The Power Elite

In The Power Elite, C. Wright Mills argues that power is exercised through the dominant institutions in American society, specifically corporations, the military, and the executive branch of the national government. Those holding the top positions in these institutions make the consequential decisions and do so without democratic accountability in the US in the mid-20th century. Mills held a Ph.D. in sociology and was a sociology professor at Columbia University. Originally published in 1956, this nonfiction book became a seminal one in sociology and remains on the required reading list for social scientists in the 21st century. In 1969, a prestigious book award was established in Mills’s name.

All quotations and references in this guide are from the 2000 paperback edition with an afterword from Alan Wolfe. Mills uses male pronouns throughout to describe the entities discussed, and the guide quotes from these at times.

Summary

The three dominant institutions in the US—corporations, the military, and the executive branch—shape the others, such as the family and school, and the individuals who operate within them. The individuals who lead these dominant institutions form an elite group that accumulates wealth, power, and

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