In this insightful book, Thomas Piketti retraces the history of inequality, and very convincingly shows that progress towards a greater distribution of wealth in Western countries has been constant in the past 200 years. On the whole, ‘A Brief History of Equality’ is worth the read, if only because it convincingly shows that the current trend towards a general impoverishment on one side and the indecent wealth accumulation on the other needs to be addressed and rectified. The book works as a reminder of the risks linked to the rise of discontent world wide stemming from growing inequalities. Indeed a disappearing middle class in the past forty yearsnd increased questions of food security can only worsen the problem.

« Une démocratie se fragilise quand les riches essayent d'imposer un excès d'inégalité ou bien les pauvres, un excès d'égalité », écrivait déjà Aristote. Pour résoudre la crise que nous traversons en France, il importe de bien poser le problème, sur les deux plans indissociables de l’économie et la politique fiscale.