I think you have the causal arrows pointed the wrong way around. Historically, it is oligarchy and entrenched aristocracy that leads to an inequality in the di

I think you have the causal arrows pointed the wrong way around. Historically, it is oligarchy and entrenched aristocracy that leads to an inequality in the distribution of wealth. Oligarchies are formed by force and perpetuated by social convention/norms, not by wealth. Wealth is the spoils. Hawthorne said that "Families are always rising and falling in America" and to a large extent this is true. The rich don't necessarily stay rich, and the top 100 companies from 50 or 100 years ago bear little or no resemblance to the top 100 companies today. While we may have high levels of inequality, it does not appear to be an entrenched inequality.