Thus, the rise of the social-welfare state was a response (often of market-oriented liberal democracies) to the threat of popular revolutions, socialism, and communism as the frequency and severity of economic and financial crises increased. Three decades of relative social and economic stability then ensued, from the late 1940’s until the mid-1970’s, a period when inequality fell sharply and median incomes grew rapidly.
随着经济金融危机日趋频繁和深重，群众革命、社会主义和共产主义的威胁也日益严峻，于是，作为（市场经济自由民主国家）的一种对策，社会福利国家崛起了。继之而来的是三十年社会和经济相对稳定的时期，从20世纪40年代到70年代中叶，这个时期同时也是不平等程度大幅下降，收入中等水平迅速提升的时期。