Elites and democracy / Hugo Drochon.
| Author/creator | Drochon, Hugo author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Princeton, New York ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, 2026. |
| Description | xvi, 276 pages ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Introduction: Elite theory - Democratic theory - Dynamic democracy - Book structure -- 1. Mosca and the ruling class: Sicily - Making Italians - The ruling class I - The ruling class II - Conclusion: Dynamic democracy -- 2. Pareto and the circulation of elites: France, Italy - Lausanne, economics - The application - The treatise - The transformation of democracy - Fascism - Conclusion: Dynamic democracy -- 3. Michels and the iron law of oligarchy: Germany, France, Italy - The Iron Law - Michels and Weber - Michels and Mussolini - Democracy's two palliatives - Dynamic democracy - Conclusion -- 4. Schumpeter and elite competition : Elite competition - Economic competition - Economic democracy - The conditions of minimalism - Pareto - Conclusion: Dynamic, transformative and oppositional democracy -- 5. Dahl and Mills, polyarchy or power elite? : The power elite -- Minorities rule -- Conspiracy theories - Muncie or New Haven? - Radical or conservative - Mosca, Pareto or Michels? - Conclusion -- 6. Aron and divided elites: Machiavellians - Pareto and Burnham - Divided and unified elites - Political sociology - The centre Raymond Aron - Conclusion -- Conclusion: Dynamic democracy. |
| Abstract | "Why elites always rule democracies--and why recognizing that reality can help us respond to the crisis of democracy today: A central paradox of democracies is that they are always ruled by elites. What can democracy mean in this context? Today, it is often said that a populist revolt against elites is driving democratic politics throughout the West. But in Elites and Democracy, Hugo Drochon argues that democracy is more accurately and usefully understood as a perpetual struggle among competing elites--between rising elites and ruling elites. Real political change comes from the interaction between social movements and elite political institutions such as parties. But, although true democracy--the rule of the people--may never be achieved, striving towards it can bring about worthwhile democratic results. At the turn of the twentieth century, Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michels put forward "elite" theories of democracy and gave us terms such as the "ruling class" and "elites" itself. Drawing on their work and tracing the history of democratic thought through figures such as Joseph Schumpeter, Robert Dahl, C. Wright Mills, and Raymond Aron, Elites and Democracy reveals that this fundamentally elitist basis of democracy--democracy understood as competition between elites--was there all along. The challenge is to think it anew. Moving away from procedural or principled conceptions of democracy, Elites and Democracy develops a dynamic theory of democracy, one grounded in movement. With current politics defined by a populist backlash against elites, dynamic democracy offers the tools we urgently need to understand our contemporary predicament and to act upon it."-- Publisher's website |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-261) and index. |
| Issued in other form | ebook version : 9780691279831 |
| ISBN | 9780691181554 |
| ISBN | 0691181551 |
| ISBN | PDF ebook |
| Standard identifier# | 9780691181554 (hardcover) |
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