Skip to main content
M:N3:34 5
Edit position
Edit position

Last set 4 days, 22 hours ago. Manual moves override automatic placement until the next shelfie/spine match.

The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century
Diagnose this book
Open in Vernon Browser

The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century

by Walter Scheidel

This study analyses global history from the Stone Age to the present, exploring how economic inequality has historically only been reduced by violent shocks such as mass-mobilisation warfare, revolution, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues.

Accession 12076 ISBN 9780691165028 Publisher —
Book Images
Reference and live side by side Hover to see live images
Reference
The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century spine
The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century cover
Live
The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century live spine
No live
The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century spine The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century live spine
The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century cover
No live
TAGS
Curated Derived
Collapse Crime Culture Economics History Medicine Social Conditions Social Sciences Violence
CONNECTIONS
No connections
State
on_shelf
True
position_updated_at
2026-06-01 16:45
orientation
vertical
Details

Physical

binding_type
Hard Back
dimensions
none captured
spine_text
none captured

Metadata

Book form
LOCATION HISTORY
M:N3:34 5 Current vertical
1 week, 3 days ago
Book Location
Updated 4 days, 22 hours ago
Vernon snapshot
View live

Frozen copy of Vernon's record from the last sync. Fields tagged → flow back into the Pulse record.

Last synced 2026-05-21 00:56 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)

Identity

name→ title
The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century
vernon_id
16210
accession_no→ accession_number
12076
vernon_slug
the-great-leveler-violence-and-the-history-of-inequality-from-the-stone-age-to-the-twenty-first-century-walter-scheidel

Drives Pulse state

curr_loc_status→ on_shelf
On Shelf, On Loan
location_name
Zone N3/Level 2 (Mezzanine)/New Library (2026)/MONA
location_reason
On Shelf
isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780691165028

Descriptive

production_date
2017
object_type
Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication
object_status
Accessioned
brief_description
Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that inequality never dies peacefully. Inequality declines when carnage and disaster strike and increases when peace and stability return. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of violent shocks in reducing inequality over the full sweep of human history around the world. Ever since humans began to farm, herd livestock, and pass on their assets to future generations, economic inequality has been a defining feature of civilization. Over thousands of years, only violent events have significantly lessened inequality. The "Four Horsemen" of leveling--mass-mobilization warfare, transformative revolutions, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues--have repeatedly destroyed the fortunes of the rich. Scheidel identifies and examines these processes, from the crises of the earliest civilizations to the cataclysmic world wars and communist revolutions of the twentieth century. Today, the violence that reduced inequality in the past seems to have diminished, and that is a good thing. But it casts serious doubt on the prospects for a more equal future. An essential contribution to the debate about inequality, The Great Leveler provides important new insights about why inequality is so persistent--and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Walter Scheidel
tags→ tags
Social psychology, Psychology, History, Social sciences, Civilisation, Sociology, Economics, Equality, Wealth, Violence, World history, History, Modern -- 20th century, World War, 1914-1918, Poverty, World War, 1939-1945, Black Death, Epidemics, United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
subject_people
—
subject_objects
—

Cover image

vernon_cover_image_id→ cover_image
18929

Raw Vernon JSON

click to inspect

The source payload behind the snapshot above.
Use ⌘F to search once expanded.
{7 keys}
"slug": "the-great-leveler-violence-and-the-history-of-inequality-from-the-stone-age-to-the-twenty-first-century-walter-scheidel"
"opacObjectId": "16210"
"opacCollection": {1 keys}
"opacCollectionId": "1"
"imagesCollection": {2 keys}
"images": [1 items]
"[0]": {5 keys}
"imageId": "18929"
"cssColors": [4 items]
"[0]": {9 keys}
"hex": "696969"
"hue": 0
"rank": 1
"presence": 65.61
"colorName": "dimgray"
"lightness": 41
"colorGroup": "gray"
"saturation": 0
"formattedColorName": "dim gray"
"[1]": {9 keys}
"hex": "bc8f8f"
"hue": 0
"rank": 2
"presence": 15.88
"colorName": "rosybrown"
"lightness": 65
"colorGroup": "brown"
"saturation": 25
"formattedColorName": "rosy brown"
"[2]": {9 keys}
"hex": "a52a2a"
"hue": 0
"rank": 3
"presence": 17.26
"colorName": "brown"
"lightness": 41
"colorGroup": "brown"
"saturation": 59
"formattedColorName": "brown"
"[3]": {9 keys}
"hex": "708090"
"hue": 210
"rank": 4
"presence": 0.68
"colorName": "slategray"
"lightness": 50
"colorGroup": "gray"
"saturation": 13
"formattedColorName": "slate gray"
"rawColors": [7 items]
"[0]": {6 keys}
"hex": "514344"
"hue": 355
"rank": 1
"presence": 65.61
"lightness": 29
"saturation": 9
"[1]": {6 keys}
"hex": "dec8ca"
"hue": 354
"rank": 2
"presence": 15.88
"lightness": 82
"saturation": 25
"[2]": {6 keys}
"hex": "98484c"
"hue": 357
"rank": 3
"presence": 17.26
"lightness": 43
"saturation": 35
"[3]": {6 keys}
"hex": "a6a8a9"
"hue": 200
"rank": 4
"presence": 0.37
"lightness": 65
"saturation": 1
"[4]": {6 keys}
"hex": "747779"
"hue": 204
"rank": 5
"presence": 0.68
"lightness": 46
"saturation": 2
"[5]": {6 keys}
"hex": "a09ca4"
"hue": 270
"rank": 6
"presence": 0.06
"lightness": 62
"saturation": 4
"[6]": {6 keys}
"hex": "6c6b74"
"hue": 246
"rank": 7
"presence": 0.15
"lightness": 43
"saturation": 4
"imageLabels": [10 items]
"[0]": {5 keys}
"count": 15171
"score": 88.83
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Book"
"imageLabelId": 67
"[1]": {5 keys}
"count": 19018
"score": 86.98
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Publication"
"imageLabelId": 23
"[2]": {5 keys}
"count": 19411
"score": 83.89
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Font"
"imageLabelId": 12
"[3]": {5 keys}
"count": 11760
"score": 79.85
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Poster"
"imageLabelId": 21
"[4]": {5 keys}
"count": 12694
"score": 75.95
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Book cover"
"imageLabelId": 90
"[5]": {5 keys}
"count": 2395
"score": 70.53
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Event"
"imageLabelId": 46
"[6]": {5 keys}
"count": 5351
"score": 69.35
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Advertising"
"imageLabelId": 71
"[7]": {5 keys}
"count": 874
"score": 59.35
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Darkness"
"imageLabelId": 10
"[8]": {5 keys}
"count": 4262
"score": 56.95
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Fiction"
"imageLabelId": 91
"[9]": {5 keys}
"count": 5578
"score": 56.25
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Pattern"
"imageLabelId": 24
"imageDerivatives": [6 items]
"[0]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/large/5013/7529d97bc3981373f3c42c1a28c048c289fed1a6.jpg"
"width": "551"
"height": "800"
"identifier": "LARGE"
"[1]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/medium/5013/7529d97bc3981373f3c42c1a28c048c289fed1a6.jpg"
"width": "275"
"height": "400"
"identifier": "MEDIUM"
"[2]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/nano/5013/7529d97bc3981373f3c42c1a28c048c289fed1a6.jpg"
"width": "24"
"height": "35"
"identifier": "NANO"
"[3]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/small/5013/7529d97bc3981373f3c42c1a28c048c289fed1a6.jpg"
"width": "103"
"height": "150"
"identifier": "SMALL"
"[4]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/tiny/5013/7529d97bc3981373f3c42c1a28c048c289fed1a6.jpg"
"width": "52"
"height": "75"
"identifier": "TINY"
"[5]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/xlarge/5013/7529d97bc3981373f3c42c1a28c048c289fed1a6.jpg"
"width": "826"
"height": "1200"
"identifier": "XLARGE"
"totalImages": 1
"objectSearchScore": 0.3118719
"opacObjectFieldSets": [40 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "accession_no"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "12076"
"[1]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "name"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century / Walter Scheidel"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "title"
"value": "The great leveler : violence and the history of inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-first Century / Walter Scheidel"
"[2]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "other_name"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[3]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "artist_last_first"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Scheidel, Walter"
"[4]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_date"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "2017"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [2 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "earliest_date"
"value": "2017-01-01Z"
"[1]": {2 keys}
"key": "latest_date"
"value": "2017-12-31Z"
"[5]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_date_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[6]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "edition"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[7]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "brief_desc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that inequality never dies peacefully. Inequality declines when carnage and disaster strike and increases when peace and stability return. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of violent shocks in reducing inequality over the full sweep of human history around the world. Ever since humans began to farm, herd livestock, and pass on their assets to future generations, economic inequality has been a defining feature of civilization. Over thousands of years, only violent events have significantly lessened inequality. The "Four Horsemen" of leveling--mass-mobilization warfare, transformative revolutions, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues--have repeatedly destroyed the fortunes of the rich. Scheidel identifies and examines these processes, from the crises of the earliest civilizations to the cataclysmic world wars and communist revolutions of the twentieth century. Today, the violence that reduced inequality in the past seems to have diminished, and that is a good thing. But it casts serious doubt on the prospects for a more equal future. An essential contribution to the debate about inequality, The Great Leveler provides important new insights about why inequality is so persistent--and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon."
"[8]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "measure_desc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[9]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "credit_line"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[10]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "curr_loc_status"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "On Shelf"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "curr_loc_status:"On Shelf""
"[1]": {2 keys}
"value": "On Loan"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "curr_loc_status:"On Loan""
"[11]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "ob_status"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Accessioned"
"[12]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "lender"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[13]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_owner"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[14]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_type"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[15]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_start"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[16]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_expiry"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[17]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[18]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "curr_loc"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Zone N3/Level 2 (Mezzanine)/New Library (2026)/MONA"
"[1]": {1 keys}
"value": "External Location"
"[19]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "object_type"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "object_type:"Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication""
"[20]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "collection"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Main Collection/Library"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "collection:"Main Collection/Library""
"[21]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Princeton/New Jersey/United States of America"
"[22]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_publisher"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[23]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "physical_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "xvii, 504 pages : illustrations, charts ; 25 cm."
"[1]": {1 keys}
"value": "Includes bibliographical references and index."
"[24]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "language"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "English"
"[25]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "isbn_issn"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "9780691165028"
"[26]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "user_sym_1"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "303.6 SCH"
"[27]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "usual_loc_being"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Zone N3/Level 2 (Mezzanine)/New Library (2026)/MONA"
"[1]": {1 keys}
"value": "Side B/Stack 2/Library Storeroom/Zone 1/Ground/Moonah Offices & Storage"
"[28]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_class"
"opacObjectFields": [9 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Black Death/Epidemics"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Black Death/Epidemics""
"[1]": {2 keys}
"value": "Equality/Sociology/Social sciences/Civilisation"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Equality/Sociology/Social sciences/Civilisation""
"[2]": {2 keys}
"value": "History"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"History""
"[3]": {2 keys}
"value": "Poverty/Wealth/Economics/Social sciences/Civilisation"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Poverty/Wealth/Economics/Social sciences/Civilisation""
"[4]": {2 keys}
"value": "United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865""
"[5]": {2 keys}
"value": "Violence/Social psychology/Psychology"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Violence/Social psychology/Psychology""
"[6]": {2 keys}
"value": "Wealth/Economics/Social sciences/Civilisation"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Wealth/Economics/Social sciences/Civilisation""
"[7]": {2 keys}
"value": "World War, 1914-1918/History, Modern -- 20th century/World history/History"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"World War, 1914-1918/History, Modern -- 20th century/World history/History""
"[8]": {2 keys}
"value": "World War, 1939-1945/History, Modern -- 20th century/World history/History"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"World War, 1939-1945/History, Modern -- 20th century/World history/History""
"[29]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_date"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[30]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_event"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[31]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_period"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[32]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_object"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[33]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_person"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[34]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_place"
"opacObjectFields": [6 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "United States of America"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_place:"United States of America""
"[1]": {2 keys}
"value": "England"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_place:"England""
"[2]": {2 keys}
"value": "Italy"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_place:"Italy""
"[3]": {2 keys}
"value": "France"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_place:"France""
"[4]": {2 keys}
"value": "Japan"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_place:"Japan""
"[5]": {2 keys}
"value": "China"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_place:"China""
"[35]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_person"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[36]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[37]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_event"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[38]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_object"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[39]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "user_sym_9"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "1: Book: Shelf copy."
"[1]": {1 keys}
"value": "2: Duplicate: 504 pages ; 24 cm."
"relationshipsCollection": {2 keys}
"relationships": [1 items]
"[0]": {4 keys}
"relatedRecords": [1 items]
"[0]": {3 keys}
"slug": "walter-scheidel"
"title": "Walter Scheidel"
"relatedRecordId": "9180"
"relationshipId": "object_prod_pri_person"
"relatedRecordType": "person"
"totalRelatedRecords": 1
"totalRelationships": 1
Topics and Themes