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We've been watching Downton Abbey, the main theme of which is the breakdown of the stark class system in Europe around WWI. It's fascinating to compare to now. Back then, the uber-rich were very uber-rich indeed--though I'm not sure how the distribution of wealth would compare to now--but they also were expected to support the poor beneath them. Pretty much the whole village is Lord Grantham's responsibility, including things like singlehanded funding of the local hospital.
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