IMO, there have been two waves of social-democratically inspired politics: at the end of the 19th century, and after WW2. Once some complacency was reached, the

IMO, there have been two waves of social-democratically inspired politics: at the end of the 19th century, and after WW2. Once some complacency was reached, the policies were slowly being undone. While West and North Europe have done so slower than the USA, there's been an undeniable tendency towards free market policies, favoring companies and capital and eroding worker's rights. The voters seem to agree: parties left of center have been in steady decline over the last decades. This is not purely driven by individual wealth, of course. Issues such as immigration and (more recently) climate change also play a role.