Is it inevitable that wealthy societies become so top heavy that they topple?
By top heavy I mean so much wealth is at the upper end of the scale that the lower classes become disgruntled at having to do without and rebel, often violently. Can you think of any place where that is happening?
I think it is more when the methods and resources that made that growth possible become archaic and depleted. That's pretty much what happens throughout history. A system evolves around a new set of resources and methods to exploit for prosperity and eventual depleation causes the system to no longer be viable for mass prosperity.
I don’t think that path is inevitable. Societies rise and fall on the basis of ideology and persist on the effective development of that ideology.
Societies of the past disappeared from a varied list of forces like wars, disease, famine, colonialism, and the rise of new ideals.
This post was edited by Don Barzini at April 30, 2019 7:13 AM MDT
I remember that a number of years ago, William F Buckley, Jr suggested that if you were designing a society, the inclusion of millionaires would be a necessity.
Even historically ... I can't think of any society where that happened. The times it appears to ... French Revolution, Russian Revolution, etc ... it was not due to wealth - but the perceived level of corruption.
The corruption was due to and to continue a concentration of wealth to a certain sector and case in both cases. Just because there were corrupt people who weren't wealthy doesn't have any meaning. To say those revolutions weren't about wealth imbalance is just being silly. They were mad at the corruption that caused and maintained that imbalance and put wealth I. The hands of a few in the aristocracy. FACTS!
You say no historical examples of this happening ever. Uh well, Ummmmm. Except a every great civilization that has fallen going back to BC times.
Q: Except {for} every great civilization that has fallen going back to BC times {was due to wealth inequity}.
There is little evidence of that assertion. Egypt. Babylon. Persia. Rome. Greece. Maya. Inca. Aztec. Mississippi Valley Peoples. Ottoman. Olmecs. Macedonia. Mongols. Harappa. Sumeria.
There is great evidence of that for Egypt, The Greeks, The Romans, The French Revolution, The Russian revolution, Several Chinese dynasties, Nearly all of them fall sue to economic disparity caused by corruption, after the main resources became depleted.
This exact story has been played out repeatedly over and over again throughout history.. There is a mountain of historical examples.
You blame corruption. Well corruption is economic at its core. People don't give a crap about corruption if they are well fed and gaining wealth and stature. They are two sides to the same coin. Corruption is about wealth, to isolate it and keep it flowing to one place.
Benedict Arnold 