It used to be some people thought they were better than others because they were of a specific race, country or religion. They felt superior to others who they felt were subhuman.

And then some people thought they were better than others because they came from "noble" families, or "good" bloodlines. Their superiority was obvious because it was genetic, they simply had better parents.

Later, some people thought they were better than others because they owned property, at first, agricultural land, but later Capital, or the means of production. Their superiority was obvious simply because they had accumulated these assets and others hadn't been able to.

The next group who felt themselves better than others where those who knew something hard to do, a profession or skill that was rare and required intense training, licenses, certificates, diplomas, education. They thought everyone else was stupid, which made them superior.

And finally came those who felt superior because they believed they were naturally more ambitious, bolder, more willing to take risks, and harder working than the rest. This made them natural leaders entitiled to leadership roles over those who were too timid or cowardly or lazy, or uninterested to be leaders.