ABSTRACT
In view of the dualistic basis of the distributive process, and the variations to which this must necessarily give rise, it would be unwise to attempt to develop a single general theory of distribution or stratification to cover all societies. It should also be noted that classifying societies on the basis of the nature of their technology does not imply that all those in a single category have identical distributive systems any more than that all oligopolistic markets function the same way. If force is the foundation of political sovereignty, it is also the foundation of the distributive system in every society where there is a surplus to be divided. More specifically, the richer the environment, the larger the surplus and the greater the importance of power in the distributive process. It is difficult to exaggerate the contribution of the beliefs to the political stability of our political system and of the distributive system based on it.
