Who Has the Power?

The governmental power held in the United States today is best summed up by a combination of Weber's democratic elitism and the pluralist theory of democracy. Weber made a good point when he said that a large society (such as the U.S.) is incapable of being a "true" democracy. I think many Americans would agree with this, especially considering that most feel that political decisions are not made for the people or by the people. Our country is clearly bureaucratic, and also follows Weber's guidelines for a multi-party system. The Democratic and Republican parties, by definition, both represent completely different outlooks on America and there is constant conflict between these parties in our government.

The pluralist theory suggests that "individual citizens can have little or no direct influence on political decision making" (400). Again, this is a point that most Americans would agree with. For example, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for one person to rally the capitol for a change in a law or policy. When large numbers of people rally for the law, or write to their congressman, or protest, these social movements do influence governmental decision making. Politicians seek to win over the votes and support of these large groups who themselves influence the rest of America.

Mill's Power Elite theory, in some aspects, applies to our society today: the power elite do comprise most of our government and its decision making. However, the theory's "levels of power" , specifically the bottom level, is where the inaccuracies lie. It is true that the top level holds most of the power, but without the public's needs and support of the masses then there would be no need for any decision making at all. The "lowest" level of power is the support that keeps the pyramid from toppling; in other words, they keep the government in check to prevent the power elite from becoming corrupt.