The Power Elite

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1956

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Before You Read

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-7

Chapters 8-10

Chapters 11-12

Chapters 13-15

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Why are institutions so central to Mills’s theory of power? How have they shaped the power elite and American society? How do they contribute to the wealth, status, and power of that 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?