Despite all the contrasts, economic liberal and Marxist theoretical concepts agree on the assessment of capitalism: the economic structures of capitalist market societies make direct violence against individuals not only unnecessary but also economically counterproductive. In her magnum opus, Heide Gerstenberger does not dispute the thesis that the use of direct violence for the purpose of profit production has been pushed back in many places during the course of capitalist economies; however, she does contest that this development is due to economic rationality. As a result of her examination of the concrete historical functioning of capitalist economies, she concludes that wherever capitalism has been domesticated, it has been brought about through very vigorous social conflicts and political measures.