Political parties a sociological study of the oligarchical tendencies of modern democracy; Robert Michels 9781177388979 Books
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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
Political parties a sociological study of the oligarchical tendencies of modern democracy; Robert Michels 9781177388979 Books
This fascinating study of socialism and democracy, of the many foibles to which all political parties are subject, and of the inevitably resulting transformations of all political parties, has stood the test of time since its first publication in 1911 more than a century ago. It is best known, of course, for its enunciation in Part Six, Chap. II, of "Democracy and the Iron Law of Oligarchy." The thesis there, in which the book culminates--surprisingly relevant today--is that even democracy forms one or more political parties; that such parties become hierarchies with leaders at the top; and that such leaders--unwilling to relinquish power--eventually form an "oligarchy" or rule by the few.The life and career of the author himself might be said to exemplify such a transformation. Born at Cologne, Germany, in 1876, he soon became a disciple of Max Weber and a noted teacher and professor of sociology and related subjects at the Universities of Marburg, Turin, Basel and Perugia, publishing many scholarly works in German and Italian. Politically, although at first a radical socialist, already in 1907 he left the German Social Democratic Party; was doubtless further disillusioned by the supposedly "international" socialists' vote in 1914 to extend war credits to the Kaiser; and after World War I joined the Italian Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini.
In all, a fascinating perspective on and analysis of one important aspect of the European political situation in the early 20th century, with as yet untold implications for us today.
--Charles Dickinson
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Political parties a sociological study of the oligarchical tendencies of modern democracy; Robert Michels 9781177388979 Books Reviews
Got it as a gift for him. Intend on getting it for myself, as was highly regarded by Mencken. Quality of the book physically looked to be of a very high standard. If you're concerned about how something looks on your bookshelf for your library, this edition would compliment the finest.
Michels was a member of a socialist movement who wondered if one could ever have what today is called participatory democracy. The result is this wonderful book, in which Michels discovers the "Iron Law of Oligarchy", that even in the most egalatarian movements, elites will call most of the shots. Michels goes further than many elite theorists who simply claim that this has always been so he claims that elite management is inherent to complex organizations. Whether you agree or disagree, you must read this man and debate his ideas!
Ironically, this book is known for producing one of the fundamental theories of political science, Michel's Iron Law of Oligarchy. But everybody seems to forget that the book itself focused more on Michel's to reconcile socialism with socialist parties. Michel uses his understanding of the self-interest of institutional leaders to express his skepticism that a democracy of the proletariat would ever arise. These parts of the book are interesting in that we get to see Michel engage in some soul-searching, but also probably involve more socialist ideology than modern readers would care for. However, for modern readers, the introduction by Lipset and Rokkan is probably all you need to understand the logic of the theory.
In the many arguments I've had over the merits of collective action, I have found few arguments as useful as Michels' "iron Law of Oligarchy", stating that even the most egalitarian orginizations wind up having their decisions made by a select few at the top. Morever, institutional reforms will not help, since this tendency is inherent to complex orginization. Surveying the intensification of power across a host of socialist parties and publications, Michels provides much empirical evidence. Too much, at times, as after about 200 pages of stories about leadership groups developing in socialist orginizations, the book starts to drag a little bit. It is all worth it, however, as the "iron law of oligarchy" is one of the most fascinating arguments you'll ever find in a book about politics. Seymour Martin Lipset's introductory comments provide interesting background info.
Eye opening
This is not a review of the text itself, but rather just of the production value of this edition. The production is AWFUL. It was clearly just scanned by someone and imported into Word and printed out. Chapter breaks aren't where they should be. Footnotes are just thrown into the text. One chapter just starts italicizing for no reason halfway through. The index is useless. The book is basically unreadable. I've never been so disappointed at spending $20 on a book. Buy a different version by a different publisher and save yourself the money.
This fascinating study of socialism and democracy, of the many foibles to which all political parties are subject, and of the inevitably resulting transformations of all political parties, has stood the test of time since its first publication in 1911 more than a century ago. It is best known, of course, for its enunciation in Part Six, Chap. II, of "Democracy and the Iron Law of Oligarchy." The thesis there, in which the book culminates--surprisingly relevant today--is that even democracy forms one or more political parties; that such parties become hierarchies with leaders at the top; and that such leaders--unwilling to relinquish power--eventually form an "oligarchy" or rule by the few.
The life and career of the author himself might be said to exemplify such a transformation. Born at Cologne, Germany, in 1876, he soon became a disciple of Max Weber and a noted teacher and professor of sociology and related subjects at the Universities of Marburg, Turin, Basel and Perugia, publishing many scholarly works in German and Italian. Politically, although at first a radical socialist, already in 1907 he left the German Social Democratic Party; was doubtless further disillusioned by the supposedly "international" socialists' vote in 1914 to extend war credits to the Kaiser; and after World War I joined the Italian Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini.
In all, a fascinating perspective on and analysis of one important aspect of the European political situation in the early 20th century, with as yet untold implications for us today.
--Charles Dickinson
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