▁ ▁income ▁inequality ▁in ▁America ▁since ▁ 1 9 4 8 . ▁( see ▁below ) ▁Ex am ining ▁average ▁annual ▁pre - tax ▁income ▁growth ▁from ▁ 1 9 4 8 ▁to ▁ 2 0 0 5 ▁( which ▁en comp ass ed ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁eg al itar ian ▁Great ▁Com pression ▁and ▁the ▁entire ▁in eg al itar ian ▁Great ▁D iver gence ) ▁Bart els ▁shows ▁that ▁under ▁Democratic ▁pres idents ▁( from ▁Harry ▁Tr uman ▁forward ), ▁the ▁greatest ▁income ▁g ains ▁have ▁been ▁at ▁the ▁bottom ▁of ▁the ▁income ▁scale ▁and ▁t aper ed ▁off ▁as ▁income ▁rose . ▁Under ▁Republican ▁pres idents , ▁in ▁contrast , ▁g ains ▁were ▁much ▁less ▁but ▁what ▁growth ▁there ▁was ▁concentr ated ▁towards ▁the ▁top , ▁tap ering ▁off ▁as ▁you ▁went ▁down ▁the ▁income ▁scale . ▁ ▁Sum mar izing ▁Bart els ' s ▁find ings , ▁journalist ▁Tim othy ▁No ah ▁referred ▁to ▁the ▁administr ations ▁of ▁Democratic ▁pres idents ▁as ▁" D em ocrat - world ", ▁and ▁G OP ▁administr ations ▁as ▁" Rep ublic an - world ": ▁ ▁The ▁pattern ▁of ▁distribution ▁of ▁growth ▁appears ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁a ▁whole ▁host ▁of ▁policies , ▁ ▁including ▁not ▁only ▁the ▁distribution ▁of ▁tax es ▁and ▁benefits ▁but ▁also ▁the ▁government ' s ▁st ance ▁toward ▁un ions , ▁whether ▁the ▁minimum ▁w age ▁r ises , ▁the ▁extent ▁to ▁which ▁the ▁government ▁fre ts ▁about ▁infl ation ▁versus ▁too - high ▁interest ▁rates