Comprador - who is this? The meaning of the word "comprador"

Recently, the Russian vocabulary is increasingly encountered the word "comprador". Who is this, and what does this word generally mean, not many know. In this article, we will try to give a more or less precise definition of this term, as well as tell about the history of the emergence of this concept.

What does comprador mean?

Perhaps you think that this word denotes a person of a particular profession. In fact, this refers to a person, but this can hardly be called a profession. So, comprador - who is this? This word has Spanish-Portuguese roots. It literally translates as "buyer". In Spanish-speaking countries in ancient times, they were called local traders or entrepreneurs who mediated between the national market and foreign capital. In the modern world, this word has a different meaning. On the question of who these compradors are, you can answer in this way: these are entrepreneurs in the third world countries, who actively cooperate with companies of the Western world and help them to realize profitable commodity exchange. Compradors can also be called figures who do not want to contribute to the development of their own country and export their capital, as well as family members to Western and more developed countries. Remaining in their homeland, they become lobbyists of the interests of those countries where their capital is concentrated.

A bit of history

Initially, the meaning of the word "comprador" was completely different. The Europeans, who lived in the countries of East Asia, this word was called the servant from the local residents, who sell goods brought from Europe by the markets. Over time, this term has already become known as local supplier workers who worked for a particular foreign company. This was already the heads of representations of foreign companies and firms. Their role in the Chinese economy was enormous. Thanks to the compradors, large-scale trade in tea, silk, cotton and yarn for foreign companies was conducted. These businessmen cooperated with banks of other countries.

Comprador bourgeoisie

Having dealt with the question "comprador - who is this," we will try to trace their influence on the development of the economies of some countries. In countries (mostly colonial), in which the compradors acted, the so-called "comprador bourgeoisie" gradually began to form. This persisted in the era of colonization, that is, in the 18-19th centuries. Sometimes this stratum constituted the greater part of the entire bourgeoisie. It mediated both in the domestic and foreign markets. The comprador bourgeoisie, as a rule, was opposed to the national bourgeoisie, since it was oriented toward foreigners. In modern Russia, the comprador bourgeoisie is understood by those corporations that belong to the mining complex, that is, oil, metallurgical, gas, etc. They sell the lion's share of their output abroad.

As foreign countries have a special interest in them, they are under the untiring control of Western companies. The comprador bourgeoisie is often accused of betraying national interests, as it undermines the country's economy and leads to its collapse. There is a fear that because of this approach this country can turn into a colony. In a word, the question "comprador, who this" a positive answer can not wait, because in the modern world they have a permanently negative color. Members of the comprador bourgeoisie are popularly called bureaucrats or oligarchs. They are accused of profit through the sale of local natural resources abroad, as well as trade in goods brought from abroad. These individuals keep their funds in foreign banks. They are motivated by personal interests, and they do not care at all about the state of the economy of the "native" country.

Comprador mode

This term is also quite often used in our reality. After we learned the answer to the question "comprador - who is this," let's see what features this regime has. It is established, as already mentioned, in backward and colonial countries. They create monopolies that act at the expense of the national interests of the country. The country receives income as a result of "sawing" its own resources, which are available in the stock of this country. Today many experts in the sphere of economics believe that in the purest form the comprador system was established in the Russian Federation.