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The Great Leveler

By: Walter Scheidel - Read: November 2024 - Rating: 8/10

A deeply pessimistic history of inequality. Only catastrophe significantly reduces it.

Scheidel identifies four horsemen of leveling: mass warfare, revolution, state collapse, and plague. Peaceful policy interventions have never substantially reduced inequality in recorded history.

The data is comprehensive and the conclusion is uncomfortable. If you want equality, you need destruction. The 20th century's compression came from two world wars. Not exactly a replicable policy. Essential reading for anyone thinking seriously about economic distribution.