Ruling Elites in Political system

 

The first step in understanding how any government actually works is to identify its Ruling Elite. The Ruling Elites in any country may be said to comprise

1.     Those persons in the political system who have significant decision-making authority.

2.     Leading persons in the opposition who may be expected to gain decision making power in the future or who are currently able to influence policy making in a negative way

3.     Persons who have hold positions of authority in the system with an active interest in politics and have directly or indirectly influence on any current policy making.

In the broadest sense the ruling elite includes the social strata from which most persons are recruited for political leadership.

Ruling Elites

 

Traditional Elites

Traditionally the ruling elite comes from certain functional classes in the society:

·       The Military

Civilian Rulers which we can call military are professional expertise in their field. Mostly in medieval period they have more influence on decision making process because they have knowledge that what is necessary to maintain territorial integrity against external aggression and to make the nation strong enough to win any war. Even in today’s world they have more influence on decision making process than others. In the era of total war and nuclear weaponry, it is very difficult for any other person to take decision not only to the survival of nation but also for all mankind.

In the modern state the military can never really be a political since their profession i.e., their means of livelihood as well as their status in society depends on their role (how they are expected to perform) and functions (how they meet expectations of performance) within the political system. The military comprise the armed services of the state and as such they must maintain continuous working relationships with the political decision makers.

They military have always played an important and sometimes dominant role in the United States of America. General George Washington commander-in-chief of the revolutionary armed forces presided over the constitutional convention of 1787 and was elected first president of the new republic. In United States of America 29 presidents had some military experience in their background. Harry Truman for example was a field artillery captain in World War I. He one time said “My whole political career is based on my war service and war associates.

The military elite acquire their influence in the political system, not only because they comprise the legitimate armed force of the regime but also because they usually come from the better educated class in society. When the rich and develop nations offer assistance to the poor and underdeveloped nations of the world, it is frequently the military elite who act as brokers in the transaction.

·       The Priests

The church as a ruling elite played a crucial role in the history of France, where until the revolution the priest of the church represented one of the estates that made up the ruling elite. In German history the church provided most of the cohesion of the Holy Roman Empire, according to the interpretation of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, was the city of God on this earth. German particularism was as much the result of the influence of the religious elites as the political one.

Much of the history of United States of America is bound very closely to religion. Today the US has more religious denominations and groups than any other. These ranges all the way from Roman Catholic Church to Zen Buddhism and Vedanta Societies. There are more protestant sects than any other type of religious groups and all the protestant churches put together have much the largest membership.

Religious belief is the most characteristic social organizing principle in India. Struggle between the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority have dominated the politics of the Indian subcontinent.

No matter whether a religious elite has been transformed into an institution or not, the priests generally play a significant role in the life of any community.  They are the transmitter of the values and the ultimate arbiters of the masses of that community. In that dual role they influence the setting of the goals and the formulation of laws in their respective communities.

·       The Landlords

In agricultural society where the livelihood of most people in the state is derived from the land, the landlords comprise a natural aristocracy. The development of the European nation states prior to the industrial revolution reflects the upper-class role of the landlords.

European nation states in the 18^th century were still based on a primitive agrarian economy. Throughout all Europe, economic and political conditions were much the same. The peasantry labored to support the privileged classes- the clergy and the landlords, paid the major share of state taxes, but had no voice in the making of laws or the allocation of resources.

The French revolution signaled the end of feudalism not only in France, but all over the Western Europe. Ironically the United Kingdom, first to industrialize its economy and to modernize its govt., didn’t experience a basic revolution comparable to others. In 19^th century parliamentary government of England represented common people for name. The House of Lords had more authority and the House of Commons had not the right of vote.

The Reform Bill of 1832 is a landmark in the modernization of England political system. It didn’t end the elitist influence of the country properly, which survives even to this day, but it did provide the first building blocks for a democratic political structure.

 

Modern Elites: Entrepreneurs, Financiers, Managers, Engineers

It is relatively easy to discuss ruling elites in a traditional society based on an agrarian economy. The concept of elites becomes much more complicated in an urban industrial society which in itself is a highly complex system because of competition. There is no single dominating interest and no natural elite comparable to agrarian society. Resources, Capital Accumulation, Technology, Labor Specialization and exchange are the foundations of a modern economy. And just as the traditional elites bear a functional relationship to society, so do the new elites develop out of their respective functions in the modern state.

The 19^th century was the heyday of private enterprise in a free economy, especially in England and the USA. Towards the end of 19^th century, as the population increased as demands mounted for more and more goods and services, as the profit piled up, industrial enterprise turned into mass production in large scale. It becomes complex for capitalist to control all this. So, a new class of financiers emerged whose functions was to a mass collection capital were gradually replaced by corporate enterprises. The size and complexity of these corporate enterprises emerges new class which is called managers.

 In modern times there is no specific ruling elites. Every individual who holds a specific function have their effect of political system and they become automatically ruling elites. Only similarities in traditional elites and modern elites are that they enjoy more privileges than commons.