Political Elites [Paperback]

What makes Parrys book impressive overall as well as respectable in detail is his careful attention to the great diversity of questions which have been at issue.Parrys account of the theories in the field is admirably systematic and succinct, showing what is valuable in each, and his critical remarks are shrewd.It explores the ways in which the descriptions of power relationships can subtly be infiltrated by the values of the observers. For this ECPR Classics edition Professor Parry has added an introduction reviewing significant new developments in elite political science.Elites have been described both as the bulwarks of democracy and its very antithesis. 'Political Elites', first published in 1969, reviews the literature on the role of elites in politics. It deals with both the 'classic' elite theorists - Mosca, Pareto, Michels, Burnham and C. Wright Mills - and with many of the empirical and theoretical works on elites by modern political scientists and sociologists. It seeks to clarify the central terms of elite discourse, some of which have entered the everyday political vocabulary - 'elitism', 'power elite', 'establishment', 'elite consensus'' , 'iron law of oligarchy' and 'mass'. It explores the ways in which the descriptions of power relationships can subtly be infiltrated by the values of the observers. For this ECPR Classics edition Professor Parry has added an introduction reviewing significant new developments in elite political science.contentsNew introduction by the author1Introduction13Chapter one: The context of elite theorising15Elitism as a science and as ideology19Marxism and elitism24Chapter two: The classical elitist thesis28Mosca and Michels: an organisational approach32Pareto: A psychological approach40Burnham: An economic approach44C. Wright Mills: An institutional approach46The concept of the mass47Ideology and social control49The perpetuation and replacement of elites50Chapter three: Elitism and pluralism57Types of elite60Military elitesl#+