Back in the days the Danes would conquer just about anything that moved, but it didn't last. They discovered Greenland, Iceland and allegedly America(Vinland), but hey, they were a curious folk and they always came back. I think class distinctions are no more outspoken in Europe than they are in the US, but still money matters here as well. Poor white trash might grow up to be President in the US, but I think it's the exception. And Europe has their share too. For example Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of the UK, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, former prime minister of Denmark, and Gerhard Schröder, prime minister of Germany, all hail from working class backgrounds. Not everyone can become king, but everyone can marry into royalty and of course royalty in Europe has no real power, i.e. if they would try to exert the power they formally have, they would lose it immediately. Consider royalty a gimmick to save us the effort of doing those nasty superstar casting shows to find subject matter for the tabloids.