ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at theories and evidence that connect inequality to violence at the second level of analysis, the state. Inequality, particularly for those who are disadvantaged by being unequal, serves as a cause for frustration and aggression. While inequality is positively connected to the occurrence of violent crime in societies, it is also linked to revolutions and civil wars and terrorism. Inequality, on the national level, does explain to a strong degree the level of criminal and political violence. The original culture of honour research postulated that in certain areas, particularly in regions of the United States, cultures of 'herding' existed in which insults oftentimes resulted in violence. Furthermore, research on the psychology of violence suggests that people with a defensive. The political aspect of a struggle against inequality can be explained indeed as a struggle for power, however with the aim to gain control over living conditions and a rise in self-esteem.
