In this fully revised classic text, Tom Bottomore poses fundamental questions about the theory and ideology of elites. While a number of theorists have studied the "power elite," the Marxist notion of a ruling class, many more have followed the theories of Pareto and Mosca, who use the term "elite" to critique Marxism, the very philosophy from which this concept first originated. Their theories thus exemplify the complexities and slipperiness particular to this sociological term. In his usual clear and accessible style, Bottomore looks at the principal theories of elites from Mosca and Pareto to those of present day theorists, and examines the characteristics of particular elites in relation to the upper classes and class structures in other industrially advanced societies and developing countries. He concludes by examining the prospects for more egalitarian forms of society as humanity approaches the new millennium in which democracy is increasingly the ideology of choice.

I The Elite: Concept and Ideology, II From the Ruling Class to the Power Elite, III Politics and the Circulation of Elites, IV Intellectuals, Managers and Bureaucrats, V Tradition and Modernity: Elites in the Developing Countries, VI Democracy and the Plurality of Elites, VII Equality or Elites?, VIII Into the Millenium, Bibliography, Index.