I wonder if the degree to which the wealthy arrange to skew the system in their favor depends in part on how close you get to social collapse. Massive banking failures in the USA in 1893 led to the federal reserve. Socialism the result of the great depression. European union after ww2. And conversely, 40 years of prosperity leads to a "let them eat cake" economic policy.

I hope this is not the case, because I would rather not have to cope with the social disruption it implies...