American Politics Term Paper

Total Length: 1724 words ( 6 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 6

Power Elite

Every country has its own powerful and influential groups that seem to control and literally run the state. These groups have unlimited powers and they seem to exert an unhindered and unobstructed influence on the economic, political and military decisions. Wright Mills was one of the pioneers in the field of power elite theorists who closely examined the nature and function of the elite and explained how the three powerful groups i.e. The economy, politics and military merge to dominate the state affairs and to certain extent even personal affairs of people. This is because this power elite enjoys the privileges to make major decisions that affect everything including life of the common man:

The powers of ordinary men are circumscribed by the everyday worlds in which they live, yet even in these rounds of job, family, and neighborhood they often seem driven by forces they can neither understand nor govern. 'Great changes' are beyond their control, but affect their conduct and outlook nonetheless. (p.3)

Early in the book, in fact on the very first page of the very first chapter 'The Higher Circles' the author makes it absolutely clear what he means by power elite. He identifies some important characteristics of this group that he discusses in detail later in the book. Mills argues that the power elite has its influence grounded in centralization of information and power. The group that according to him, controls the major affairs in politics, military and economy is composed of people who enjoy unlimited access to the central base where power resides:

As the means of information and of power are centralized, some men come to occupy positions in American society from which they can look down upon, so to speak, and by their decisions mightily affect, the everyday worlds of ordinary' men and women. They are not made by their jobs; they set up and break down jobs for thousands of others; they are not confined by simple family responsibilities; they can escape. They may live in many hotels and houses, but they are bound by no one community. They need not merely 'meet the demands of the day and hour'; in some part, they create these demands, and cause others to meet them. Whether or not they profess their power, their technical and political experience of it far transcends that of the underlying population." (p. 3)

For those who are only interested in the central thesis of the book and can do without the details given later, the first chapter is all they need to read. It contains a lengthy description of the thesis that there exists something called power elite and that they "are not solitary rulers." The rest of the book only further expands upon the information provided in the first chapter but make for highly interesting even if slightly controversial reading.

According to Mills, the power elite refers to "those political, economic, and military circles, which as an intricate set of overlapping cliques share decisions having at least national consequences. In so far as national events are decided, the power elite are those who decide them" (p. 18) This group is interlinked and it is because of the interlocking of the three that power elite enjoy immense power. In other words, the author maintains that power elite is immensely influential mainly because of its access to centralized information, which means they have access to those institutions that can make or break the state and individuals. These institutions that can be called the powerhouses of any country are as follows:

The economy-once a great scatter of small productive units in autonomous balance-has become dominated by two or three hundred giant corporations, administratively and politically interrelated, which together hold the keys to economic decisions...The political order, once a slim decentralized set of several dozen states with a weak spinal cord, has become a centralized, executive establishment, which as taken into itself many powers previously scattered, and now enters into each and every cranny of the social structure.

The military order, once a slim establishment in a context of distrust fed by state militia, has become the largest and most expensive feature of government, and, although well versed in smiling public relations, now has all the grim and clumsy efficiency of sprawling bureaucratic domain (p. 7)

The book offers highly interesting and useful insight into the lives of the rich and powerful. The author has focused more precisely on the American culture of celebrity worship but I personally believe that same analysis can be applied to all countries of the world because wealth and power enjoy universal appeal.
Mills however argues from American viewpoint and feels that power elite exists because we have a celebrity culture in our society. We give undue attention and respect to all those who have wealth and power. Somehow they become our role models, the icons we look up to even if they are completely devoid of personal virtues or moral goodness. The celebrity here is not someone from the fashion or glamour world precisely but everyone who is anyone for the mass media. In the chapter 'The Celebrity', Mills explains how celebrity culture endures:

All those who succeed in America -- no matter what their circle of origin or their sphere of action -- are likely to become involved in the world of the celebrity.... But what are the celebrities? The celebrities are The Names that need no further identification. Those who know them so far exceed those of whom they know as to require no exact computation. Wherever the celebrities go, they are recognized, and moreover, recognized with some excitement and awe. Whatever they do has publicity value. More or less continuously, over a period of time, they are the material for the media of communication and entertainment. And, when that time ends -- as it must -- and the celebrity still lives -- as be may -- from time to time it may be asked, 'Remember him?' That is what celebrity means. (p. 70-71)

Mills goes back and forth in time to explain how this power culture was created and how it has remained intact since the independence. The author maintains that apart from the usual crowd i.e. The politicians and the entertainment professionals we have the corporate heroes who form an integral part of the power elite group. These are those obscenely rich people who made their fortunes during the industrial age and have managed to grow in wealth and power over the century. In the chapter 'The Very Rich', Mills argues that these very rich people have now been able to attain the support of the mass media that projects them in positive light even though they were once called the 'robber barons'. In the past, they at least had the academic community against them but with the passage of time, it seems everyone including the scholars are in awe of their power and affluence.

The fabulously rich, as well as the mere millionaires, are still very much among us; moreover, since the organization of the United States for World War II, new types of 'rich men' with new types of power and prerogative have joined their ranks. Together they form the corporate rich of America, whose wealth and power is today comparable with those of any stratum, anywhere or anytime in world history..." (p. 94)

The best and probably the harshest criticism of the power elite culture comes in the chapter titled 'The Power Elite'. Here the author makes it absolutely clear that he rejects the power culture because it is the main source of social disparities and injustices that prevail in our country. Mills argues that the reason why this elite group exists and has survived is grounded in the apathy of the general public. The public knows someone is meant to control the state affairs and take major decisions, so it sits back and relax without realizing that this apathy enhances the power elite.

It is not that the elite 'believe 'in' a compact elite behind the scenes and a mass down below. It is not put in that language. It is just that the people are of necessity confused and must, like trusting children, place all the new world of foreign policy and strategy and executive action in the hands of experts. It is just that everyone knows somebody has got to run the show, and that somebody usually does. Others do not really care anyway, and besides, they do not know how. So the gap between the two types gets wider. (p. 294)

Mills also focuses on the 'immorality' of power elite in the chapter 'The higher immorality' saying that because of unlimited power and the ability to access to certain institutions, power elite is generally immoral. This means that corruption, lack of personal and social responsibility, indifference to welfare of others and want of good values characterize this group. With the contemporary display of unethical behavior by major corporate giants, we….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

Muslim Americans and the Impact of September 11th

Towards identifying the purveyors of violence against Americans, legislators and leaders in American politics have adopted "narratives that pit the rights of others (whether defined as immigrants of terrorism suspects) against the public safety...and the use of security as a proxy for other agendas."[footnoteRef:11] The ironic twist here is that in spite of the pro-immigrant words of Kennedy in the mid-20th century, the fact is that American history is full of anti-immigrant legislation. The Chinese Exclusion Act promoted xenophobic, racist attitudes towards Asians in the 19th century and was passed to lay "the groundwork for other racially motivated laws that followed."[footnoteRef:12] WWI… Continue Reading...

Informal and Formal Powers of the President

American Politics The American President is said to be the most powerful man in the world, but it is also said that the President has limited influence over domestic policy. Even if the President is relatively weak in terms of domestic policy, he still has tremendous power, more than just about anyone else. This paper will analyze the different formal and informal ways in which the President exerts influence over domestic policy. The paper will then examine the question of whether or not the President's authority on domestic affairs is… Continue Reading...

World and Native Music

American politics. Some music occurs in a commercial context. Other types of music are more communicative in nature, as when bards sing songs to record history. Furthermore, music needs to be understood as a technical practice. Anyone can make noise on an instrument or device, but it requires technical practice and prowess to make music. Finally, music has important social and psychological dimensions. McAllester,… Continue Reading...

The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien

how aggression has impacted on American politics, society and culture. Similarly, O'Brien's work also focuses on the distressing experiences endured by the American soldiers. "The Things They Carried" is popularly seen as one of the best written books on American life after the sufferings of the war (M. Heberle). However, what exactly makes the Vietnam War distinct compared to other wars which America fought in? What brought about an American victory in the Vietnam War? Was the enemy not as equipped and strong as the American military? In his story, O'Brien makes a case for… Continue Reading...

Russian Meddling in U.S. Election Essay

American politics in almost a century.  The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, had no prior political experience of any type.  Hillary Clinton, the projected winner, won a clear majority of the popular vote, but lost the electoral vote by failing to secure wins in states where she was the projected winner.  The Trump victory surprised many political pundits and American voters, who immediately began to wonder what role, if any, rumored Russian interference in the election played in Trump’s victory.  As of October 21, 2017, those issues remained largely unresolved.  Although… Continue Reading...

Immigration Essay

Africans that were captured and put to work as slaves in the colonies, institutionalized racism remained a dark part of American politics and society for centuries. Americans saw Africans as property and resented the wave of Chinese immigrants that came for the promise of work in gold-rich California. The resentment of these new immigrants became so strong that during the 1850’s, an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant political party formed to severely curb immigration. They succeeded in putting a presidential candidate up for election in 1956 (Millard Filmore) and were able to dominate the political climate of Massachusetts, generating a formidable power there. “Their most spectacular triumph was achieved in Massachusetts. In their… Continue Reading...

Natural Disasters Emergency Management Preparedness

oilrig in 2010. This technological disaster has had—and continues to have—ramifications for American politics and policy related to how to prevent and respond to similar problems in the future. Of course, the event also has had major environmental and social ramifications too. As with all technological disasters, the event can be traced to human error but perhaps more importantly, it shows how emergency management and disaster relief is muddled by politics and the collusion between big business and lawmakers. First responders and later cleanup crews have pending lawsuits related to the fraudulent nondisclosure of toxins (Dermansky, 2018). The BP oil spill shows… Continue Reading...

Net Neutrality Essay

American politics, it becomes clear that the debate over net neutrality is a debate between those who control the internet and those who use it. What is Bad about Net Neutrality? According to arguments made by many ISPs, net neutrality has many negatives.  For example, ISPs complain that competitor services, such as Netflix, Google Phone, Skype, and YouTube, require enormous amounts of data, slowing access for all of their customers without requiring the paid-for services that… Continue Reading...

Whigs Democrats and the Second Party System

a two-party system in the "second party system" era of American politics. In many ways, the second party system's factions closely resembled those of the first party system's. The first party system had the Federalists pitted against the anti-Federalists. Now, the Whigs were akin to the Federalists in that they derived their constituent base from a wealthier and more well-educated and more urban cohort in New England, and tended to favor a stronger centralized government versus their Democrat counterparts. On the contrary, Jackson's Democrats resembled Jefferson's anti-federalists, or Old Republicans who valued states' rights over a strong federal government. One… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"American Politics" (2004, August 08) Retrieved May 21, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/american-politics-173309

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"American Politics" 08 August 2004. Web.21 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/american-politics-173309>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"American Politics", 08 August 2004, Accessed.21 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/american-politics-173309