Whatever the excuse, every conflict in modern times had its origin in some question of property rights . Another consequence of the profit system is that the rich get richer. The depression-dampening changes that Weber analyses only exacerbate that tendency. The gap in wealth between the workers and the owners is growing faster in the United States than in the other developed nations. History, however, disproves this analogy.
Economic crises are the free market's escape valve for overproduction.
The longer that the problems of profit-driven production fester without release, the worse the shock is going to be when it finally hits. The longevity of the U. S. economic boom proves no transformation of capitalism, but only the increased exploitation of the working class. A review of the class nature of the economic changes Weber identifies shows that the economy's greater ability to absorb shocks is nothing more than the increasing exploitation of the workforce. But the American worker cannot forever meekly accede to the demands of capital. When the economic system can no longer dissipate overproduction, the crisis will be world-wide and massive.