Beskrivelse
The history of every society up to the present day is a history of struggles between ideologies and the pursuit of justice." - Thomas Piketty
What causes inequality?
Why does inequality persist?
This book traces the lineage of an aristocratic family through the French Revolution, imperialism, two world wars, the postwar period of rapid economic growth, the conservative revolution of the 1980s, and the present day, when inequality is widening. It explores the mystery of inequality through the transformations of wealth and society faced by eight generations of the family.
This book provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the work of a world authority on theoretical analysis of historical changes in inequality.
Table of Contents
1901: Jules [Characters in the Years and Family Lineage] The Infancy of Progressive Taxation Unequal Europe in the Early 20th Century Taxes: Free, Equal, or Flat? Progressive taxes: a tool for redistribution
1789: Pierre and Jean-Baptiste Rod, compulsory labor, and banalités—the nobility at the top Nobility, clergy, and the Third Estate—an unequal three-tiered society 1789: Abolition of privileges Revolution, or the advent of a society of property rights Transfer taxes: a bad time for the nobility? The Paradox of Revolution
1794: Pierre, Germaine, and Elinor Slavery: The Height of Inequality Haiti: Slave Revolts Lead to the Payment of Public Debt Abolition of Slavery: Ultimately, Pro-Slavery Victors Britain Abolishes Slavery in Exchange for Reparations Justification of Property Rights and Slave Society
1860: Germaine, Elinor, Joseph, and Charlotte A World Dominated by Europe From the Civil War to the Abolition of Slavery Colonization The American Gilded Age: The Second Industrial Revolution
1901: Jules & Louise 1914: The Four Old Ladies and the Cailliau Affair Progressive Taxation and World War I
1920: Jules & Antoine The Gradual Decline of High-Value Assets Keynes, or Wealth from Deficit The New Deal, or the Popular Front: The Rise of Social Democratic Ideas
1945: Ernestine & The Guerin Family Inflation, a Debt Windfall The Collapse of Property-Rental Society After World War II Tax Revenue Growth During the Glorious Thirty Years India: Pioneers of Affirmative Action Corporate Governance, the German Model
1968: Christine & Thierry The "Conservative Revolution" from Nixon to Thatcher 1981: The Beginning of the Mitterrand Era The Collapse of the Communist System The European Union, a Makeshift Compromise
2010: Lea Meritopia, the Great Illusion Predistribution: The Key to Eliminating Inequality Reversing the Educational Divide The Fall of Social Democracy
2014: Lea & Yugoslavia The rift between the European Union and Eastern European countries Subprime: From the US economic crisis to the Greek tragedy Victims of interest rates Quantitative easing and the European Central Bank's rescue Persistent male dominance in the economy The elephant curve and huge inequality
2016: Lea leaves Yugoslavia Swiss Leaks, Luxembourg Leaks, Panama Papers...significant tax losses Tools for ensuring tax transparency The beginning of a new society of identity fragmentation
Proposals for realizing participatory socialism in the 21st century Social ownership of capital Temporary ownership of capital Toward a single social federalist Europe Democratic equality vouchers Individual progressive carbon tax Private capital for education and vocational training
