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Proposed answers to these three questions: 
 
1. Marx's definition of "capitalism" can be first found in Sismondi (what 
is mentioned by Marx in "Zur Kritik" and in Kapital's first book). As in 
Marx, Sismondi's definition is somewhat confused with the one of modern 
industrial era. 
 
2. As a scientific meaning, "Free market economy" can be attributed first to 
Leon Walras (Elements d'Economie Politique Pure, 1874 then 1902) who was a 
"socialist". In popular language, as long as France is concerned, "market 
economy" seems to have been introduced during the seventies, in order to 
confront the Gaullian planified economy and social order and to get rid of 
them. 
 
2. In my opinion, there is definitely a shift of connotation, in the western 
world, between "free market economy", which was a classic theoretical 
Newton-wise approach (instantaneity of interactions), and "market economy", 
which has become an ideological euphemism actually referring to an endless 
trending overproduction or overcapacity of production. The function of it 
being one of imputing the downsizings to a permanent and "natural" 
competition, and not to budgetary and monetary restrictions that are aiming 
to "fight inflation". 
 
Best regards 
 
Romain Kroës 
 
 
 
 
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