ТЕМА №6. ПОЛИТИЧЕСКАЯ ЭЛИТА. Мунтян

POLITICAL ELITE

Set of people, each of which has received the appreciation in the area, we name elite.

Vilfredo Pareto

I. One of basic in political science of concepts "elite" etymologically occurs from Latin “eligere” to (select) or French “elite” (the best, perfect, selected). In a political science it is used in neutral value, reflects possession representatives of elite as much as possible expressed, the highest in a politiko-administrative scale of measurements by lines. Independent элитистские concepts have arisen only in the end of XIX century. Adherents элитизма proved and continue to give reason for the positions that the history does not know exceptions and consequently the power of minority over the majority is eternal. In their opinion, existence of elite is caused by action of following factors:

- A psychological and social inequality of people, their unequal abilities, possibilities and desire to participate in the politician;

- Objective law of public division of labour which demands professional work management as a condition of its efficiency;

- The high public importance of administrative work and its corresponding stimulation;

- Ample opportunities of use of the administrative activity directly connected with distribution of socially significant resources, for any reception of social privileges;

- Practical impossibility of realisation of universal control of activity of political leaders;

Political passivity of broad masses of the citizens which main vital interests usually lie out of policy sphere.

Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) in the basic works “Social systems (1902)” and “the Treatise of the general sociology” (1916) has formulated the concept according to which the society appears in the form of a pyramid balance and dynamics in which is determined by ruling minority standing at its top - elite. Elite is that best that is created in society bowels, they arise from its lower class, during struggle rise in the higher circles, blossom there, and subsequently degenerate and disappear. It on change so-called counterelite which take place the same phases of development and decline come, and then too are replaced by new elite. Thus similar change, as a rule, marks itself alternation in power different types of elite, in particular, "foxes" (resourceful, artful and unscrupulous) and "lions" (possessing feeling of fidelity to the state, conservative-minded and not afraid to apply force), using various management methods and властвования. The main quality both that, and others this scientist considered ability to apply force there both when and where it was necessary. Кругооборот, circulation, change of elite and counterelite of Pareto named “the universal law of history”.

Formulating the concept, Pareto recognised that the major case of allocation of elite groups is certain psychological tendencies belonging to its representatives, personal qualities which distinguish them from other weight of the population. Thus, it has conceptually issued Platon's numerous ideas, Fridriha Nitsshe (1844-1900), T.Karlejljaand other thinkers who specified in presence of the certain human qualities expressing an inequality of people both dividing higher and the lower class. The Italian scientist has divided elite on correcting and not correcting, considered revolution only as struggle for change of those or other elite groups in power. Potential elite, masking under “people voice”, wrote Pareto, induces weights to discontent with ruling elite, uses the people as herd of rams with which help it punches a hole in the shabby fence protecting the Olympus of former elite, and makes the way, thus, to power tops. Then the new elite exhausts this national herd in same "stalls" of a public order.

As the founder of other, functional direction in a science about elite, consider one more great Italian sociologist and the political scientist - Gaetano Moska (1858-1941) who in works “the Theory of management and parliamentary board” (1884) and “Elements of a political science” (1896) considered elite as group of the managing directors who are carrying out certain social duties. However, instead of concept "elite" it operated with a category "ruling class" is more often. The Italian researcher underlined thus that along with the properties distinguishing representatives of "ruling class" others (riches, military valour, an origin or possession of a management skill), the main reason of its imperious power was high degree of internal organisation and unity. This property also allows elite to concentrate a management of a society and the state in the hands. According to Moski, the elite main task as special political class consisted in strengthening of the domination, and it is even not so much de jure, how many de facto.

This scientist has given steadfast attention also to processes of change of structure and continuity in ruling class development. In particular, having allocated in it democratic and aristocratic tendencies, he underlined that prevalence of last group of managing directors expressing aspiration anyhow to become hereditary and constant, conducts to “to closing and crystallisation”, and then to elite degeneration.

German scientist Robert Mihels (1876-1936) developed about the same approaches to the social mechanisms which are giving rise in a society of elite, as Moska. It especially allocated the organising abilities ennobling an administrative layer and transforming it in political elite, has formulated a conclusion according to which the organisation of a society demands an elitism and naturally reproduces it. This conclusion has received popularity as “the iron law of oligarchy” which essence consists that democracy for self-preservation and stability achievement is compelled to create the organisation, and it is connected with elite creation - active minority to which should trust in weights because of impossibility of their direct control over this organisation. Democracy in that case inevitably turns to oligarchy as the one who says a word "organisation", that simultaneously speaks also a word "oligarchy". According to Mihelsa, national leaders, having broken in political elite, change the social status and concentrate forces on protection own, already elite interests.

II. Now элитология proceeds them that thepolitical elite is the big social group which is possessing high enough level of political influence and being the basic source of the managerial personnel for institutes of the power of this or that state or a society. In a political science criteria are developed and the parametres are defined, allowing to differentiate and estimate various elite theories, allocating among them:

- Concepts макиавеллистской schools which unite ideas of special qualities of elite, its group unity, a recognition of an elitism of any society naturally following from natural human nature;

- Valuable theories (José Ortega-and-Gasset [1883-1955], etc.), trying to combine an elitism with democracy;

- Theories democratic элитизмаwhich supporters approach to democracy as to a competition on elections of various elite groups for trust of voters (Sejmur Lipset [a sort. 1922], Charles Manhejm [1893-1947], Giovanni Sartori [a sort. 1924]);

- Concepts of pluralism of elite (Rajmon Aron, Robert Dal, etc.), start with treatment of political elite as elite functional;