The Power Elite: Power and Domination in Western Democracies
Power and Domination in Western Democracies
Introduction
Power and domination go hand in hand, such that none can be discussed independently. Power influences domination and the reverse is true in most democracies across the world. Weber who is a prominent thinker describes power as the ability to make a person submit or take an action that otherwise they would not (Batu, 2011). In the latter statement, Weber portrays power in a physical way which is a different opinion from that of Foucault (another prominent thinker). For its part, domination is the ability of a government to practice power (Batu, 2011). This essay aims to help people understand the notion of power and domination in Western Democracies by use of C. Wright Mills's work titled ‘The Power Elite’. The latter will be achieved by understanding and interpreting Wright’s insights on power and domination and comparing the same with the current situation in Western Democracies. According to Mills (1916-1962), there is a presence of a power elite in modern societies, and the same commands large bureaucratic organizations’ resources (Elwell, 2013).
Aspects of Power and Domination by Mills and their Importance in Understanding of Power and Domination in Western Democracies
Mills believes that there exists a power elite that controls the resources of bureaucratic organizations in modern societies (Elwell, 2013). In their part, the bureaucratic organizations have dominated the industrial societies; a perfect illustration of power and domination in modern societies. Power and domination are in the hands of certain powerful individuals who later merge to create the large organizations that are being referred to as the power elite by Mills. These bureaucracies have increased in size and become centralized, thus narrowing down the circle of the owners and runners of the organizations; resulting in poor decision-making (Elwell, 2013). Modern society is made up of three large domains, namely; the economy, the state, and the military (Karlberg, 2005). It is in the three institutions mentioned above that one can find the key people who make up the power elite class (Elwell, 2013). These institutions are the means of power that rule the modern industrial states, such as the Western Democracies.
Power and domination are felt and exercised by those holding the key positions within the three institutions mentioned earlier. According to Mills, the elite are the ones that occupy the main leadership vacancies in the bureaucratic institutions and it is in these positions that ‘the effective means of power are located’ (Elwell, 2013). The power concept is best explained by bureaucracy. According to Weber who is known for their vast contribution to matters of power, it is from the bureaucratic practices that sources of authority or power gain their strengths (Batu, 2011). Mills and Weber illustrate that bureaucracy is the major platform where power and dominance get put into practice in state apparatuses and all aspects of modern society. Power is the ability to dominate and when one is in the highest ranking within the bureaucratic institutions, they can comfortably exercise their power and make rules that govern the rest of the state members (Gay and Alekseeva, 1994).
According to Mills (1956), America has changed its power systems but these changes have not posed any challenges to its legitimation (Wrong, 1956). The changes only occur in the three large domains (political, economic, and military), whereby there have been shifts in various positions within the institutions. The latter explains the kind of power that is in practice in the Western Democracies. Power and domination can be viewed from the social organization perspective (Bourantonis, Infantis, and Tsakonas, 2007). Power is placed in the hands of people who have similar social backgrounds (Elwell, 2013). In the past, power resided in multiple domains and almost all parts of the society. However, according to Mills, things have changed and power resides in the three major domains (state, economic, and military domains) (Elwell, 2013). The other aspects of the society have either been pushed aside or have been subjected to the power of the three major institutions. These minor institutions have similar backgrounds and it is this same characteristic that enables the elite class to exercise their power and domination on them (Elwell, 2013).
The elite group comprises people who belong to the ‘upper third of the income and occupational pyramids’ (Elwell, 2013, np). These people are born in the upper class and attend the same learning institutions. They also attend exclusive clubs and workplaces. They also tend to intermarry. In the Western Democracies, there is the coordination of elites. There is evidence of closeness between the businessmen and government officials as they can easily relate. The coordination is enabled by the virtue that the three major domains are simply and directly unified (Blunden, nd). Individuals in these elites can cross from one level to another within the institutions and still perform. According to Mill (1956), these men are many-sided and they can play various such as that of a legislator and a merchant, frontiersman and soldier and so many other combined roles (Blunden, nd). The coordination is also facilitated by the integration among the domains. Mills points out that as the domains grow and become more centralized individually, the association with other domains grows eminently (Elwell, 2013).
Ordinary people are moved by forces they can neither govern nor understand; changes beyond their control often take place, thus affecting their lives in ways more than one (Karlberg, 2005). Mills wrote the book titled ‘The Power Elite back in the 1950s, but the happenings mentioned in the latter statement are taking place to this day (in modern societies). However, Mills pointed out that not all men are subjected to these powers. Some people come and occupy positions in American society; positions that make them look down on the ordinary citizen by making decisions that adversely affect the common man (Wrong, 1956). The extraordinary men are not bound by any rules, instead, they set the rules for others and make and break down jobs for the ordinary citizens. The elite are not confined by any family responsibilities and they can live as they wish for they have the resources at their disposal (Mills. 1956). The common man in American societies can describe the elite as ‘all they are that they are not’ (Mills, 1956, p. 3).
Mills (1956) says that the power to make or not to make decisions affects the common man. If the elite gets to the point of making decisions, the consequences are adverse to the American citizens, and it even becomes worse when they eventually make no decisions (Mills, 1956). Despite the elite class being the runners of the state machinery and the directors of the military and bureaucratic establishments, they are not the sole decision-makers. There is a class of people comprising ‘advisers and consultants, spokesmen, and opinion-makers who are behind the thoughts and the decisions deliberated by the elite class (Mills, 1956, p. 4). The latter are known as professional politicians and are found in the middle power levels, in the Congress, and within the pressure groups. They can also be found within the new upper classes as well as the old classes of towns and regions. There is another class of people that Mills describes as celebrities and they have the power to either influence or incite the public; mostly in situations where they hold no position within the dominating hierarchy (Mills, 1958). All of the above can be seen to take place in Western societies where power lies in the hands of the corporate rich.
In helping people understand power and domination in Western Democracies, Mills described the national power structure. The few elite dominate the national levels of power by holding the leadership roles in the main domains (Domhoff, 2007). The three domains being referred to in this article had arisen during America’s evolvement. Economic dominance/ large corporations rose into prominence during the 2nd half of the 19th century, with the federal state coming into being during the New Deal and WWII. On the other hand, the military arose in the course of World War II and after the war (Domhoff, 2007). As pointed out earlier these three domains worked together with the realization that they had similar social backgrounds, the same experiences in vast-scale corporations, and also shared the same interests. Mills referred these people to as the corporate rich. Even today, the Western democracies are still ruled by the corporate rich and it is these people that make national-level decisions.
The power elite in America has undergone four epochs and they are currently in the fifth (Blunden, nd). During the first epoch, the three major domains were not as unified as they are present day. It started during the revolution and ran throughout John Adams’ administration (Blunden, nd). The political institutions back then were seemingly centralized and the American society was old families’ based; families that according to Doctor Holmes occupied the highest rankings in the society (Blunden, nd). In the second epoch, the political, economic, and military orders seemed to fit loosely; the bond was still not well-defined. This phase happened in the early 19th century- which preceded Jefferson’s political philosophy (Blunden, nd). The elite class could only be defined as numerous top groups which were loosely made up. The Jacksonian Revolution took place during the second epoch and Mills described it as a status revolution that was neither economically nor politically allied (Mills, 1958). It was the political elite that was in charge during the revolution mentioned earlier. Mills points out that during this period, the centralized means of power was never controlled by any set of men and neither was there a small clique dominating the economic spheres nor any political affairs (Mills, 1956).
The second period ended with a split of both the southern and the northern types and in came the third phase. It was during this period that the supremacy of corporate economic power started to gain speed (Bourantonis et.al, 2007). Congressional elections were conducted in 1866 and later the Supreme Court a decision in 1886 that declared that the corporation was protected by the Fourteenth Amendment (Blunden, n.d.). According to Mills 1956, American society experienced the transfer of the center of power and initiative to the corporation from the initial facilitators; the government. It was during this epoch that corruption was at its highest and the government was getting constant raids from the economic elite. This era remains, to many Americans the golden era for the American ruling class (Blunden, n.d.). The main two domains that had a say in power and dominance in America were the political and the economic elite. The military domain was a way off the side of the main forces ruling America at the time (Mills, 1956). The economic domain seemed to flourish more in the third phase of the revolution. The trusts and the economic elite could comfortably use governmental apparatus for their personal needs and ends (Mills, 1956). On some occasions, the government found itself being regulated by men from the economic elite; thus scattering their political powers. On the other hand, Mills noted that the industrial and financial corporations were concentrated and interlocked (Mills, 1956). The third era saw the most transparent political period in American history.
The fourth era which Mill also referred to as the New Deal came with its share of challenges; such as competing centers of power (Blunden, n.d.). In the third era, the economic elite made raids on the political elite but due to the political power attained by the New Deal, the economic elite now wanted in. There ensued a tag of war within the political institutions as the economic elite was forced into positions that were already too crowded (Bourantonis et al., 2007). Eventually, the economic elite fitted into the New Deal Institutions and as usual used the resources for their good. Later in the book, Mills points out that the military has become one of the power elites in the current Western Democracies. The warlords are now players in the political structure and they have power and dominance over the state. In the current era which is the fifth epoch, the military seems to have control over all other domains as political and economic undertakings are ‘judged in terms of military definitions of reality’ (Blunden, and, n.p.).
Conclusion
Power can be described as the ability to dominate. According to Mills, Western Democracies were ruled by a group of men referred to as elites. American society has been ruled by such elites, which at first were not connected. Mills observed that ordinary people have to live in a certain defined manner which has been created by the elite group. The ordinary citizen follows rules created by the few rich who are themselves not subjected to the same. The three elite/domains that Mills describes include; the economic, political, and military domains. In the past, these three domains were not working together, especially during the first, second, and third epochs. They worked independently and at one time the economic elite were witnessed to raid on the political elite. However, by the end of the third epoch, Mills observed that the elites were loosely connected. Western democracies are in their fifth epoch whereby the military elite seem to have more power and domination over the other two elites. Men from the three major domains can freely move from one position to another within the domains.
References
Batu. (2011). Power and Domination According to Weber and Foucault.
Blunden, A. (n.d.). C. Wright Mills 1956: The Power Elite.
Bourantonis, D., Ifantis, K and Tsakonas, P. (2007).
Multilateralism and Security Institutions in an Era of Globalization. London:Routledge.
Domhoff, G. W. (2007). C. Wright Mills, Power Structure Research, and the Failures of Mainstream Political Science. Who Rules America?
Elwell, F. W. (2013). C. Wright Mills on the Power Elite.
Gay, W., & Alekseeva, T. A. (1994). On the Eve of the 21st Century: Perspectives of Russian and American Philosophers. Lanham,
MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Karlberg, M. (2005). The Power of Discourse and the Discourse of Power: Pursuing Peace through Discourse Interventions.
International Journal of Peace Studies, 10(1), 1-25.
Mills, W. C. (1956). The Power Elite. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mills, W. C. (1958). The Structure of Power in American Society. The British Journal of Sociology, 9 (1), 29-41.
Wrong, D. H. (1956). The Power Elite, by C. Wright Mills; Power in America.
Ratings
