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Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels
Robert Michels

Robert Michels was a Germany sociologist who wrote on the political behavior of intellectual Elitism and contributed to elite theory. He is best known for his book Political Parties , which contains a description of the "iron law of oligarchy." He was a student of Max Weber, a friend and disciple of Werner Sombart and Achille Loria....
, published in 1911 (translated to English in 1915), and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy
Iron law of oligarchy

The iron law of oligarchy is a political theory, first developed by the German syndicalism sociology Robert Michels in his 1911 book, Political Parties ....
. It is considered one of the classics of sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
 and political science
Political science

Political science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior....
.

This work analyzes the power structure
Power structure

Power Structure may refer to:* Hierarchy* The Establishment...
s of organizations such as political parties
Political Parties

Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy....
 and trade union
Trade union

A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
s. Michels's main argument is that like all organization
Organization

An organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment....
s, even those in theory most egalatarian and most committed to democracy - like socialist political parties - are in fact oligarchical, and dominated by a small group of leadership.








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Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels
Robert Michels

Robert Michels was a Germany sociologist who wrote on the political behavior of intellectual Elitism and contributed to elite theory. He is best known for his book Political Parties , which contains a description of the "iron law of oligarchy." He was a student of Max Weber, a friend and disciple of Werner Sombart and Achille Loria....
, published in 1911 (translated to English in 1915), and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy
Iron law of oligarchy

The iron law of oligarchy is a political theory, first developed by the German syndicalism sociology Robert Michels in his 1911 book, Political Parties ....
. It is considered one of the classics of sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
 and political science
Political science

Political science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior....
.

This work analyzes the power structure
Power structure

Power Structure may refer to:* Hierarchy* The Establishment...
s of organizations such as political parties
Political Parties

Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy....
 and trade union
Trade union

A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
s. Michels's main argument is that like all organization
Organization

An organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment....
s, even those in theory most egalatarian and most committed to democracy - like socialist political parties - are in fact oligarchical, and dominated by a small group of leadership.

Quotes

  • "Who says organization, says oligarchy."


See also

  • elite theory
    Elite theory

    Elite theory is a theory of the state which seeks to describe and explain the power relationships in modern society. It argues that a small minority, consisting of members of the economic elite and policy-planning networks, hold the most power no matter what happens in elections in a country....
  • Union Democracy
    Union Democracy

    Union Democracy: The Internal Politics of the International Typographical Union is a book by Seymour Martin Lipset, Martin Trow and James Samuel Coleman, originally published by New York Free Press in 1956....
  • The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism


Further reading

  • Gordon Hands, , British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr., 1971), pp. 155-172,


External links

  • , a site featuring a translation of Political Parties by Eden
    Eden Paul

    Maurice Eden Paul was a socialist physician, writer and translator....
     and Cedar Paul
    Cedar Paul

    Cedar Paul was a singer, author, translator and journalist....
     in PDF.