[quote=FlyerInHi]The New Deal and tax policies reduced the wealrh gap and provided opportunities. Before that, the depression and lack of social safety made millions of destitutes.[/quote]

Not really. Most of the wealth gap came off in 1929-1930 before those policies came to be. Wealth gap was pretty flat as new deal policies came online. It shrunk again going into world war 2, could have been some lingering effect from new deal policies. Look at the chart below. When were the significant changes downward in the wealth gap. Not when taxes were being changed but when stock markets/asset prices collapsed. High marginal taxes rates may have stopped the wealth gap from growing during the 1940 to 1980 period, but you had a war and rebuild after the war and a bear market for 2 decades during that time so maybe it’s just a coincidence.