The Lesson Of Empires: Once Privilege Limits Social Mobility, Collapse Is Inevitable
Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog,
The next few years will strip away the illusions of "growth" and reveal which dominates our society and economy: privilege or social mobility.
Among the many lessons of empires is one shared by virtually every empire: once the privileged few limit the rise of those from humble origins (i.e. social mobility), the empire is doomed to rising instability and collapse.