It was more of a mercantilism for thee, capitalism for me mantra that describes the colonial period but the overall legacy belongs to capitalism.

Leaves one to wonder though - did the bad guys win? Is this a dystopia in itself that we’re too conditioned to recognize?

There is certainly one thing capitalism is - dynamic. Regardless, it should be controlled by the will of the people and not vice versa.

Interestingly it appears that Trump is trying to turn the US back towards an archaic mercantilist (prioritizing exports > imports rather than free trade, and centralizing control) model while simultaneously accusing China of engaging in such ‘non market’ practices.

It appears that him and his team look toward Nordic and Middle Eastern nations that have derived wealth from such a model, largely oil wealth allowing for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, as a standard the US should follow. The problem being that there is no sustainable growth or innovation derived from such wealth and there may be a reckoning for these economies as we slowly move towards clean alternatives.