Revolt of the Elite
The Revolt of the Elite is historian Christopher Lasch's term for the 1980s transformation in which the wealthy professional class, not the workers, led a political and cultural revolution that dismantled the post-WWII consensus in favor of equality. Where previous revolts were from below, this one was from above: the elite revolted against the egalitarian constraints of the worker-centered welfare state that had limited their share of wealth since the New Deal.
Lasch developed the concept in his 1994 book The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy. His argument: the post-WWII period (1945–1980) was uniquely egalitarian by historical standards. Progressive taxation, union power, and the welfare state compressed income inequality and made the working class genuinely powerful. The elites, the wealthy, the highly educated, the managerial class, tolerated this because of the shared threat of communism: in a world where workers might embrace revolutionary alternatives, keeping the working class comfortable was strategically necessary.
Once communism collapsed, the calculation changed. Without the threat of worker radicalization, the elite could pursue their class interests more directly. Reagan's 1981 election was the opening move. Union-busting, deregulation of financial markets, cutting marginal tax rates, and dismantling welfare programs all served elite interests while being presented as universal benefits (a 'rising tide lifts all boats'). The result: in the 1970s, a CEO made 20x the average worker; by the 2020s, the ratio was 200–300x.
What makes the 'revolt' framing interesting for Predictive History is the cultural dimension. Lasch argued that the elite didn't just extract more money, they abandoned civic responsibility. Where traditional elites had some obligation to the communities that hosted them (noblesse oblige), the new mobile, cosmopolitan professional class had no such ties. They sent their children to private schools, lived in gated communities, and consumed global rather than local culture. They seceded from shared civic life even as they extracted more from it.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Revolt of the Elite? ＋
The Revolt of the Elite, named by historian Christopher Lasch, describes the 1980s revolution in which the wealthy professional class dismantled the post-WWII worker-centered social contract. By busting unions, deregulating finance, and cutting taxes on the wealthy, the elite recaptured economic power they had shared with workers since the New Deal. CEO pay went from 20x to 300x average worker pay in 40 years.
Why does the Revolt of the Elite explain populism? ＋
Because it explains the betrayal that drives populist anger. For 35 years after WWII, the working class had real economic security and political power. After 1980, they lost both, not because of foreign competition alone, but because the elite deliberately restructured the system to extract more for themselves. Trump, Brexit, and the global populist wave are the working class's belated response to that 40-year betrayal.