The Power Elite

Why did the old guard fail to keep the newly rich from full participation in American high society? What does that failure imply about the country’s upper class?

What is the relationship between power and authority in the US of the 1950s? How do the power elite maintain social control? How does power relate to status or reputation?

Why have military leaders ascended into the inner circle of power? What does their ascension say about their historical and ideological contexts? Does it challenge the US Constitution?

Why are private schools at the precollegiate level so essential to the socialization of the upper class? What is learned at these schools?

What role do celebrities play in maintaining the power structure in Mills's mid-20th-century context? Do they continue to play such a role in the 21st century? Do members of the power elite seek celebrity status? Why or why not?

Why do the top leaders of the three dominant institutions share similar perspectives? How do their interests coincide? Do Mills's observations about these power players hold true today?

How have the mass media and compulsory education contributed to the movement toward a mass society? Are there elements in the mass media and educational system today that counteract this trend? Discuss three aspects of Mills's book that address these issues.

Why does Mills consider the leaders of top corporations, which are part of the power elite, incompetent and without merit? How did they achieve such powerful positions if that is the case? Find three contemporary examples of members of the power elite whose cases support your view.