Adam Smith was the father of capitalism, the theory that individuals should own the means of production and government should not become involved. It was because of his thinking that private business enterprises were allowed to develop unhindered with their sole motive being profit.
Smith was the author of An Inquiry into the Causes of the Wealth of Nations. He opposed the old theory of Mercantilism and suggested private ownership of enterprise instead. His argument was that government should only provide those services which could not be offered by private enterprise for profit, primarily national defense and public services such as police protection and water and sewer. He illustrated the operation of the factory system by describing a pin factory:
One man draws out the wire, another straights it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head….and the important business of making a pin in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations
