It was really a class distinction at first, the landed gentry used it to justify and explain their position in society. As empires expanded and exploited more territories it gained power as an explanatory framework for why some people were just destined to be worse off.
It was really a class distinction at first, the landed gentry used it to justify and explain their position in society. As empires expanded and exploited more territories it gained power as an explanatory framework for why some people were just destined to be worse off.