Sociological Theory
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD

C. WRIGHT MILLS
1916-1962


PUBLISHED SUCH BOOKS AS:

FROM MAX WEBER (1946)

THE NEW MEN OF POWER (1948)

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE (1953)

THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS (1953)

POWER ELITE (1956)

THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION (1959)

IMAGES OF MAN (1959)

LISTEN YANKEE (1960)

THE MARXISTS (1962)

HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY MAX WEBER; HANS GERTH (U OF MINNESOTA); THORSTEIN VEBLEN



POWER ELITE


  • WEBER HAD TALKED ABOUT CLASS, STATUS, AND POLITICAL POWER,

  • POLITICAL POWER CAN CROSS CUT ALL ELSE, CLASS, RACE, ETHNICITY

  • POLITICAL POWER IS AN ASSOCIATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO'S ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GAIN AND EXERCISE POWER

  • MILLS MAINTAINED THAT POWER HAS BECOME MORE CENTRALIZED FOLLOWING WWII

  • MOST OF US LIVE LIVES HEMMED IN BY FAMILY, JOBS, PERSONAL HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY, LIMITED POWER




  • THE POWER ELITE, (POSITIONS - STATUSES), ALLOWS THEM TO TRANSCEND ALL THE CONSTRAINING ASPECTS OF LIFE

  • THE POWER ELITE IS A NETWORK OF TOP LEADERS (STATUS) THAT EXERCISE POWER OVER EVERYONE ELSE (AT LEAST MAJOR INFLUENCE)

  • THEY HEAD THE MAJOR HIERARCHIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN SOCIETY (WEBER WAS REAL CONCERNED WITH THIS POTENTIAL)

  • POWER ELITE HEADS THE POLITICAL ARENA, MILITARY, ECONOMY, (USE TO BE FAMILY, RELIGION)

  • OUR ECONOMY HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, COMPETITION REALLY GONE,

  • NOW DOMINATED BY 2 OR 3 HUNDRED GIANT CORPORATIONS; HELD TOGETHER BY INFORMAL NETWORKS, INTERESTS, ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES (BOARDS, DIRECTORATES) ADMINISTRATION ETC.

    THEY MAKE THE IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DECISIONS

  • .02 OR .03 PERCENT OF ADULTS CONTROL MAJOR INSTITUTIONS

  • SAME IS TRUE IN MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT,

  • AS TIME PASSES THE PERSONNEL BECOME INCREASING INTERCHANGEABLE


    1. CORPORATE RICH (TOP 500?)

      WAR LORDS (TOP PENTAGON OFFICIALS)

      POLITICAL DIRECTORATE (EXECUTIVE BRANCH)

      AT TOP OF PYRAMID

    2. MIDDLE CONSISTS OF SMALL POWER BROKERS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATURE, LOBBYISTS, ETC.

    3. THE BOTTOM, THE VAST MAJORITY IS THE MASS


  • THE MASS IS EASILY MANIPULATED BY ADVERTISING AND PROPAGANDA

  • THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAS BECOME A MASS


    1. FEWER PEOPLE EXPRESS OPINIONS THEN RECEIVE THEM, WHO KNOWS THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, HOW THEY VOTE ON ISSUES?

    2. TOP DOWN COMMUNICATION - UNABLE TO ANSWER BACK IMMEDIATELY WITH ANY EFFECT

    3. OPINION IS CONTROLLED BY AUTHORITIES WHO CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS (NEWS; PAPERS; RESEARCH, MAGAZINES, ETC.)

    4. WHAT INSTITUTION ALLOW MASS TO FORMULATE OPINIONS AND EXPRESS THEM? EVERYTHING WORKS TO FRAGMENT OPINIONS IF ANY FORMED AT ALL


"IN A MASS SOCIETY, THE DOMINANT TYPE OF COMMUNICATION IS THE FORMAL MEDIA, AND THE PUBLICS BECOME MERE MEDIA MARKETS: ALL THOSE EXPOSED TO THE CONTENTS OF GIVEN MASS MEDIA."


THE POWER ELITE - THE CIRCLE OF POWER BROKERS - CONTAIN ON THE ONE HAND THE PROFESSIONAL CELEBRITY, GAY, GLAMOUR, EROTIC, EXCITING AND ON THE OTHER AN AURA OF POWER, WEALTH, MIGHT, AUTHORITY

"THESE TWO PINNACLES ARE NOT UNRELATED ....THE PROFESSIONALS, IN THE MAIN, ARE EITHER GLOSSY LITTLE ANIMALS OR FRIVOLOUS CLOWNS; THE MEN OF POWER, IN THE MAIN, RARELY SEEM TO BE MODELS OF REPRESENTATIVE MEN... AMERICA -- A CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY WITHOUT ANY CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGY -- APPEARS NOW BEFORE THE WORLD A NAKED AND ARBITRARY POWER, AS, IN THE NAME OF REALISM, ITS MEN OF DECISION ENFORCE THEIR OFTEN CRACKPOT DEFINITIONS UPON WORLD REALITY. THE SECOND-RATE MIND IS IN COMMAND OF THE PONDEROUSLY SPOKEN PLATITUDE."

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The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Copyright: © 2001, John Hamlin
Last Modified: Friday, 12-Sep-2003 15:34:11 CDT
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