What will I learn about: why widely praised systems like democracy and capitalism have historically failed to eliminate inequality compared to the effects of massive disasters?

Understand why widely praised systems like democracy and capitalism have historically failed to eliminate inequality compared to the effects of massive disasters.

What will I learn about: how the end of the ice age and the shift toward agricultural food surpluses first introduced a hierarchical divide between the rich and the poor?

Discover how the end of the ice age and the shift toward agricultural food surpluses first introduced a hierarchical divide between the rich and the poor.

What will I learn about: Learn how the privatization of once-egalitarian land systems allowed early elites to consolidate wealth through predatory loans and property hoarding?

Learn how the privatization of once-egalitarian land systems allowed early elites to consolidate wealth through predatory loans and property hoarding.

What will I learn about: why catastrophic events, such as the political collapse of the Roman Empire and the Black Death, were ironically the most effective mechanisms for raising lower-class wages and closing the wealth gap?

Find out why catastrophic events, such as the political collapse of the Roman Empire and the Black Death, were ironically the most effective mechanisms for raising lower-class wages and closing the wealth gap.

What will I learn about: Explore how massive, violent conflicts like World War II acted as powerful societal levelers to forcibly reset highly imbalanced nations like Japan?

Explore how massive, violent conflicts like World War II acted as powerful societal levelers to forcibly reset highly imbalanced nations like Japan.

The Great Leveler

Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century

Walter Scheidel

★ 3.5 / 5(77 ratings)

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History Society & Culture

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that throughout the history of civilization, the only forces truly capable of closing the gap between the rich and the poor have been mass-scale catastrophes?
💡Have you ever wondered why long periods of peace and stability almost always lead to a massive surge in economic inequality?
💡What’s the secret connection between global disasters and social fairness, and is it actually possible to achieve equality without the threat of violence?

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Key Takeaways from The Great Leveler

✓Understand why widely praised systems like democracy and capitalism have historically failed to eliminate inequality compared to the effects of massive disasters.
✓Discover how the end of the ice age and the shift toward agricultural food surpluses first introduced a hierarchical divide between the rich and the poor.
✓Learn how the privatization of once-egalitarian land systems allowed early elites to consolidate wealth through predatory loans and property hoarding.
✓Find out why catastrophic events, such as the political collapse of the Roman Empire and the Black Death, were ironically the most effective mechanisms for raising lower-class wages and closing the wealth gap.
✓Explore how massive, violent conflicts like World War II acted as powerful societal levelers to forcibly reset highly imbalanced nations like Japan.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from The Great Leveler

Mind Map

The Great Leveler

Core Thesis+

Origins of Inequality+

Historical Forces of Leveling+

Ineffectiveness of Politics+

Future Solutions+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

According to the book, what has historically been the most effective force in reducing societal inequality?

A. The steady expansion of democracy and capitalism.
B. Devastating events such as wars, plagues, and state collapse.
C. Gradual economic reforms and the introduction of universal basic income.
D. The technological advancements of the Holocene period.

Question 2 of 9

How did the transition to the Holocene period and the advent of agriculture impact human society?

A. It created horizontal power structures where resources were shared equally.
B. It eliminated the stark differences between rich and poor found in hunter-gatherer societies.
C. It led to food surpluses and land accumulation, marking the beginning of hierarchical disequalization.
D. It prevented technological advancements from causing social divides.

Question 3 of 9

What does the example of the Chumash tribe's development of deep-sea canoes illustrate?

A. Technological improvements can concentrate power and worsen inequality even in smaller tribal communities.
B. Indigenous tribes were immune to the disequalization seen in larger agrarian societies.
C. Technological advancements naturally lead to egalitarian sharing of new resources.
D. Trade items like food and shells were used to prevent a single group from dominating the tribe.

Question 4 of 9

Counterintuitively, how did the Black Death affect the wealth gap in Europe?

A. It widened the gap because the wealthy could afford medical treatment while the poor perished.
B. It closed the gap because the massive loss of life increased the demand and wages for the remaining laborers.
C. It had no significant impact on the economy, only on the political structure of the feudal system.
D. It caused the state to collapse, which allowed the elite to siphon more wealth from the working class.

Question 5 of 9

Why did social inequality decline in Japan during World War II?

A. The government implemented strict democratic reforms to appease the working class.
B. The state siphoned wealth from the population, particularly the wealthiest elites, to finance the war effort.
C. The American airfleet specifically targeted the industrial centers owned by the working class.
D. The military expansion provided high-paying jobs to the poorest one-fifth of the population.

Question 6 of 9

How did the 1917 Russian Revolution address the issue of inequality?

A. By introducing indirect taxes on goods that affected the rich more than the poor.
B. By implementing a democratic system that gradually redistributed wealth over several decades.
C. Through organized, violent efforts that abolished private property and confiscated elite assets.
D. By encouraging the growth of trade unions to negotiate better wages for peasant farmers.

Question 7 of 9

Why does the author argue that the collapse of the Somalian state in 1991 led to improved living conditions for the poor?

A. A democratic government immediately replaced the dictator, establishing universal basic income.
B. Foreign aid organizations were finally able to establish a thriving capitalist economy.
C. The extortion money paid to local warlords was less than the oppressive taxes previously extracted by the dictator.
D. The collapse of the state led to a sudden surge in technological advancements and agricultural surplus.

Question 8 of 9

What did researchers conclude about the relationship between modern political systems and inequality, based on studies from 1960-2010 and 1916-2000?

A. Democracies and left-wing governments have consistently proven to be the most effective tools for achieving income equality.
B. There is no consistent correlation between democracy or left-wing governments and greater income equality.
C. Left-wing governments are highly successful at wealth redistribution, while democracies fail due to economic growth.
D. Trade unions are entirely ineffective under democratic systems, making left-wing policies the only viable alternative.

Question 9 of 9

According to British economist Anthony Atkinson, what is a proposed modern alternative to using violent disasters to tackle inequality?

A. Encouraging the collapse of global political institutions to reset the economy.
B. Implementing economic reforms such as increasing taxes on capital gains and introducing a standard basic income.
C. Abolishing the concept of private property entirely, similar to the Bolshevik revolution.
D. Relying exclusively on foreign aid to build national criminal justice systems.