Capitalism and Competition

Perhaps inspired by the apparent superiority, in the mid-20th-Century, of the goods in the American market, as opposed to the those in that of the Soviet Union, advocates have sometimes promoted Capitalism with the following argument: 1. The production of superior goods is an indication of a superior Economic system; 2.  Competition improves the quality of goods produced; 3. Competition is an inherent factor in Capitalism; 4. Socialism eliminates Competition; 5. Therefore, Capitalism is inherently superior to Socialism.  However, the perhaps weakest link in the argument is the premise that some seem to take as its strongest--#3.  For, the fundamental motor of Capitalism is Self-Interest, with which Competition can conflict, and, thus, be suppressed, e. g. a monopoly, and to which the improvement of the quality of goods is only contingently related.  So, the status of goods on the shelf of a store may just as likely reflect that of environmental conditions, e. g. climate, richness of natural resources, etc., as the relative values of Capitalism and Socialism.