Which economic system is most responsible for wealth inequality today?

Since the 13th century, humanity has witnessed capitalism's accentuation of wealth gaps, facing the brunt
of a Darwinian economy. The ever-globalizing, left-wing economic system allows billions to individually
participate in global markets at the expense of economic equality, constantly enriching the wealthy whilst
impoverishing the poor. In today's predominantly capitalist society, capitalism has clearly been the
economic system most responsible for driving inequality, especially through the immoderation of
exploitation, the replacement of proletarians with automation, and unjust inheritances.

Capitalism creates opportunities for bourgeois to exploit others for growth, leading to staggering wealth
gaps between the rich and poor. "Inequality is an inevitable product of capitalist activity … because some
individuals and communities are simply better able than others to exploit the opportunities for ...
advancement that capitalism affords" (Muller). With American CEOs averaging an income 300 times that
of their workers compared to only 20 in 1965, largely recognized capitalist powerhouses like Walmart
often offer jobs to unemployed proletarians desperate for occupations, regularly exploiting cheap labor in
countries like China and India. With rampant unemployment, ruling capitalists do not require increased
wages to attract workers since the demand for employment is high, letting corporations like Nike and
Coca-Cola provide inadequate working environments and minimal pay while capitalists continue to
pocket the produced wealth. Through this, capitalism has allowed bourgeois to benefit from exploiting the
impoverished, heightening today's ever-growing inequality.

Capitalism's inciting of monetary greed leads to constant searches for cheaper labor, often replacing
proletarians with automation and expanding economic inequality. "Rising inequality is inherent to
capitalism, because … companies have invested heavily in ... automation — essentially replacing human
workers in the production process with more and more capital," meaning bourgeois “get richer while the
working stiffs get … stiffed" (Simmons). With countries like the left-wing Lesotho suffering 27% of its
populace being unemployed, the capitalistic competition fueling innovation, mainly found amongst
avaricious companies, also leads to skyrocketing unemployment rates by sparking endless searches to
increase profit through lower wages. With robot automation estimated to claim over 800 million jobs by
2030, production companies like IBM and Intel have begun implementing machines to execute a plethora
of simple jobs, increasing unemployment rates amongst the working class and impeding workers replaced
by robots from companies like ABB Ltd and Mitsubishi Robotics from escaping the cycle of poverty.
Through replacing proletarians with mechanization, capitalism has stripped away the poor's opportunities,
challenging the system's economic fairness.

Capitalism enables wealthy bourgeois to pass down inheritance to future generations and accumulate
more interest from investments, making the rich wealthier while the poor remain impoverished. "Much of
the inequality of wealth found within capitalist societies results from inequalities of inheritance" as they,
"often lead to differences in education, economic power, and further inequalities in income" (Hodgson).
Compound interests favor high-net-worth individuals with liquid assets upwards of one million dollars,
helping descendants of capitalist bourgeois who have inherited large financial assets extensively build up
their wealth. With 60% of the 400 wealthiest Americans raised in privilege, proletarians remain deprived
of many opportunities to financially grow, while capitalists such as Charles and David Koch of Koch
Industries, through growing inheritance, can easily afford a profusion of basic necessities, leading to
greater opportunities and extending today's economic inequality. Through this, capitalism has enabled the
bourgeois to amass insurmountable wealth while excluding proletarians from this luxury, financially
distancing the rich and poor.

Capitalism remains a cornerstone of the Modern Era, repeatedly characterizing today's inegalitarian
society. Although capitalism provides the illusion of freedom and greater opportunities, the many
impediments it brings to an equal economy far outweigh the good. The exacerbation of exploitation,
abetment of avarice, and recurrent inheritance of ever-increasing capital all stem from today's
capitalistically disorganized ideologies, burgeoning wealth inequality, incessantly depriving the poor, and
jeopardizing the world as a whole.

Works Cited:

Hodgson, Geoffrey M. “How Capitalism Actually Generates More Inequality.” ​Evonomics​, Steve Roth,
28 Apr. 2018,

Muller, Jerry Z. “Capitalism and Inequality.” ​Foreign Affairs​, Foreign Affairs Magazine - Council on
Foreign Relations, 15 Sept. 2015,

Simmons, Lee. “Is Capitalism Bad for Workers?” ​Stanford Graduate School of Business​, Stanford
University Press, 7 June 2017,