The Power Elite

by C. Wright Mills

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195133544
• ISBN13: 9780195133547
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

As Then, As Now

What is strikingly apparent even though this book was published in 1956, is that many of the factual bases of it and its observations are seen today, in 2006. And, the current power-structure will continue to operate this way. It is increasing, and will continue to do so. This is where democracies often lead. There are a few thousand people in the United States that control almost all aspects of society. These few thousand individuals, hold leadership posts in the political, military, and economic spheres. An extremely high percentage of these individuals were educated in the same schools, come from upper-class families, belong to the same public clubs, and often the same secret societies. The members of this ruling group hold the same interests and values. And this group, self-selects the majority of its members. This is why there won't be change in the values and course of direction of the United States. One of the biggest myths of American society is that the middle class has influence on which direction and course, our society takes. The American middle class does not have interests or values in common with the Power Elites that control and run US society. Because of these differences, who benefits? The shift from the land-owning elites to the Oligarchic Corporate Rich began in earnest after the American Civil War. Today, the foundations of the "3 tiers of control" that form the current oligarchic power structure of the United States has been long in the making, be it by intentional design, convenience, and/or by coincidence. (The first is the most intentional and influential.) HOW THIS BOOK APPLIES TO TODAY: First, applying a concept of 1956 into to the present year of 2006: The power nuance and enmeshment of and within, the political, military, and economic world. There are thousands of examples. Here are a contemporary few: Colin Powell, occupying the upper echelon of the military world. Achieving the post of Joint-Chiefs of staff, retiring from the military world and moving directly into the political world, as Secretary of State. Not born into the club, but by his work, intellect, and skills, selected into the club, as Cheney. Dick Cheney went from political (Congress, advisor, Sec. of Defense) to the Corporate (Halliburton CEO) and then back to the political (Vice President) echelon. It was Charles Wilson, the President of GM that famously said, "What's good for the country is good for General Motors, and vice versa," He later became the Secretary of Department of Defense. MEDIA and the MASSES: Intriguing yet disturbing is the author's description of what he defines as the "Masses." The Masses (population) receive their information and form opinions by what the Elites of society present to them through the conglomerate media. Instead of forming their own opinions, the Masses believe, and regurgitate what the conglomerate media run by the Elites, feed them. The Masses are merely spectators of w

Welcome to America, the Managed Society

C. Wright Mills's examination on the inner workings of the ruling structures of America, "The Power Elite," had an enormous influence on the development of the New Left during the 1960s. This book became the bible of choice amongst the founders of the Students for a Democratic Society in the early 1960s, serving as one of the key components Tom Hayden borrowed from when he wrote "The Port Huron Statement," the first credo issued by that group. It could be safely argued that a student of Leftism in twentieth century America couldn't even begin to grasp the ideology of that movement without looking at this book. C. Wright Mills died before seeing the effects the New Left would have on American society, but his book lives on in reprint after reprint. "The Power Elite" begins its examination of the power structure in America by looking at local systems of elites. These microcosms of power, much more common in the earlier era of our country, constituted numerous bases of influence across the country. These people were the ones who owned the local mills, or worked as the local lawyer or doctor. They often owned land and saw themselves as the height of local society. But as America grew in size, these local elites gave way to a nationalized power structure that overrode the old, regional ruling constructions. In the process of showing how regional elites eventually formed a national system, Mills examines the old moneyed classes in the United States, how the powerful and wealthy set up networks of influence through elite schools, and how the power elites recruited new members through such institutions as corporations and government service. If I had to sum up the first few sections of this book, I would say that Mills is trying to show how scattered the power elite was in the earlier stages of this country's history. The first part of this book tends to move slowly, and isn't nearly as interesting as the second half when Mills discusses the rise of the military, government, and corporate hierarchies. According to Mills, these three institutions now form a contiguous whole as far as managing the country goes. Moreover, people inhabiting any of these three structures often move between them with seeming ease. Isn't it funny that Colin Powell, a lifelong military officer, suddenly finds himself in the political world as Secretary of State? Or how Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld move between the corporate and political worlds with such simplicity? I'm not picking on the current administration, as EVERY administration regardless of political stripe does this, but these specific examples are indicative of what Mills argues in this book: that the three hierarchies of power in the United States are interlocking, and that the people at the highest levels of these institutions look after one another and do each other favors because they share the same experiences, backgrounds, and aspirations. They all share the same attitudes, the same sense of

Perennial Best Seller and Stunning Critique Of America!

No one has written with more verve and authority about the awesome and frightening capabilities of man than the late C. Wright Mills, a prominent and controversial sociologist who wrote such memorable tomes as "White Collar", an exploration of the emerging American Middle class in the early 1950s, and "The Sociological Imagination", a brilliant introduction to the values of employing the sociological perspective in better understanding the realities of ordinary life. In this book, "The Power Elite", Mills delivers a provocative examination of the nature of power, privilege, and status in the United States, and how each of these three critical elements of power and property in this country are irrevocably connected to each other, and how they affect and determine the life chances and material hopes of ordinary human beings. What is most amazing about this book is that while it was written almost fifty years ago to detail what Mills saw as the principal characteristics of American society at the century's mid-point, it also has great verve and value in understanding our contemporary cultural dilemma. After nearly fifty years, that in and of itself is powerful testimony to his enduring value as a scholar and an original thinker. To Mills, it is critical to understand what he viewed as inherent differences between personal troubles of the individual on the one hand, which that particular person has the responsibility to resolve and overcome, and social ills on the other hand, which are beyond both the ken or control of the solitary individual. Indeed, according to Mills, increasingly in the 20th century one finds himself trapped by social circumstance into dilemmas he is absolutely unable to resolve without significant help from the wider social community. "The Power Elite" is a masterful attempt on Mills' part to accurately describe the nature of American society, and to detail how wealth, power, and privilege systematically influence and affect the ordinary individual's progress in the economic, social, and political domains. Mills specific focus in this book is on the interlocking nature of three aspects of the power elite in this country, including the military, the corporate, and the political elite. According to Mills, they share a mutuality of life experiences, educational backgrounds, and economic situations that they cooperate and support each other to the detriment and disfavor of the mass of ordinary Americans. Mills wanted to alert his contemporaries as to the critical ways in which the nature of power and privilege had changed in the 20th century, and while many critics have openly criticized his findings and his conclusions after the book's publications, many readers now find his prognostications and warnings regarding the ways in which the power elite would collusively wrest and manipulate control of every aspect of life in this country an amazingly accurate critique of the true nature of power and privilege in America. Mills often wri

Perhaps the most important book of its generation.

C. Wright Mills was one those people who, disregarding what would more than likely turn out to be a career-ending threat, steps forward and tells the truth -- and an ugly truth it is. Still, in none of his work, and least of all in "The Power Elite" did he shink from one grain of the poison he finds at the root of the American identity, as it shows its face to an awe-struck globe. It is an interesting paradox that the mere fact that a book such as this COULD be published is testament to inherent intellectual health of the traditions of American thought and culture. It's a beautiful thing that such horrifying reports are heard in this America -- I hope that the ugliness and duplicity here exposed flies forever in the USA. It's a brighter banner to symbolize the real power of America than could ever be run up the pole in red, white and blue. ...all of which is for naught if you don't read the damn book!

Mills presents an astute look at the U.S. power structure.

Mills, who died in 1962, provides the reader with an astute, insightful look at the power elite in America. Although many of his references are to people in prominence some 50 years ago, Mills' construct of the upper echelon in America withstands the test of time, prefiguring the military/corporate/governmental trinity of today. If anything, the trends Mills observed during his day, beginning with the advent of Truman's National Security State, have become more salient and pronounced over the years.I heartily recommend this book to anyone who desires an in-depth examination of the power base in this country and how it came to be. During Mill's short, turbulent life he devoted himself to stripping away the pretense of mid-twentieth century sociology, in favor of working toward a practical sociology based on the individual and his relationship contextually to the institutional structures defining his life. Mills believed that individual ills mirrored the greater sickness of the general society, as represented in its power organization, and that the relationship between the two maladies was causal.