What reallyhappenedin 1971?
Complex trends rarely have single causes. We show the full picture — not propaganda.
Wages & Income
See all →The Wage-Productivity Gap
Claim: “Wages stopped tracking productivity in 1971 when Nixon ended the gold standard.”
Dual-Income Households
Claim: “Families needed two incomes after 1971 because one wage could no longer support a household.”
Real Median Household Income
Claim: “Middle class incomes stagnated after 1971 when the dollar lost its gold backing.”
Real Federal Minimum Wage
Claim: “The minimum wage lost its value after 1971 when inflation eroded purchasing power.”
US Life Expectancy
Claim: “American health outcomes stagnated as economic conditions deteriorated after 1971.”
Housing
See all →Housing Price-to-Income Ratio
Claim: “Houses became unaffordable after 1971 because fiat money inflated asset prices.”
Homeownership Rate
Claim: “The American Dream of homeownership died after 1971 when fiat money inflated housing prices.”
Hours Worked to Buy a Home
Claim: “Workers must work far more hours to afford a home than before 1971.”
Inequality
See all →Top 1% Income Share
Claim: “The rich started getting richer in 1971 when money was divorced from gold.”
Gini Coefficient
Claim: “Income inequality rose after 1971 due to monetary debasement.”
Labor Share of National Income
Claim: “Workers' share of the economic pie fell after 1971 as capital owners benefited from monetary expansion.”
CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio
Claim: “The gap between CEOs and workers exploded after 1971 as fiat money enabled financialization.”
S&P 500 vs Median Wages
Claim: “Stock markets decoupled from the real economy after 1971, benefiting the wealthy while workers fell behind.”
Wealth Held by Bottom 50%
Claim: “Half of Americans have been left with nothing as fiat money inflated assets they don't own.”
Trade & Debt
See all →Politics & Society
See all →US Incarceration Rate
Claim: “Incarceration exploded after 1971 as economic conditions deteriorated.”
Congressional Polarization
Claim: “Political polarization accelerated after 1971 as economic stress divided the country.”
Bank Consolidation
Claim: “Big banks devoured small banks after deregulation enabled by fiat money's easy credit.”
Demographics
See all →Labor Market
See all →Personal Savings Rate
Claim: “Americans stopped saving after 1971 because inflation ate their purchasing power.”
Union Membership vs Middle Class Income Share
Claim: “Union decline and middle class erosion both trace back to the economic disruption of leaving the gold standard.”
Manufacturing Employment Share
Claim: “America lost its manufacturing base after 1971 when the dollar's devaluation made imports cheaper.”
Prices & Inflation
See all →Cumulative Inflation (CPI)
Claim: “Prices were stable under the gold standard, then inflation exploded after 1971.”
Healthcare Costs vs Median Income
Claim: “Healthcare became unaffordable after 1971 when fiat money caused prices to spiral.”
College Tuition vs General Inflation
Claim: “College became unaffordable because fiat money allowed unlimited government student lending.”
Consumer Debt Per Capita
Claim: “Americans were forced into debt after 1971 because fiat money eroded their purchasing power.”
Ready to think critically about data?
Every chart includes multi-causal analysis, verified sources, and three competing perspectives. Form your own conclusions.