The Power EliteFirst published in 1956, The Power Elite stands as a contemporary classic of social science and social criticism. C. Wright Mills examines and critiques the organization of power in the United States, calling attention to three firmly interlocked prongs of power: the military, corporate, and political elite. The Power Elite can be read as a good account of what was taking place in America at the time it was written, but its underlying question of whether America is as democratic in practice as it is in theory continues to matter very much today. What The Power Elite informed readers of in 1956 was how much the organization of power in America had changed during their lifetimes, and Alan Wolfe's astute afterword to this new edition brings us up to date, illustrating how much more has changed since then. Wolfe sorts out what is helpful in Mills' book and which of his predictions have not come to bear, laying out the radical changes in American capitalism, from intense global competition and the collapse of communism to rapid technological transformations and ever changing consumer tastes. The Power Elite has stimulated generations of readers to think about the kind of society they have and the kind of society they might want, and deserves to be read by every new generation. |
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Page 4
... middle levels of power , in the Congress and in the pressure groups , as well as among the new and old upper classes of town and city and region . Mingling with them , in curious ways which we shall explore , are those profes- sional ...
... middle levels of power , in the Congress and in the pressure groups , as well as among the new and old upper classes of town and city and region . Mingling with them , in curious ways which we shall explore , are those profes- sional ...
Page 28
... middle levels of power . In discussing the military ascendancy , I shall try to make clear how it has come about ... middle levels of power , a semi - organized stalemate , and that on the bottom level there has come into being a mass ...
... middle levels of power . In discussing the military ascendancy , I shall try to make clear how it has come about ... middle levels of power , a semi - organized stalemate , and that on the bottom level there has come into being a mass ...
Page 30
... middle classes and towers over the underlying population of clerks and wage workers . The members of this set ... levels of American society : it is most apparent in the upper class . Among the underlying population everywhere in America ...
... middle classes and towers over the underlying population of clerks and wage workers . The members of this set ... levels of American society : it is most apparent in the upper class . Among the underlying population everywhere in America ...
Page 61
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Page 66
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Contents
3 | |
30 | |
47 | |
4 The Celebrities | 71 |
5 The Very Rich | 94 |
6 The Chief Executives | 118 |
7 The Corporate Rich | 147 |
8 The Warlords | 171 |
11 The Theory of Balance | 242 |
12 The Power Elite | 269 |
13 The Mass Society | 298 |
14 The Conservative Mood | 325 |
15 The Higher Immorality | 343 |
Afterword | 363 |
Acknowledgments | 382 |
Notes | 384 |
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Common terms and phrases
accordingly administration admirals American elite army ascendancy balance become bureaucratic Business Week businessmen cafe society career celebrities cent century chief executives Civil civilian cliques clubs command companies Congress conservative mood corporate rich corporate world course decisions E. H. Carr economic Eisenhower fact families feel Frederick Lewis Allen hierarchy higher circles ical idea images important income individual industrial institutions interests involved Ivy League John labor leaders less liberal major mass mass media means ment merely metropolitan 400 middle levels military million Mills modern moral Moreover nomic old upper classes opinion organized party political directorate population positions power elite President prestige prevail representative role schools selected Senate social social classes Social Register status structure tion types United warlords wealth World War II York