Capitalizing on something

[HaraKiriBlade]

The austerities and anxieties of the Eisenhower mood, so preoccupied by the aftermath of war and the historial acceptance of America's new role as dominant Superpower, where giving way to a sense of youthful liberation, on which the young president capitalized.

Again, this is taken from the introduction pages of Catch-22. This sentence is referring to John F. Kennedy.

Now, I get the mish mesh gist of the sentence, but I don't the 'exact' meaning when it says the president capitalized on the sense of youthful liberation in the 60s. What exactly does capitalizing on something mean? I only get the sense that he's taking advantage of it, but as for the precise meaning I'm not sure. Could you explain this for me?

[Mister Micawber]

You've got it: To turn something to one's advantage; benefit.
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