| Outcome | Overthrow of the Optimate regime and creation of a more egalitarian society. |
| Subject | Inequality and revolution |
| Timeline | Decade-long struggle |
| Class system | Meritocratic |
| Ruling elite | Optimates |
| Type of inequality | Educational achievement |
| Revolutionary movement |
In this timeline, inequality emerged primarily as a result of disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes, rather than traditional wealth disparities. This led to the creation of a class system based on academic merit and, eventually, genetic engineering. In the aftermath of the revolutionary changes that followed, society was fundamentally transformed.
Education became increasingly important during the early 21st century as the global economy shifted away from manufacturing and toward knowledge-based industries. As a result, access to quality education became a key determinant of socio-economic outcomes.
However, access to quality education varied widely across geographic, socio-economic, and racial lines. In particular, urban centers were better served by school systems than rural areas and wealthy families had access to better resources than poor ones. Additionally, racial and ethnic minorities continued to face systemic barriers to educational opportunities.
These disparities in education led to significant income inequality, with highly educated individuals earning disproportionately more than their less-educated peers. This resulted in the formation of a starkly stratified class system based on educational achievement.
In an effort to address educational inequality, educational reformers promoted a system of standardized testing that aimed to identify and reward talent from all socio-economic backgrounds. This "meritocratic" system promised that anyone could succeed based on their natural abilities and hard work, rather than their background or wealth.
However, this meritocratic system led to new forms of inequality by rewarding people with innate intellectual abilities and penalizing those who lacked them. This widened the gap between privileged and underprivileged students, exacerbating existing social divides and creating a rigid class system based on academic achievement.
The widespread adoption of genetic engineering in the late 21st century enabled the development of "Optimates," genetically engineered individuals with superior intelligence, skills, and physical capabilities. This new genetic superclass rapidly rose to the top of the class system, becoming the de facto ruling elite.
Although only a small minority of the population, Optimates wielded immense power and influence over intellectual and technological progress. This led to widespread resentment and political conflict between the genetically engineered Optimates and the much larger, unmodified human majority.
The stratified class system based on academic achievements and genetic engineering eventually led to political revolution. The anti-Optimate Revolution, led by the unmodified human majority, sought to overthrow the academic and genetically modified elite and create a more egalitarian society.
The revolution was a long and bloody struggle, but ultimately successful in overthrowing the Optimate regime. As part of the new social order, wealth, education, and genetic engineering were redistributed much more equitably. This transformed societal norms in a variety of ways, including:
In this transformation towards a more egalitarian society, inequality was largely eliminated, creating a fairer and more just world.
