Because the "ants" held the wealth of the community they were able to
exercise authority and determine community policy. One result of their
decisions was the creation of titles to land and stored wealth. A second
result was the institution of property-custom and later of property-law
under which those who owned property enjoyed special privileges which
gave them still larger shares of the community wealth and income.
Wealth ownership and the exercise of authority, concentrated in one
person or family, created a basic division in the community between
those whose livelihood depended on their labor and those whose income
was determined by their ownership of property and their exercise of
authority. In the course of time this development divided the community
into a property-owning, governing minority which was wealthy, and a
property-poor majority whose livelihood depended upon the willingness of
the property holding minority to use their land and productive
implements in operations that turned out goods and services.
Property ownership and income were protected by law. Labor income
depended on the bargaining power of the property-less majority. Property
income yielded wealth to the property owners. Labor income, under the
pressure of competition in the labor market, yielded only subsistence.
Thus the community was divided into owners and workers. The owners
controlled and spent or invested the income.
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