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It all comes down to economics (almost)
One of the revelatory books I read as part of my research was an economic history of the Third Reich which outlined how the National Socialists were doomed from the very beginning of their regime. As a social historian this was one of those obvious moments that made me stop and rethink how I framed history, especially the macro imperatives driving political processes. It is not a leap to read Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and see the micro networks we all develop as a similar division of labour, so when we consider the personal imperatives it is both the economic and the personal that should be considered in symbiosis.
I preface this by saying I am not treating all people as homo economicus, as most people would rarely admit to being driven by purely economic considerations. Even arch capitalists and those chasing wealth do so to materially enrich their lives and alleviate their own suffering, rather than Scrouge McDucking away a mountain of coin. Money matters, especially when your standard of living causes you to suffer under whatever political system you live in. That people act on their desire to accumulate wealth, keep that wealth, and prevent others from obtaining that wealth are primary motivators for much of human history, so to simply set that aside and argue about social machinations leaves out a significant piece of the historic puzzle.
