How Does Elite Power Influence American Government

The United States is no longer the democracy it stands for. Democracy stands for a government controlled by the majority of the population. The United States is no longer controlled by the majority. America is controlled by the powerful corporations and rich elite. The combination of an uninformed, disinterested public, a flawed election process, and an economy controlled by 1% of the population have all led to the formation of the American Oligarchy.

Elite rule is the form of rule we should strive for. The basis of elite rule is the concentration of power in the hands of the few, bringing with it stability of government and ‘protection-against-tyranny’ (Held, 1987). There are three main strands of elitism: classical, democratic and modern elitism. Democratic elitism is the most desirable form for government and is associated with Max Weber and Joseph Schumpeter. They argue for the constant competition between elite rulers and groups which results in the emergence of a competent ruling class. Constant elite competition is the central concept of Democratic elitism, as it is the reason for many of the benefits. These include producing the best leaders and ensuring a system of checks and balances between elites. This constant competition makes the process democratic and accountable, ensuring there are no abusive forces at play within the state. Elitism focuses on the distribution of power within the state, taking an arena based approach. In contrast, Democracy is associated with individual rights, liberties and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, and the ability to affect change. Although the initial aims of democratic elitism are not to provide the rights that democracy does it can still, and does, produce those rights. Therefore, I shall be arguing that the competitive nature of democratic elitism provides benefits but also produces the aspects of democracy that people value highly, without the chaos and instability of a

Adding to the illusory state of our well-being is the idea that the United States is a democracy. In a scientific study set to be published in the Fall of 2014, in the academic journal Perspective on Politics, researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page posit the theory that the United States, for all intents and purposes, is an oligarchy. They conclude:

Originally distributed in 1956, The Power Elite is considered a present day classic of social science and social criticism. Mill’s book broke new ground in light of the fact that there were only a handful of studies with a class-struggling point of view in America, which caused it to be criticized by Marxists as well as, liberals. C.W. Peter Dreier adds, “…The Power Elite…challenged the predominant view that America was a classless society…” In contrast, Mills described the power structure as three interwoven prongs of power: the military, corporate, and political elite. Mills contended that the crucial choices representing individual’s lives in our general public are made and controlled by a power elite. He depicts this elite as made out

“When the body of the people is possessed of supreme power, it is called a democracy. When the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a part of the people, it is then an aristocracy.” These are the great words of the author of book so powerful, it forever changed the way governments are ran. That man is Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, a prominent French lawyer and intellectual during the Age of Enlightenment; whose book, The Spirit of the Laws, heavily influenced the Founding Fathers in their writing of the United States Constitution.

Democracy is often referred to as the rule of the many, but Aristotle called this definition incomplete. In his book “Politics”, he explained that in a city if the majorities are aristocrats and if they have political authority, then it is an aristocracy not a democracy. He therefore defined democracy as when “free people have authority and Oligarchy as when the wealthy have it” (1290b). Plato viewed Democracy as a flawed system with too much inefficiency that would make any implementation of a true democracy not worth it. While Aristotle viewed democracy as a system that could work if it is limited to certain restrictions and if it is the regime that best fits the culture of the people to be governed. This essay will focus on Plato’s view or rather his critiques of democracy. In this essay it will be argued that democracy does not have its merit and that Plato’s view on democracy as a flawed system is more prevalent or more compelling if the current political arena around the world is observed.

Politics is the business of humans endeavoring to success over their own disarray, uncertainty, competitiveness, egotism, and betrayal; formulate all the comparisons you want, but a lot of politics is simply concrete and visible, instead of being realistic. Politician tries to obtain power for their self or for “people”. Once they obtain power they make sure to preserve it. Correspondingly countries also try obtaining power and maintain power politically, such as the United State. I do agree, “Politics is all about gaining and maintaining power”. Throughout U.S history we witnessed politician and country obtaining power for there own particular goals; through the demonstration of a real world occurrence of how obtaining and maintaining political power work in society a clear comprehending of the important nature of these ideas will be clarified.

This policy argues that a small group of individuals, like in the pluralist theory, make major government decisions. Except unlike in the pluralist theory, the elite theory states that this small group shares common traits, usually like fortune and heading major corporations in the country. This theory really resonates in those that believe power lies with those who have the most money. This is not a democratic theory, because it portrays the United States as an oligarchy, meaning that the power is controlled by few rather than many, or even the people as a whole at all. This theory claims that our votes are virtually useless because those in power will twist public policy toward their own beliefs and interests rather than what the people might want. This theory not only claims that a few people have all the power, but also that they can manage to keep whatever they are doing under wraps so the general public doesn’t know. The biggest question to this theory is whether or not wealth really dominates not only American society but also

In Mills’s terms, the small number of those that can be considered power elite greatly impact mass society. “The elite cannot be truly thought of as men who are merely doing their duty. They are the ones who determine their duty as well as the duties of those beneath them” (Mills, 286). Mills talks about the hierarchy of power and how the elite are not only fulfilling roles but creating them. Mills makes sure to be clear that he is not arguing that the power elite is a conspiracy, or that this a secret society like the Freemasons. Mills says that the elite have authority- and the only way they gain this authority is through the social organizations they are apart not, not individual power. “ Some reputation must be mixed with power in order to create prestige. An elite cannot acquire prestige without power; it cannot retain prestige without reputation” (Mills, 88). The elite is a structure within our society that has control over our country’s decision making, and these elite are people who have very similar outlook and beliefs (Mills, 90). The similar values and backgrounds of the elite, create a united front. The three dominions of influence that Mills discusses as composing the elite

The United States of America was not destined by the Founding Fathers to be a country of a phenomenal government, but a country that avoids a disastrous government. Interestingly, democracy remains profoundly revered despite the evident unhappiness resulting from the actions of America’s political system. Although the government places itself on a pedestal of righteousness, social inequality, the electoral college, super PACS, and gerrymandering all mar American history and expose the reality of America being a not so democratic nation.

Democracy has rapidly become the premier form of government in the world. The growth was rapid and sudden. This increase is intriguing for the fact of how quick it was. There were many different proposed forms of government, but viewing how democracy became that fundamental idea gives us an insight into the cultures that formed from it. The subjugation of other systems is at the root of democracy (Zinn 17). It pushes out conflicting ideas and propagates itself.

The United States government has remained strong for several years now. However, like any institution, it has its strengths and its own weaknesses as well. Some of the current threats to democracy in the United States lies with: political campaigns, polarization, and economic inequality. Although the United States remains strong as an institution, changes must be made to improve democratic governance.

Politics is imperative for the overall good of humanity. It is how we choose our leaders and make decisions. It allows every citizen to be actively involved. Politics has a stigma of meaningless debates and conflict. However, many do not realize that the conflict that arises and the debates are the foundation of an operating democracy.

When listening to the word politics, usually it comes to mind images of government, politicians and their policies. In order for a government to be organized and to have some kind of guidelines and power over a country, they need to have some organization, and that is when politics comes in, politics is basically what forms a government. With politics each country, groups and organizations implement different ways to organize their events, incidents eventualities and so on. Each country has different politics and that is one of the aspects that characterize that specific country. If a country wants to have a strong government it must have policies that are fair and strong enough to be followed and obey by its society.

Politics is the most common phenomenon in the world today. Politics is the concept which provides the manner and the rules to govern a state and country. Its approach is to provide good governance.