When, in history were the rich not ultimately toppled...?

[Evasporque]

I'm just sayin'....

If it wasn't outright revolt it was a natural disaster or some plague or war...all in all...for the 1% - you can't take it with you...stop being so damn selfish and greedy.

[Lint Head]

1. The Roman rich were toppled but morphed into even worse forms of greed.

[Rene Descartes]

6. Actually, after the Vandals and Goths extinguished the "Roman Light"

the world descended into the Dark Ages.

[Lint Head]

7. Yep, and coming out of the other end of the Black Hole that was the Dark Ages

is the same old power grabbing garbage that was there before.

[joeybee12]

10. Not the world, but the western world...the eastern world was going through

an enlightenment at the same time.

[AngryAmish]

11. Constantinople existed for a thousand years after that

THe world did not fall into the dark ages, just western europe.

The world is large my fiend.

[Kablooie]

2. You are right they are ultimately toppled but sometime it can take centuries.

There is no guarantee that it can happen anytime soon.

[LanternWaste]

3. About the same time that the rich ultimately regained power.

"When, in history were the rich not ultimately toppled...?"

About the same time that the rich ultimately regained power. It seems cyclical to me in that the wealthy demographic is overthrown, people feel great, and place different members of that very same demographic back into positions of power with some re-branding and good advertising. From the period of the Greek city-states to the here and now.

[dmallind]

4. When did it happen in England for a start?

A few revolutions were attempted but none succeeded, unless you count the Civil War, which merely replaced, temporarily, a system of government and left the upper class per se intact, with some individual replacement of royalist upper classes by protectorate-favoring upper class people.

[FarCenter]

5. There are many historical cases where there is little change for over 3 centuries

In most cases there is an external factor such as war, resource exhaustion, overpopulation, climate change, etc., that topples the regime.

When the revolution is from below, about the first institutions reestablished are the military and the police. This fairly rapidly leads to a new political heirarchy, which then goes about seizing assets and reestablishing the economic heirarchy.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[deaniac21]

8. I was toppled once. It wasn't as bad as being turned into a newt.

[Tsiyu]

9. America's 1% do think they are special

For example, I think it's rare in history ( and perhaps non-existent) that a nation would wage war and NOT raise any taxes toward the war effort. That's insanity, but Cheney et al believed they could get fat on those juicy no-bid contracts without having to offer anything back to the American people out of their obscene profits.

They were (and are) like kids who want to get straight A's without doing any homework.

We, the American taxpayer, fed the war machine while they gorged on it. And now that they've bankrupted us, they ask us to starve.

Not gonna happen, it appears, Poor, poor, stupid rich people! When will they ever learn?

[AngryAmish]

12. Many wars of conquest are self-funding

Heck, do you think the Vikings raised taxes before getting on the longships? Golden Horde passed the hat?

[Tsiyu]

14. Well, the ones we're fighting sure as hell aren't

And we're talking about modern warfare here. Tanks cost a lot more than spears.

And ancient civilizations did shake down the little guy to wage war. Not taxation as we know it, but still making someone else pay for your conquests through looting and pillaging.

WE've got looters and pillagers, but that booty didn't pay for the wars. The looters and pillagers (Halliburton, for example) didn't fund the war; they took the cash and ran.

The American taxpayer and our miltary pay for our wars.

[AngryAmish]

15. you said booty

he he

[Tsiyu]

22. ..

:spank:







:rofl:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. Now.

I'm just sayin'...

[Nuclear Unicorn]

16. They don't topple so much as they

Weeble-wobble

[Courtesy Flush]

17. The French Revolution is the most obvious

Clearly, nobody wants a repeat of that. But it goes to show what the public is capable of when pushed too far.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. If they could take it with them, the politicians would give them a tax break for relocation costs.

[crazylikafox]

20. Perfect! DUZY!

[tk2kewl]

19. 1930s

[lame54]

21. 2011...

so far