The Great Depression and the fact that vast quantities of capital were annihilated in two world wars which seriously reduced the power of those who own society

The Great Depression and the fact that vast quantities of capital were annihilated in two world wars which seriously reduced the power of those who own society. There is another point you hint at that I want to underline: nations freely use ideological rhetoric to hide the same thousand year old wealth patterns. China is not communist, N Korea is a kingdom, the NSDP outlawed and jailed socialists and, as the article points out, social mobility in the US is fought by the ruling class at every opportunity.