Re: US Capitalism: The Most Remarkable Achievement In Human History Against Poverty
Wonder how much the purchasing power of $1 declined on the same timescale 
^ Exactly this.
Maybe the inflation isn't correctly calculated but: "...worlds population living on $1 or less (in 1987 dollars)...".
Wonder how many actually read through the posts they are commenting on
Ah, well that makes it more interesting. The line in the graph drops dramatically between 1970 and 1987, then changes to a far slower pace. So the first chart is more useful alongside the purchasing power chart.
I wonder what the first chart would look like if it took 1970 purchasing power as it's start point? Probably wouldn't depict quite the same "success" factor.
It depends what you call success. People who could not afford basic essentials in 1970s have mobile phones now. Most of those people will never hold a dollar bill in their lives. But they have been lifted out of grotesque poverty by international trade and economic liberalisation.