The Problem of Social Inequality in the United States and Canada

Abstract

In Harry Truman’s 1949 inaugural address, he claimed that «more than half the people in the world are living in conditions approaching misery. For the first time in history, humanity possesses the knowledge and skill to relieve the suffering of those people». However, the problem is still pressing regardless of the ambitious expectations and attempts made by the global community to reduce poverty. According to a UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs survey, about 1.2 billion people in the world are still living in extreme poverty despite the significant progress of humanity in combating this social phenomenon. It would be reasonable to assume that poor and developing states should pay attention to the developed USA and Canada, but according to surveys, the issues of poverty and social inequality are high on the agenda of these countries, too. The article aims to study poverty as well as the approaches used by Washington and Ottawa to resolve internal social contradictions concerning increased social inequality and the state of the poor. Apart from that, the article concentrates on the history and transformations of the approaches used by the governments of these states in reducing poverty and improving living standards. The author concludes that the issue remains unresolved regardless of the efforts made by the authorities of the abovementioned states, and it requires a comprehensive approach from the global community in order to ameliorate the situation.