>>508748103
>At the high point of the Roman Empire in the second century, at least 50% of free citizens in the capital were unemployed. There was no work for them - it was all done by slaves owned by a few hundred senators. These people sat idle all day and essentially lived off welfare, as this was the only way to stop them from turning on the rulers
One of the many reasons the middle ages (prior to the black death) were actually superior