--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most striking fact is that the United…" description: "\"“The most striking fact is that the United States has become noticeably more inegalitarian than France (and Europe as a whole) from the turn of the twe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/thomas-piketty-3584_states-egalitarian_the-most-striking-fact-is-that-the-unite_2455775.png" --- # The most striking fact is that the United States has… ![“The most striking fact is that the United States has become noticeably more inegalitarian than France (and Europe as a whole) from the turn of the twentieth century until now, even though the United States was more egalitarian at the beginning of this period. What makes the US case complex is that…” quote by Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/thomas-piketty-3584_states-egalitarian_the-most-striking-fact-is-that-the-unite_2455775.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/thomas-piketty-3584_states-egalitarian_the-most-striking-fact-is-that-the-unite_2455775.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/thomas-piketty-3584_states-egalitarian_the-most-striking-fact-is-that-the-unite_2455775.png) > ““The most striking fact is that the United States has become noticeably more inegalitarian than France (and Europe as a whole) from the turn of the twentieth century until now, even though the United States was more egalitarian at the beginning of this period. What makes the US case complex is that the end of the process did not simply mark a return to the situation that had existed at the beginning: US inequality in 2010 is quantitatively as extreme as in old Europe in the first decade of the twentieth century,”” [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The US has grown more unequal than Europe over the last century, reaching levels similar to early‑20th‑century Europe despite earlier egalitarianism. **In simple terms:** US inequality rose sharply, now matching historic European levels. Key Takeaway Recognize and address rising inequality. Themes inequality economics history policy social justice Mood concerned analytical critical Type analytical observational historical When to use this quote - policy debates - academic research - public discourse - social activism Key Concepts wealth distribution political economy comparative analysis Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reverse this trend? - How does cultural perception affect acceptance of inequality? A Different Perspective Inequality trends can be influenced by political choices and institutional design. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-inequality-608971/) [Egalitarian Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egalitarian-beginning-608970/) [Europe Decade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe-decade-608969/) [Inequality 2010](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality-2010-608968/) [States Egalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-egalitarian-608967/) ## Related quotes > [“US inequality in 2010 is quantitatively as extreme as in old Europe in the first decade of the twentieth century, but the structure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/us-inequality-in-2010-is-quantitatively-as-extreme-as-in-old-europe/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“If Eve was really created after Adam, then there is the beginning of the inequality that we keep talking about in our generation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/if-eve-was-really-created-after-adam-then-there-is-the-beginning-of/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) ## More by Thomas Piketty > [It's not Utopian to believe that we can create a global registry of financial assets so we know who owns what in different countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/it-s-not-utopian-to-believe-that-we-can-create-a-global-registry-of/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“US inequality in 2010 is quantitatively as extreme as in old Europe in the first decade of the twentieth century, but the structure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/us-inequality-in-2010-is-quantitatively-as-extreme-as-in-old-europe/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [Indeed, the distribution of wealth is too important an issue to be left to economists, sociologists, historians, and philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/indeed-the-distribution-of-wealth-is-too-important-an-issue-to-be/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [The United States could transform its property tax system into a progressive tax on net worth without asking permission to the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-united-states-could-transform-its-property-tax-system-into-a/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“When it comes to decreasing inequalities of wealth for good or reducing unusually high levels of public debt, a progressive tax on capital is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/when-it-comes-to-decreasing-inequalities-of-wealth-for-good-or/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“In other words, low growth cannot adequately counterbalance the Marxist principle of infinite accumulation: the resulting equilibrium is not as apocalyptic as the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/in-other-words-low-growth-cannot-adequately-counterbalance-the/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“I belong to a generation that came of age listening to news of the collapse of the Communist dicatorships and never felt the slightest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/i-belong-to-a-generation-that-came-of-age-listening-to-news-of-the/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [When you are an entrepreneur, you have founded your own firm, it is so easy to find that you exist - you are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/when-you-are-an-entrepreneur-you-have-founded-your-own-firm-it-is-so/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [There is one great advantage to being an academic economist in France: here, economists are not highly respected in the academic and intellectual world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/there-is-one-great-advantage-to-being-an-academic-economist-in-france/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [Without precisely defined sources, methods, and concepts, it is possible to see absolutely everything and its opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/without-precisely-defined-sources-methods-and-concepts-it-is-possible/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“the population of the world grew at an average annual rate of barely 0.8 percent between 1700 and 2012.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-population-of-the-world-grew-at-an-average-annual-rate-of-barely/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [I'm not as pessimistic as what a number of people seem to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/i-m-not-as-pessimistic-as-what-a-number-of-people-seem-to-believe/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“The sharp reduction in income inequality that we observe in almost all the rich countries between 1914 and 1945 was due above all to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-sharp-reduction-in-income-inequality-that-we-observe-in-almost/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“Progress in medicine together with improved living conditions has therefore, it is argued, totally transformed the very essence of capital.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/progress-in-medicine-together-with-improved-living-conditions-has/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [“the decrease in the top marginal income tax rate led to an explosion of very high incomes, which then increased the political influence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-decrease-in-the-top-marginal-income-tax-rate-led-to-an-explosion/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) [Explore all 124 Thomas Piketty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The most striking fact is that the United States has become noticeably more inegalitarian than France (and Europe as a whole) from the turn of the twentieth century until now, even though the United States was more egalitarian at the beginning of this period. 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