An idle class theory. Veblen T.

In 1899, the publication of the treatise “The Theory of Class Class” caused a wave of excitement around its author - the American economist Torstaina Veblen. The researcher called the elites who switched from rational production to demonstrative consumption. The development of the tradition of demonstrative consumption - the term introduced by the veb - the author traces from the feudal Middle Ages to his time, along the way, with caustic wit of satirist, exposing the void and far -fetched goals of society as the desire to achieve wealth with all its external manifestations and high social status.

Since the first publication, work has become a classic of socio-economic thought and politics, and had an influence that far goes beyond the economic sphere. The echoes of Veblen theories are heard in the works of Henry James and Francis Scott Fitzgerald, and his treatise itself does not lose relevance and entertainment after a century.