That's why I say

... with a middle class that's no longer content to just work and consume ...

I know that CW is that the middle class is still very content with working and consuming. And if the middle class doesn't budge, we can kiss goodbye to option 3. I can't imagine a democratic movement without strong support in the middle class.

But, I've personally noticed something funny, when I had the opportunity to rub elbows with a few billionaires (yep, real ones, very big names) on a work/social relation when I was working in the US. Nice guys, no reason to resent them a bit, I'm not of an envious nature and yet, you can't help, somewhere in the back of your mind... I'm definitively not one of them and I know it.

The middle class is the most likely to be angry at the ultra-wealthy if things get bumpy for them. They see them, they understand the situation and they know they won't get there. Happiness is relative.