Not really, the middle class was born in a large chunk by productivity increase. Not by confiscatory taxes.
Yes it was, at least in France and the US, with the help of inflation and wars.
The Middle Class was built in the 50's and 60's when the top marginal rates were around 90%. Those targeted not incomes equivalent to 50-100 k€ (the top decile) but much higher incomes, essentially the top centile and even narrower tranches of income (something nowadays politicians dare not do). Associated with a higher Estate Tax, this made sure the share of the GDP going to the top percentile got much lower (from as high as 20 % of global income...), with a corresponding rise of the share of income going to the rest of society. Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
The very rich (those whose wealth got redistributed) usually own financial capital rather than real estate, too (At least in France). That is much more sensitive to inflation. The effect of renting wrt inflation also depends on the regulatory environment ; rents in the regulated 20's to 60's in France fell very, very low as their variation fell behind inflation. Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
I think stock markets have a much longer tradition in the US and France than in Germany. Here the traditional enterprise is personal business with low equity and a lot of credit. So the rich people in Germany are often large borrowers of money from the middle class (their workers), instead of creditors. In recent years there are increasingly people with lots of money, who have never been entrepreneurs, but I think that is really a newer development. Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den MenschenVolker Pispers
However, today even when taking more from the very rich is feasible, it would be an illusion to think one can help all the weaker people in the society without a large contribution of those who are just rich, but not the very rich. Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den MenschenVolker Pispers
The benefit is a much lower cost of governance as you don't have to fight teeth and nails for every itsy-bitty reform against skewed, bought and paid media, politicians and opinion makers. Then, it becomes much easier to create single-payer health care systems, public corporations to develop infrastructures, universal retirement insurance, etc.
what were gas prices then, 5c a gallon? ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
what were gas prices then, 5c a gallon?
First part true, there were even strict tariffs on oil imports. Second part not so much - in current dollars gas was in the $2.00-$2.50 range for most of the period between WWII and the first oil shock. Furthermore, mileage and salaries were lower.
