Final answer:
The desire to earn a profit that motivated investments in factories during the Industrial Revolution is characteristic of capitalism, not socialism. Capitalism focuses on private ownership and profit-making through competition and innovation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The desire to earn a profit that led to investing in factories during the Industrial Revolution applies to capitalism. Mechanization and industrialization, driven by the goal of profit, played a crucial role in shaping modern economies during the Industrial Revolution. Capitalism is characterized by private ownership of the means of production and the investment of capital to produce goods and services in an open market where prices and wages are determined by supply and demand. The push for profit, under the capitalist model, led to an emphasis on competition, technological innovation, and economic growth. In contrast, socialism calls for common or state ownership of the means of production and often seeks to manage the economy to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources.