European states were mostly undisguised aristocracies until the end of WWI. Ancient Greece and Rome were profoundly unequal societies where rule by "the best and brightest" didn't allow for equality of opportunity -- no women, slaves or foreigners need apply. Aristotle believed certain people were "natural slaves." Nostalgia won't work. The only "meritocracy" worth talking about is the kind that will work within a modern democratic state in the 21st-century. The GI Bill worked wonders even if it didn't include everyone -- it allowed the bright sons of factory workers and farmers to get a real education. That was radical! Texas's top 10% rule is another good model. But the best solution is to properly fund our public universities so that anyone who wants to attend university can afford it -- this obsession with "merit" and the Ivy League is distorting our vision. Did you know that an 18-yr old could go to UC Berkeley back in the 1970s and pay for it with a summer job?