|
The Power Elite | 
 enlarge | Author: C. Wright Mills
Creator: Alan Wolfe
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $5.85
You Save: $14.10 (71%)
New (31) Used (29) Collectible (4) from $5.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 34131
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0195133544
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.30973
EAN: 9780195133547
ASIN: 0195133544
Publication Date: February 17, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Softcover: text clean, light cover wear
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
First 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.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 Superb Book September 27, 2008
This could be the best book I've ever read (although I also loved Zinn's People's History and Sheldon Wolin's Democracy Inc.). I am absolutely amazed at how Mills' 52 year old writings contain so many insights into today's military/corporate/political government. As I watched John McCain promise to cut out all spending except for military and veterans' expenditures last night, and then heard about congress meeting secretly to draft wall street bailout legislation, I wondered how in the world could Mills have been so prophetic. But do skip the afterword by Alan Wolfe, who tends to sound like a CNN or even Fox News analyst criticizing the book. Wolfe was a winner of a George H. W. Bush fellowship award.
Corroborates Assertions that the Elected Gov't is not the Real Gov't June 20, 2008
This leading Sociology professor at Columbia University is considered by many to be the father of sociology. An authoritative figure as prominent as C. Wright Mills makes it difficult for the Establishment to socially ostracize and villify him in their routine Two-Minutes Hate, in which they spew their vitriol toward anyone espousing "unorthodox" government viewpoints. C. Wright Mills spent his lifetime (short as it was) studying sociolgoy, society, and government. C. Wright Mills' findings surprises none of us familiar with the story written about in Don't Weep for Me, America: How Democracy in America Became the Prince (While We Slept). Specifically, in reference to the corporate rich, the political directorate, and the military establishment, C. Wright Mills writes, "the leading men in each of the three domains of power-the warlords, the corporation chieftains, the political directorate-tend to come together, to form the power elite of America. He then makes clear that these are the real governors of America, referring to the "elected" officials as the "visible" government througout the book. Perhaps most shocking to the casual reader is Mills' revelation that the warlords of Washington/Pentagon "maintain the largest motion-picture studio in the East, bought from Paramount in 1942" and proceeds to explain how the military propagandizes to the American public by writing the copy for the theater and press. "They prepare scripts, make recordings, and take pictures for radio and TV outlets...and ready to serve magazine editors with prepared copy". And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how America gets into wars with Iraq, Vietnam, ect...
Where does the power lie? American society deconstructed. June 9, 2008
Over 50 years old, but still remarkably relevant and prescient to this day. This is a thorough analysis and breakdown of American Society, with a focus on the power structure. This is the granddaddy of anti-establishment literature. Chomsky is just footnotes to this.
Who's really in charge? Who's running this ship? Where do they come from? What are their motivations? What do they want?
I think it's essential to know the answers to these questions in order to fully understand this country, our place in it; who we are, and what we want out of life.
Mills would no doubt be fascinated by the changes the last 50 years have wrought. In the age of Eisenhower the military was undoubtedly a seat of power in this country. However the institution has seen its influence decline steadily since Ike was around. Today it is not only subservient to the alternates, but has become little more then a tool the others exploit to further their immoral interests. Pathetic really. Consider this, Eisenhower was the last president to achieve the rank of Colonel or higher. Before him there were 15 presidents with senior military experience.
While it's well known today that the media is a tool of economic and political manipulation, it wasn't in the 50's. The level of sophistication by which we are constantly bombarded today is positively astounding. Media, Advertising, PR and Politics have incorporated formal scientific disciplines in their quest to sell you crap that you don't need.
What percentage of our consumer choices are truly ours, and what percentage is due to exposure?
How many folks wind up bankrupt from necessities vs. luxuries?
Why is the national savings rate negative, and personal indebtedness the highest it's ever been?
Illuminations abound.
This book should be required reading ***ESPECIALLY*** chapter 13.
You and I will never join the Power Elite. But we can join the Personal Elite.
Who Rules in America? October 20, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
_The Power Elite_, first published in 1956, by sociologist and social critic C. Wright Mills, is a disturbing work which examines the ruling class (or what Mills more appropriately terms a "power elite") in the United States at the time. C. Wright Mills (1916 - 1962) was an American sociologist who was heavily influenced by the works of Karl Marx and Max Weber. Mills takes a cynical attitude towards American politics and those who wield power, arguing that the rich and powerful constitute an elite in America who rule in a mindless manner. Mills shows how three interlocking prongs of power - the military, the corporations, and the politicians - constitute an elite and thus control the fate of Americans. This book was written after the Second World War during the period of the build-up of the Cold War and Mills' theory of the three pronged power elite may have shaped the farewell speech of President Eisenhower when he coined the term "the military-industrial complex". This work has become a classic for what it reveals about the nature of power within the United States and for its particularly important message in its own time. As such, it remains an important work of sociological research that can be fruitfully read even in our own time in our efforts to understand the sources of power within the United States.
This book begins by considering the "higher circles" - the positions of men in high places. Mills begins by contrasting the life of the ordinary man, constrained by financial and social constraints, with that of the rich and powerful which is largely unconstrained. Mills considers various notions of the elite and the role they might have to play in American society. In line with the idea of Pareto, Mills outlines a theory of the elite as being those who possess the greatest amount of some given quality (the highest men in their respective fields of endeavor). Mills contrasts these ideas to those who argue for a "counter-elite" and those who argue for an "elite of virtue". Following this, Mills considers "local society", noting the role of the "local elite" in the shaping of politics (though maintaining that such a role has become increasingly diminished with the nationalization of power structures). Mills contrasts those of "old wealth" and the "nouveau riche" in a post-Civil War America. Mills notes how those of "old wealth" frequently have local connections and value place. Further, those of "old wealth" look down on the obsession with money-making of the new wealth. Mills also notes the contrasting emphasis on frugality versus spendthriftiness among the rich. Mills also mentions the theories of Thorstein Veblen concerning the "leisure class", but notes how much of Veblen's understanding results from a confusion of "bourgeois values" with "artistocratic values", also maintaining that in the United States there is no genuine aristocracy. Following this, Mills turns his attention to "the Metropolitan 400", the elite among the old wealth. Mills emphasizes the role of celebrity in the creation of the new wealth and contrasts the celebrities with the old wealth. Mills also notes how a "New Metropolitan 400" has developed. Mills notes the obsession with celebrity (an obsession which has grown in our own times into near unimaginable importance) and explains the role that celebrities have played in American life. Following this, Mills turns to the "very rich". Mills notes the role of the "robber barons" in accumulating vast quantities of wealth. Mills contrasts the "very rich" with the "old wealth", and notes how "old wealth" frequently is made to feel inadequate because of new discrepancies in money and wealth as they become increasingly superfluous. Mills also explains the role of tax shelters among the very rich and the manner in which wealth is hidden. Following this, Mills turns to the "chief executives". Mills contrasts the chief executives with the "old fashioned entrepreneurs", noting their increasing mediocrity. Mills also shows how executives relying on "expense accounts" are increasingly involved in immoral and frivolous activity. Mills also turns to the "corporate rich", revealing those who have risen to the top of the corporate ladder. Mills shows how such individuals increasingly bear out a certain stereotype and rarely rise from a lowly position to the top as is often believed. Mills further argues that the "corporate rich" have become increasingly less defensible as a noble elite. Mills next turns to "the warlords", i.e. the military elite. Mills argues along lines laid out by Mosca that in any society there will be men who seek to do violence to others; however, in societies which are run by civilians such men are largely consigned to the military. Mills shows how such men increasingly bear out a certain stereotype. Further, Mills argues that the military has come to play an increasing role in American life with the rise of a "military ascendancy", a process which Mills views as highly disturbing. More and more an alliance is developed between the corporate elite and the military elite, thus constituting the power elite. Following this, Mills turns to the "political directorate", noting the increasing mediocrity of the political elite. Mills also notes the conflicting roles between the political elite and the military elite. Mills argues that following the Second World War and increasingly as seen in the development of the Cold War the military elite have come to play a greater role in the civilian sector as America enters a period of permanent military ascendancy. Mills also shows how many of the political elite may bounce between roles played in the corporate sector and among the military elite. Following this, Mills explains the "theory of balance". Mills argues that the idea that the power elite are so checkmated that they are simply incapable of wielding their power over ordinary citizens is faulty. At the same time, Mills rejects the idea that the power elite are omnipotent. Mills maintains that the balance of power is increasingly being overturned by an executive branch which has gained in power. Mills also shows how the three branches of power - corporate, military, and political - interact in achieving their goals for America. Following this, Mills discusses "the power elite". Mills argues that the power elite are increasingly men of mediocrity and that their interests do not coincide with the interests of the ordinary citizen. Mills also explains the rise of "mass society", arguing in a similar line to that taken by such conservative critics of democracy as Ortega y Gasset and Gustave le Bon that the masses have become increasingly mediocre and prone to irrationalism. Mills sees the role of the media in manipulating the beliefs and opinions of the masses (particularly the role of television (and of course the internet) is something that Mills could not have likely foreseen as the power of the media continued to grow since his time). Following this, Mills examines the "conservative mood", arguing that many conservative theories that attempt to defend the present elite are faulty. Further, Mills argues against such theories which maintain that an elite of the virtuous exists. Finally, Mills turns to the "higher immorality". Here, Mills appears as social critic and at his most polemical. He shows how the elite are increasingly immoral and mediocre men who largely rule mindlessly. This book concludes with an Afterword by Alan Wolfe explaining how the theories of Mills are increasingly important today, despite the fact that Mills may have been incorrect about certain aspects of the American elite.
This book remains an important and fascinating sociological work. In our own time, we have seen how the power elite have continued to consolidate their power in an ever growing state bureaucratic apparatus. Mills' important work foretold much of this at a time when the Cold War and McCarthyism were raging. As such, this work remains a sociological classic which is certain to provide profound insights not only into the time of Mills but also into our own time and the future. Highly recommended.
 How to Subvert a Republic September 18, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, CW Mills' The Power Elite has proven to be a seminal and prophetic work. The Power Elite might well have formed the text for Eisenhower's Farewell Address, and so much of this 1956 book will read like old news to twenty-first century Americans: A triumvirate of political, military, and corporate power form a shadow government that rules the United States. This triumvirate Mills terms "the power elite". This block of de facto power working behind the scenes of de jure government is assisted in achieving its ends by media complicity, dumbed-down public education, and popular amorality.
"For Mills, politics was primarily a facade in any case. Historically speaking, American politics has been organized on the theory of balance: Each branch of government would balance the other; competitive parties would ensure adequate representation; and interest groups like labor unions would serve as a counterweight to other interests like business. But the emergence of the power elite had transformed the theory of balance into a romantic Jeffersonian myth" [page 376].
"Alongside the power elite, there is the propagandist, the publicity expert, the public relations man" [page 315].
"The prime task of public education, as it came widely to be understood in this country, was political: To make the citizens more knowledgeable and thus better able to think and to judge of public affairs. In time, the function of education shifted from the political to the economic: To train people for better-paying jobs and thus to get ahead" [page 317].
"The absence of any firm moral order of belief makes man in the mass all the more open to the manipulation and distraction of the world of celebrities" [page 345].
Mills' thesis then (mirroring that of the film The Corporation) is that America's political problem is not just "a few bad eggs": America's problem is what he terms "structural immorality" brought about by "the higher immorality" of the power elite. Mills posits that the trickle-down effect of the power elite causes an informed citizenry to degenerate into a mass society - a politically naive society far less interested in the health of its political institutions than in mindless entertainment: America has fulfilled Mills' prophecy.
The book is a model of clarity, the writing style is engaging, and the logic is crisp. Highly commended.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
