Marx’s admirable pipe dream

people live in countries that are more or less democratic. But it’s only political equality; we never got the material equality of the huntergatherers back, and the social hierarchies persist.

Marx’s goal was to reconquer the remaining lost ground (though he would never have put it like that), and create a classless society that lived in absolute equality. It was such an attractive goal that millions sacrificed their lives for it, but it was a pipe dream.

The only way to achieve that kind of equality again in a modern mass society was by strict social controls – and the only people who could enforce those controls were ruthless dictators. So we learned something from the collapse of Communism. Absolute equality comes at too high a price.

But too much inequality also exacts a price. People living in modern democratic societies will accept quite a lot of inequality, especially if there is a well-developed welfare state to protect the poor. But if the income differences get too great, the politics get ugly.

Why did Canadians elect Justin Trudeau as prime minister, while Americans chose Donald Trump as president? The two countries have similar cultures and almost identical per-capita incomes, but the richest 20 per cent of Canadians earn 5.5 times as much as the poorest 20 per cent, whereas the richest fifth of Americans earn 8 times as much as the poorest fifth. Inequality is inevitable, but you have to manage it.