This chapter deconstructs the mechanisms through which contemporary capitalism systematically produces and deepens inequality, creating the foundational conditions for social unrest and political radicalisation. It begins with Marx’s core theory of capital accumulation, which posits that the system inherently concentrates wealth and polarizes society, a thesis substantiated by contemporary data on wealth disparities. The analysis then explores how this inequality manifests spatially across Northwest Europe, leading to the segregation of marginalized communities in peripheral urban areas and fostering social exclusion. The concept of the “reserve army of labor” is updated to explain the chronic precarity and underemployment in deindustrialized regions8888. Furthermore, the chapter examines how neoliberal policies, particularly austerity, dismantle social safety nets and intensify deprivation, creating the socio-political volatility that extremist ideologies exploit9999. It also delves into Marxist alienation theory, linking the commodification of labor and consumer culture to a crisis of meaning that makes individuals receptive to radical narratives. The chapter concludes by analyzing financialization and world-systems theory, demonstrating how speculative capital and imperial core-periphery dynamics perpetuate global inequality and systemic instability.