not but make the American worker feel secure and content, a state of mind that is unknown to his European counterpart.
