How did the caste system effect hindus?

The religious leaders of Hinduism created the oppressive caste system as an essential component of the religion. The Caste System maintained four social classes or social orders which was similar to the class system that exists in civilized societies today. The main difference however was the fact that the caste system was defined by pedigree as the ultimate qualification for social classification. The person's bloodline determined his/her future. It meant therefore that a child born to a person of the lowest lineage or classification was condemned to a lifetime of that oppressive existence. The highest in the social class was the supremacist religious leaders and the next in line was conveniently the politicians. The third class was the businessmen and the last was obviously the workers /slaves. The oppressive caste/class system has undergone many alterations over the centuries. It was later manipulated to reflect changing social trends of cross breeding or mixing of the bloodlines. The supremacist religious leaders claimed that God created the caste system as an academic program of spiritual development similar to the structure of most educational hierarchies. People were duped into believing that they must work hard and pass their karmic exams to graduate to the next level. The leaders justified their bigotry with the fairy-tale that life is a continuous cycle of birth and death where the individual/soul progresses or regresses on the basis of karma or actions. They claim that God rewards good karma with superior birth and benefits. They claim that the punishment for bad karma is an inferior birth filled with pain and sorrow.