The Power Elite

The Power Elite

By: C. Wright Mills  

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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.

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
The Power Elite rules. -
Power Elite was a term used by the fascinating researcher Col. L. Fletcher Prouty aka Man X in the JFK movie by Oliver Stone.

Some great quotes below from this old but interesting book.

"If you do not specify and confront real issues, what you say will surely obscure them. If you do not alarm anyone morally, you will yourself remain morally asleep. If you do not embody controversy, what you say will be an acceptance of the drift to the coming human hell." C. Wright Mills

(Ruled by a small group)
"As the circle of those who decide is narrowed, as the means of decision are centralized and the consequences of decision become enormous, then the course of great events often rests upon the decisions of determinable circles" (The Power Elite, 1956, page. 21).
"There is nothing in 'the nature of history' in our epoch that rules out the pivotal function of small groups of decision-makers. On the contrary, the structure of the present is such as to make this not only a reasonable, but a rather compelling, view
(The Power Elite, 1956, page. 27).

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Who's in charge here?!?! - Many Americans traipse through life with nary a thought as to how their country is run, who runs it or who ultimately benefits from its workings. Maybe because thinking about it for more than a few nanoseconds triggers a Krakatoa migraine. The complications pile up quickly and research often leads to dead ends, confusion or simply nothing. And who has time for any research with lives filled with important and increasingly more unimportant distractions? Most just live day to day with seemingly no concern for the big picture. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Perhaps. But those who acquire bliss from less nescient sources would do good to give "The Power Elite" a good read. Though it doesn't completely describe early 21st century power structures and also contains a multitude of dated material, this verbose book nonetheless provides a framework with which to help interpret today's America. It also works wonderfully as a starting point for further study. C. Wright Mills, the late, famous and often maligned social scientist, took a hard look at the America of his time. Eisenhower was President. The Vietnam War had not begun. John F. Kennedy, whose 1952 Senatorial campaign appears in a footnote, was half a decade away from the Presidency. Computers were the size of trucks and the Internet was an embryonic whiff, if that. So how can this 1956 book enlighten 21st century experience? In short, by providing a theoretical structure of American's power structure that, though dated, remains provocative and insightful some fifty-five years later. Though nobody will come away from this book with an "ah ha! Now I know what's going on!" feeling, most will probably feel the great nebula of American power starting to focus. Unfortunately, the book doesn't paint a rosy picture for the average American.

"The Power Elite" focuses on three main groups of power: the Corporate Rich, the Political Directorate and the "Warlords" (or military leaders). Essentially, Mills depicts these three groups as comprising an intermingling and intra-cooperative elite of power in America. He never calls it a conspiracy, quite the opposite, he portrays this upper level of power as a hyper-class-conscious collective who openly look after each others' interests. And in 1956, as today, those interests revolve around control of markets and money. Though he never explicitly refers to them as "evil" (though he does use words such as "immoral" and "irresponsible") he does see their rise coinciding with a decrease in American democracy. Mills also provides a historical perspective, using the Civil War as the main dividing line between the elite of yesterday and today. The rise of today's corporate power, according to Mills, began with two pivotal events: the 1866 congressional elections and the 1886 Supreme Court decision that extended the 14th Amendment to corporations. From roughly that point on money and power coincided, pushing parts of the "old family money" aside (though pedigrees never really took hold in the US). Conjointly, by what Mills coins "the military ascendancy," a "permanent war economy, in which corporations and military cooperate to meet their joint interests, appeared. This shift in power also shifted the politicians, especially in Congress, to the "middle levels of power," which in turn disenfranchised the citizenry. As such, the Constitutional "balance of powers" has become what Mills calls "mythology." Power has thus shifted from political representatives to corporations, who also infiltrate government for their own interests. A sort of bloodless coup unfolds by which the focus of decisions gets diverted to the Board Room. Where does this leave the people? Mills paints a bleak picture of a "mass society" in which the population lose any kind of voice in national debate or issues. Voiceless and impotent, they consume rather than communicate. Mass media and public relations, both as a centralizer and as a distraction, has exacerbated this trend. Though Mills never mentions him, the thought of Edward Bernays looms large over his conception of the "mass society." Even education becomes a tool by which to turn an active public into a mass. The book turns into invective at this point, and though at times melodramatic, his depiction of the person helplessly lost in a mass of confusion will likely ring true for many readers. He summarizes with: "Acting without goals, the man in the mass just feels pointless." Mills cites this mass as further evidence for an elite of power and then accuses the elite of embodying "the American system of organized irresponsibility." This "higher immorality," he argues, has become an endemic part of the American system. Rhapsodizing about a bygone era, Mills considers the lack of people of knowledge at the top (Washington relaxed with Voltaire and Locke while Eisenhower "read cowboy tales and detective stories") a "grievous decline" for America. "Men of affairs," he continues, "are mindless." The book's final word, perhaps for intentional effect, is "irresponsibility."

Everyone will find things to agree or disagree with in Mill's classic book. It brims with details that defy summary, including a rather opaque characterization of celebrity, critiques of Thorstein Veblen, an exploration of the Social Register (which is still in print, complete with website), a delineation of local politics, and countless other fascinating topics. Though intriguing throughout, this edition includes an Afterword by Alan Wolfe that ruminates on where Mills went right and wrong. Wolfe claims that Mills was wrong about the military and even about capitalism, though nonetheless considers the book a classic deserving of its longevity and reputation. Lastly, Wolf and countless other critics have pointed out the book's largest fault: Mills ends with critique. No solution to his dilemma of the power elite emerges from the thick book. What should the person trapped in mass society do? Mills offers no substantial ideas. In any case, books can't provide everything, and Mills' critique provides much food for thought even considering the absence of remedies. Ultimately, "The Power Elite" will expand readers' perspectives of the society and culture in which they live. And though it doesn't offer definitive or even up to date observations on power in America, it nonetheless will expand horizons and provide a starting point for those curious about how this massive machine called America works.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
The Power Elite - The seller was very honest in the book's description and the book itself still holds up 50 years after it was written.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Excellent book for the Sociology student - Any student of sociology will love this book. C. Wright Mills was a man ahead of his time as well as true radical in his thinking. He spells out what we are experiencing today. A must reading for the serious sociology student or the student of society today.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Still Correct after 50 Years - C. Wright Mills was a prophet without honor during his lifetime.
Rereading this work after almost 50 years should be a wake-up call to arms against those forces who seek to control our nation for their, not our benefit.

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