"Inequality has always accompanied prosperity." Eliminating that has always been accompanied by violence.

"[A]n increase in social inequality is not at all worthy of criticism if it is accompanied by a reduction in poverty. The Nobel Prize winner for economics Angus Deaton even goes so far as to argue that progress is always accompanied by inequality. The fruits of progress have rarely been equally distributed in history. Thus, between 1550 and 1750, the life expectancy of English ducal families was comparable to that of the general population, possibly even slightly lower. After 1750, the life expectancy of the aristocracy increased sharply compared to that of the general population, opening up a gap that was almost 20 years in 1850. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century and the gradual beginning of a social order that is today called capitalism or a market economy, life expectancy also increased for the general population from 40 years in 1850 to 45 in 1900 and almost 70 years in 1950. 'A better world makes for a world of differences; escapes make for inequality,' Deaton observes....
    "[W]hat would be the price of eliminating inequality? ... the renowned Stanford historian and scholar of ancient history Walter Scheidel ... concludes that: 'So far as we can tell, environments that were free from major violent shocks and their broader repercussions hardly ever witnessed major compressions of inequality.... we cannot simply close our eyes to what it took to accomplish this goal in the past. We need to ask whether great inequality has ever been alleviated without great violence.' Scheidel’s answer is a resounding no."

~ Rainer Zitelmann, from his new book In Defense of Capitalism. Quoted in David Gordon's post 'Equality Requires State Violence'