The Power Elite In Retrospect

Response to “The Power Elite in Retrospect”

Alan Wolfe, in his article “The Power Elite in Retrospect” recaps and of responds to the key points brought up in C. Wright Mills’ article “The Power Elite”. He then evaluates and discusses whether the points Mills brought up in his article can be applied to America today.

Wolfe first responds to why Americans were as complacent as they were at the time “The Power Elite” was published in 1956, and why it led to President Eisenhower’s reelection. Wolfe recaps the life of an average thirty five year old man living during this period. This man like many others his age most likely grew up during the depression, and then entered World War II for four years when he turned twenty-one. When finally back home, he had to endure the Korean War, McCarthyism, and the Cold War. There was no room for this man to live a normal quiet life with a wife and children. Therefore this man who had known no stability, would reelect the President who offered just that in his mind. Eisenhower seemed to have a low-key agenda, shying away from foreign policy. Wolfe then recaps Mills’ main beliefs stated in his article; the first being that the power that runs America has been nationalized. Local authorities, he stated have lost any relevance. Part of this power that has become nationalized has been business. The rise of large conglomerates have crushed local private businesses that used to define the town or village it resided in. The vast power of these national businesses is reflected by the fact that they now determine national interests for America. These businesses also found their way into politics. Much of the executive branch included top CEO’s of the countries major companies. This gave rise to the belief that what is good for one’s company is good for the country.

After the recap of the points Wolfe began to analyze whether Mills’ article could be applied to today’s America. He came to the conclusion that much of what Mills stated could still be applied to America today however with different companies such as Wal-Mart and AT&T now at the top of the business hierarchy. He also points out the companies are growing and are becoming even larger then they were when Mills wrote his article