Wikipedia: "The problem of debasement in the Roman economy appears to be pervasive, although the severity of the debasement often paralleled the strength or we

Wikipedia: "The problem of debasement in the Roman economy appears to be pervasive, although the severity of the debasement often paralleled the strength or weakness of the Empire." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_currency http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_currency Political authoritarianism, corruption, direct taxation, seizure, and military plunder are also effective ways for a ruling class to steal from the rest, so you can certainly have terrible inequality in societies with sound currency, but inflation is the most efficient and covert method, and has been the most popular way for governments and their corporate allies to gain at the expense of the world's poor and middle class in the last 100 years.