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Distribution of Power and Concept of Elite & Mass

Dr. Preeti Singh

Department of Political Science

Vasanta College for Women

Rajghat, Varanasi

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Defining Elite

Elites are understood in contrast to the common people, i.e. the masses. While elites are considered to have superior qualities, the masses are thought of as being disinterested and unconcerned in politics.
In every political system political power tends to be concentrated at the hand of a few or a minority. Elite theory aims at analysing the causes and nature of this uneven distribution.The central concern of elite theories is why and how a ruling elite always rules over others.
The elite theory stands on the classical doctrine of the natural inequality of mankind. elite theory approach to politics is that only a ruling elite is capable of doing politics and taking decisions on the behalf of the common people or the ruled. The elite due to superior qualities are able to manipulate and control the common public.
It represents the repudiation of the sanctified ‘rule of the general will’, hence Maurice Duverger advises that the formula ‘government of the people, by the people’ must be replaced by another formula ; ‘government of the people by an elite sprung from the people’.

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Defining Elite

Elite theories emerged as a response to Marxism:

It rejects the Marxist argument that political structure is nothing but merely a reflection of economic relations and the economic factor is the sole determinant of power structure of the society and argues that sources of power of elites are many.
It, further, disagrees with the Marxist idea of a closed ruling class leading to polarisation of ruling and ruled class and believes in a continual circulation of elite.
And finally it discards Marxist claim of future classless society free from uneven distribution of power and argues that hierarchical structure of the society is inevitable ( Mukhopadhyay 1977: 43).

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Types of Elite Theories

According to Geraint Parry, Elite theories can be broadly classified into following types: (a) organisational theory of elite by Mosca and Michels (b) psychological theory of elite by Pareto (c) economic theory of elite by James Burnham and (d) institutional theory of elite by C.W. Mills (Mukhopadhyay 1977: 43).

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Mosca’s Theory of Elite

Gaetano Mosca argues in his book The Ruling Class that society throughout history, has always been found to be divided between the ruling class and the ruled class.
The ruling class i.e the elite is composed of superior individuals who occupy the elite position due to possession of some special attributes- economic, military or religious-which are lacking in the mass.
Elite manage to rule because they are in minority and hence are organized and united : ‘The power of any minority is irresistible as against each single individual in the majority, who stands alone before the totality of the organized minority’.[Mosca]

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Mosca’s Theory of Elite

Political elite use ‘political formula’ to provide a moral and legal basis to its power. The political formula is only a strategy of rule which need not to be morally sound and it may simply be a myth that is accepted by the people.
Position of the elite class is not permanent and is likely to be affected by emergence of new problem, new interests and ideals and to cope in such situations, the elite makes some compromises in form of changes in its policies and sometime even by opening its ranks for new entrants and admitting change in its composition.
But such changes do not indicate the end of the old ruling class but only to some modifications in it.

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Robert Michels’ Theory of Elite

In his work Political Parties Michels asserts that the very structure of modern organized society gives birth to elite rule. In modern society any organization or movement can be strong without organization and any organization cannot survive without leadership and a very few have the ability to lead which become the elite class.
He say: ‘Who says organization say oligarchy’ which is known as ‘iron law of oligarchy’.
Need for technical expertise.
A peculiar psychology of the mass mind contributes to the growth of oligarchy. As majority of human beings, according to Michels, are apathetic, indolent, ignorant and slavish.

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Robert Michels’ Theory of Elite

This oligarchic rule is so stable and irremovable that there cannot be an absolute exchange or displacement of the class at the top, however, some new members from the bottom may enter into the oligarchic class.
Even if masses revolt against the elite rule the revolt is generally suppressed and even if it is successful it does not mean end to the elite rule rather replacement of one elite by the other.

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Pareto’s Theory of Circulation of Elite

In his work Mind and Society Vilfredo Pareto attempts to explain elite rule from a psychological perspective.
Vilfredo Pareto claimed that elites are different from masses because they have superior psychological characteristics. Defining the concept of elite, Pareto explains that in every field of human activity an individual may be given an index as a measurement of his ability and the class scoring the highest point in particular field may be identified as the elite.
The elite may be divided into two classes: (1) governing elite who directly on indirectly play an important part in government and (2) non-governing elite whose activities have nothing to do with politics.
The whole history of any society is about relation between the elite and non-elite.

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Pareto’s Theory of Circulation of Elite

Presenting the psychological analysis of elite rule, Pareto divides human actions into two types- logical and non-logical. Most human actions are illogical but they try to project their non-logical actions as logical, this attempt is found to be composed of two elements: derivations and residues. Residues are manifestations of sentiments and Derivations are justification of these residues.
According to Pareto Residues are of 6 types(1) residues of combinations (2)residues of persistence of aggregate (3)residues of sociability (4) residues of activity (5)residues of the integrity of the individual and (6) residues of sex.
With regard to elite rule first two residues are important. Residues of Combinations represent tendencies to originate, manipulate and combine institutions and ideas by the use of imagination and Residues of Persistence of Aggregates are the expressions of an urge to consolidate positions and these are the manifestations of instincts of permanence, stability and order.

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Pareto’s Theory of Circulation of Elite

According to Pareto men have predominance of either residues of combinations or residues of aggregates and ruling pattern depends on whether ruling elite is composed of men having residues of combinations or men having residues of aggregates.
Drawing from the famous Italian philosopher and writer, Machiavelli, he said that there are two types of governing elite, that he calls ‘lions’ and ‘foxes’ (Haralambos 1980; 108). Lions achieve power because of their ability to take direct action and they tend to rule by force. Military dictatorship is an example of this type of governing elite. By comparison, foxes rule by cunningness, by diplomatic manipulation. European democracies are example of this type of elite according to him

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Pareto’s Theory of Circulation of Elite

Pareto claims that elite rule is inevitable and says that one group of elites replaces another group and this cycle continues. This is called the circulation of elites. Thus, major changes occur when elite rule changes. Foxes replace lions, and in turn get replaced by foxes. Thus, history for Pareto is a never-ending circulation of elites (Haralambos 1980: 108) , therefore, he says ‘history is a graveyard of aristocracies’.

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James Burnham’s Economic Theory of Elite

In his work The Managerial Revolution , Burnham like other elite theorists argue that in every society a small group rules but taking a Marxist position he believes that the source of power of the elite is economic. In other words, the elite gets dominance in society due to its control over means of production.
In the capitalist society the capitalist were originally managers of their enterprises but gradually they abdicate the managerial job in favour of the professional managers and concentrated only on financing.
Finally the capitalist retired even from financing and remain only a leisured class and thus got divorced from the production process which passes into the hands of a managerial class who begin regulating access to the means of production and gradually this managerial class would get total control in the economic sphere.
Burnham refuses the Marxist claim of classless and therefore an elite rule free society and asserts the ultimately capitalist societies will be ruled by the managers- the bureaucrats

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C. Wright Mills’ Institutional Theory of Elite

Mills rejects the argument that political power of the elite results from only economic phenomenon.
For the elite Mills uses the term ‘power elite’ and not ruling class in his work The Power Elite.
Against the background of American society, Mills argues that the power elite is the product of the institutional landscape of the society. In any society certain institutions hold a pivotal position and person placed at the topmost ranks of hierarchy in these institutions occupy control over the social structure and therefore they are the power elite.
In American society Mills locates the power elite within three major institutions- the military, the big corporations and the political executive.

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C. Wright Mills’ Institutional Theory of Elite

The leaders occupying the command positions in these three principal institutions are , according to Mills, is a cohesive group and this cohesiveness is due to similarity of their social origin and institutional proximity.
Close connections and free interflow of personnel among these institutions.
Similarity of life style and sense of unity
In comparison to power elite, mass is ‘fragmented, subdued and even unaware of the part it can play in the total structure’.

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Ortega Y. Gasset’s Theory of Elite

Gasset argues that it is the people who create the elites by reposing their faith in and by rendering their support to the chosen element.
The masses revolt when aristocracy becomes corrupt and inefficient, and the motive behind the revolt is not that they have objection to being ruled by aristocracy but would like to be ruled by a more competent aristocracy.
He asserts that when the masses in a country believe that they don’t need to be governed by the elite/aristocracy, the country inevitably declines. In their disillusionment the masses again turn to the new leadership, and here a new aristocracy emerges.

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Testing Elite Theory

Scholars have done emperical studies to test whether the elite thesis correspond to reality and is there in every society always a single centre of political power?
Robert S. and Helen M. Lynd in Middletown in Transition , August B.Hollingshead in Elmtown’s Youth and Floyd Hunter in Community Power Structure support the thesis.
Nelson W.Polsby in Community Power and Political Theory and Robert A. Dahl in Who Governs?, refute the thesis. These critics take a pluralistic position.

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Testing Elite Theory

Robert Dahl in his article A Critique of the Ruling Elite Model challenges the elite theory on following grounds:
The elite theory confuses potential control with actual control.
In a society political power is often unevenly distributed but this uneven distribution does not necessarily proves the claim of elite rule
Elite theory fails to understand the fact there may be different scopes of power and that a group having a high degree of influence over one scope may not necessarily have the same degree of influence over another scope.

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