The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality

The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality examines the role of violent shocks in reducing economic inequality throughout history. This book presents a sweeping analysis of how wars, revolutions, and pandemics have flattened disparities, while peaceful times allow inequality to rise.

• Trade paperback edition from Princeton University Press
• Explores millennia of data on income and wealth distribution
• Argues that only large-scale violence has significantly reduced inequality
• Draws on historical examples from ancient Rome to modern times
• Authored by Walter Scheidel, a leading historian of the ancient world

This is a new, unread copy. Suitable for readers interested in economic history, political science, and sociology.