POLITICAL

ELITES &
POLITICAL
LEADERS

1. The concept of Political

Elite
2. Theories of Political Elite
3. Political leaders

1. The concept of Political

Elite

An lite is a selected and small group

of citizens and/or organizations that
controls a large amount of power.
Based on the social distinction with
regard to other groups of lower strata,
most of these selected groups are
constantly searching differentiation as
well as separation from the rest of
society. Normally the concept of lite is
used to analyze the groups that either
control or are situated at the top of
societies. The creation of an lite is
also the result of their evolution
throughout the history of humanity.

Elite are the most influential

and prestigious stratum in a
society. The elite are those
persons who are recognized as
outstanding leaders in a given
field. Thus, there are political,
religious, scientific, business,
and artistic elite.
Pareto, Mosca, Wright Mills,
Lasswell, Mannheim,
Bottomore, etc., have given
different definitions.

Parry Geriant (1969) has

defined elite as small
minorities who play an
exceptionally influential
part in the affairs of
society in specific
fields.

A political lite is a group of

people, corporations, political
parties who manage and organize
government and all the
manifestations of political power:
elites may defined as persons
who, by virtue of their strategic
locations in large or otherwise
pivotal organizations and
movements, are able to affect
political outcomes regularly and
substantially (Higley, 2008: 3).

Political elite is a group of

individuals holding
strategic positions within a
political system, which
enables these individuals
to influence political
decision making directly
and regularly.

Political elites include

members of the political
leadership of a country,
those who represent the
country abroad, those who
discuss and make the most
important political
decisions, policies and
laws.

Non-political elites are: military

leadership, civil society and
business community elites,
intellectual elites and religious
elites. These sub-elites do have
some limited influence in the
political arena, but since they
lack the power to make policies
and make decisions, they are
not considered as members of
the political elite.

Power elitesare the

traditional decision makers.
They have a strong hold on
direct power, though has been
shown through nonviolent
conflict and the paradox of
repression (think of the
dictators overthrown by
popular movements) they
nonetheless depend on a
limited sort of consent from
those over whom theyrule.

Political elite include those:

(a) Who are elected/nominated to
central and state legislatures,
(b) Who occupy important positions in
national or state-level political parties,
(c) Individuals who do not hold any
formal positions either in the
government or in political parties but
are still considered as persons of
great political prestige and power
because they control powerexercisers.

The New Elites

The new elites or the modern elites
are products of the industrial society
and represents the forces of
modernization and development.
The new elites are the elected elites.
The bureaucracy as the main
instrument of public administration
has come to be a very powerful
group-an elite group, in all the
states. Bureaucracy is a new elite, a
powerful elite at work in every state.

The political elites are

popularly classified into
three forms:

the elites who enjoy power, influence

and authority on the basis of traditions
and traditional values. Customs,
religion, land, and family are the bases
of their power and authority. Wealth,
property and family status, are usually
the important sources of power of the
traditional elites.
Princes, religious leaders are the
examples of traditional elites. Even in
contemporary times, when secularism
has come to be universally accepted
as a value, religious leaders continue
to act as elite groups in almost all the

Aristocratic or Noble Elites

In almost all such societies as were in
the past governed by Kings,
aristocratic elites or royal elites
continue to wield power and influence
even after the transformation of
monarchical regimes into democratic
regimes. The House of Lords in
England is an example of an
aristocratic elite house within the
democratic political system.

2. Theories of Political Elite

Classical Elite Theory

The existence of small, organized

groups of individuals who control
political power was considered a
fact of life by scholars including G.
Mosca, V. Pareto and R. Michels
(Michels, 2001; Mosca, 1939;
Pareto, 1935). These three authors
used different terms (ruling
class, elites and oligarchy,
respectively) to refer to elites, but
they discussed various aspects of
the same phenomenon.

Elite theorys origins about a

century ago in the writings of
Gaetano Mosca (1858- 1941),
Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923), and
Robert Michels (1876-1936). They
analyze small, organized groups of
individuals who control political
power. These three authors used
different terms (ruling class,
elites and oligarchy,
respectively) to refer to elites, but
they discussed various aspects of
the same phenomenon.

Mosca emphasized the

ways in which tiny
minorities out-organize
and outwit large
majorities, adding that
political classes
Moscas term for
political elites usually
have a certain material,
intellectual, or even
moral superiority over

There are two classes of people

(according to Mosca), the Rulers
and the Ruled.
Ruling Classa. Few
b. Perform all political functions,
c. Collects and enjoys power.
Ruled Class a. Numerous
b. Controlled by legal means
c. Give power to Rulers (no
choice

social mobility, elites would

consist of the most talented
and deserving individuals; but
in actual societies elites are
those most adept at using the
two modes of political rule,
force and persuasion, and who
usually enjoy important
advantages such as inherited
wealth and family
connections. Pareto sketched
alternating types of governing

Three major assumptions

about social stratification:
individuals are physically,
morally, and intellectually
differentthe social classes
are not entirely distinct, even
in countries where a caste
system prevailsin modern
civilized countries circulation
among the various classes is
exceedingly rapid .

what they do can be divided

into governing (directly and
indirectly affect government)
and non-governing elite
Special cases some are
governing elites though not
entirely qualified, and different
groups move in and out of elite
status (circulation of the elites).
Elites can circulate due to
supply and demand
considerations
Elite class can be eroded as
members of the lower class join
it, or due to the shortcomings of

large organizations for leaders

and experts in order to
operate efficiently; as these
individuals gain control of
funds, information flows,
promotions, and other aspects
of organizational functioning
power becomes concentrated
in their hands. Emphasizing
the inescapability and also the
relative autonomy of elites, all
three men characterized

In his pioneer work, The

Power Elite (1956), American
radical sociologist C.W. Mills
identified three key
institutionsthe major
corporations, the military and
the government. Those who
occupied the command posts
in these institutions formed
these ruling elites. Mills
termed them as power elite.

types of elites:
The political elite,
Military elite and
The Industrial elite.
Together, these made up the
power elite. The power elite are
composed of men whose positions
enable them to transcend the
ordinary environments of ordinary
men and women; they are in
positions to make decisions
having major consequences . They
are in command of the major
hierarchies and organizations of

political leaders from

whatsoever class they
may be drawn will be
representative of the
dominant class. The
Marxian analysis
indicates continuing and
increasing inaccessibility
or polarization of the
dominant and

3. Political leaders

A political leader, or a
politician, can be anyone
who has taken up the
responsibility of
governing a party, city,
state, region or even an
entire nation.

identified as any
occupant of an
established political
position or as any
person, in or out of such
a position, whose
political activity has
more influence upon a
group's behavior than
has the activity of the

Political leaders are not just

people who govern nations
during peace times but also
during times of crisis. They are
people who are responsible for
making and implementing
strategies and policies meant
to better serve the interests of
the country they govern.

A look at the political

leaders hall of fame would
reveal names like Abraham
Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi,
Adolf Hitler, Winston
Churchill, Lenin, Stalin.

There are many roles for

leaders to playleaders may be party
organizers, legislators,
judges, executives,
diplomats, or so on.

Qualities of Good
Political Leaders

Being honest can sometimes

be difficult because it makes
individuals vulnerable. It
reveals who we really are and
discloses our mistakes, which
gives others the opportunity
to criticize or reject openly.
Honesty develops character
and builds credibility and
trust, which are the
foundation to evoke
confidence and respect from
those around you, and in the

quality of understanding the

suffering of others and
wanting to do something to
alleviate that suffering. While
many see compassion as a
weakness, true compassion is
a characteristic that converts
knowledge to wisdom. Good
political leaders use
compassion to see the needs
of those he or she leads and to
determine the course of action

Integrity
The word integrity is defined as the
adherence to moral and ethical
principles; the soundness of moral
character. It is a synonym for honesty
and uprightness, and is a vital
characteristic for those in political
leadership. Political leaders who possess
integrity can be trusted because he or
she never veers from inner values, even
when it might benefit them to do so. A
leader must have the trust of followers.
This requires the highest standard of
integrity.

Having confidence in a
political leader is about having
faithor belief that he or she
will act in a right, proper, or
effective way. A good political
leader needs to be both
confident in himself or herself
as well in their ability to lead.
Leaders who possess this
quality inspire others, drawing
on a level of trust which
sparks the motivation to get
others on board and get the

Flexibility for a political leader is

about understanding the give-andtake aspects of politics, and the
ability to find the common
ground. Good politicians listen
carefully to all sides, to not only
hear their arguments but to
especially learn what it will take
on behalf of all parties involved to
reach a consensus. This
characteristic allows political
leaders to recognize setbacks and
criticism, to learn from them and
move forward.