CONFLICT THEORY: C. WRIGHT MILLS

 

C. Wright Mills

 

Charles Wright Mills was born on August 28, 1916 in Waco, Texas.

Mills completed both  his bachelor and master’s in philosophy from the University of Texas.

Mills got his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1941

Joined Columbia University as a Professor of sociology in 1946

He was an American sociologist known for his critique of contemporary power structure

Mills started his career at the University of Maryland where he joined as an associate Professor of sociology in 1941.

C. Wright Mills a prominent social thinker of the 20^th century, was an influential American social conflict theorist.

His theories drew inspiration from the works of Karl Marx and Max Weber, although he never explicitly acknowledged their influence.

Mills was inspired by Weber’s explanation of stratification and political systems using differentiation between impacts of Power, Status and Class.

He clearly identified differences between himself and Marx.

Mills did not believe in communism or socialism but in democracy

Mills was very popular of his political views. He is known of his insightful yet harsh critiques of the power structure in American society in the mid 20^th century.

His major focus was on

social inequality,

the shrinking middle class,

the power and control of the elites,

individual relationship with the society

and the significance of historical perspective as part of sociological thinking.

In his seminal book ‘THE POWER ELITE’ published in 1956 Mills presented a social theory that examined the concept of Power Elites and their impact on society and lives of ordinary people.

Mills defined power elites as individuals who occupy top hierarchal positions within economic, political and military institutions.

Their influential positions grant them the power to make strategic decisions that can profoundly affect the social lives and environment of ordinary citizens.

Mills saw conflict of POWER not just in politics but in business and military. According to him the most critical element is Power.

All desired to have power but only a few who can possess power – THE ELITE.

THREE TYPES OF POWER

 

 

Mills argued that the traditional concept of the BALANCE OF POWER held more relevance in pre-modern societies.

Mills explained elites rule in institutional rather than psychological term.

However in industrial societies, social institutions adopt bureaucratic structures that allocate differential power based on hierarchal positions.

Those at the top of the hierarchy known as the Power Elite wield significant control over the resource of these bureaucratic organization.

As social institutions become more centralized and bureaucratic, the circle of the Power Elite narrows, intensifying the impact of their decisions on the lives of ordinary citizens.

According to Mills Power Elites are individuals who hold key hierarchal positions or influential roles within economic, political and military institutions in modern society.

These power elites dominate contemporary societies by virtue of their leadership positions and decision making authority within these institutions.

Importantly Mills emphasized that this social phenomenon is not result of a conspiracy by evil individuals but rather an outcome of a bureaucratic social structure that has enlarged and highly centralized the decision making process, concentrating authority in the hands of a few individuals who share similar social status, background and perspectives.  

Mills believed that the major national power resides in three core social institutions

Economy

Government

Military

He argued that these institutions have diminished or subordinated all others within modern societies.

Consequently he categorized individuals holding key leadership positions in these three institutions as the power elite.

Furthermore Mills noted that power elites often share similar social backgrounds, which creates solidarity, unity and alliances among them.

They are typically born into upper class families

Attend prestigious educational institutions

belongs to exclusive clubs

and maintain close links through matrimonial alliances and intermarriage.

The power elite is further united and aligned due to the structural interdependence and integration of these dominant social institutions.

All these institutions grow larger, more centralized and consequential in their activities, their integration becomes inevitable .

Mills believed that among the three economic institutions particularly corporations wield the most power.  

He emphasized that society is dominated through the alliance of these three major institutions.

Mills contened that below the power elites, there are two other categories of power

The general population

Opinion leaders

Mills argued that the general population is often

Powerless

Poorly informed

Disorganized and

Economically dependent on the power elites

Consequently they are often controlled, exploited and manipulated by those at the top of the power ladder

In between the power elites and the masses, Mills identified a middle level power  composed of local opinion leaders and interest groups.  

However these groups neither represents the general population nor possess any significant influence over the power elite.

Mills believed that Congress and political organization embody this middle level power in America.

He further suggested that the power elite ensure that such organizations only discuss and decide on trivial matters, preventing any challenges to their current positions and preserving their power and authority.

Sadly the power elite often leverage their key leadership positions to priorities personal gain rather than the interests and welfare of the general population.

According to Mills the aftermath of World War II gave rise to militarism among the elites.

He resumed that a majority of the elites in Post War America were military personnel.

He argued that the rise of military state served to protect the interests of the elites within industrial society.

The protection of military power was often used to camouflage the incompetence of politicians and to increase corporate profits.

This militarism was ingrained in citizens through

Educational institutions

Media

Opinion leaders

In conclusion C. Wright Mills Power Elite theory sheds light on the dominance of a select group of individuals occupying key leadership positions within economic, political and military institutions.

Their decision significantly shape the lives of ordinary citizens while the general population is often marginalized and manipulated.

Mills underscores the interdependence and integration of these dominant institutions and highlights the role of militarism in safeguarding elite interests.