Political Parties : A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy

Originally published in 1915. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. Author's Preface -- Introduction, By Seymour Martin Lipset -- Democratic Aristocracy And Aristocratic Democracy -- The Ethical Embellishment Of Social Struggles -- Introductory -- The Need For Organization -- Mechanical And Technical Impossibility Of Direct Government By The Masses -- The Modern Democratic Party As A Fighting Party, Dominated By Militarist Ideas And Methods -- The Establishment Of A Customary Right To The Office Of The Delegate -- The Need For Leadership Felt By The Mass -- The Political Gratitude Of The Masses -- The Cult Of Veneration Among The Masses -- Accessory Qualities Requisite To Leadership -- Accessory Peculiarities Of The Masses -- Superiority Of The Professional Leaders In Respect To Culture, And Their Indispensability; The Formal And Real Incompetence Of The Mass -- The Stability Of Leadership -- The Financial Power Of The Leaders And Of The Party -- The Leaders And The Press -- The Position Of The Leaders In Relation To The Masses In Actual Practice -- The Struggle Between The Leaders And The Masses -- The Struggle Among The Leaders Themselves -- Bureaucracy. Centralizing And Decentralizing Tendencies -- Psychological Metamorphosis Of The Leaders -- Bonapartist Ideology -- Identification Of The Party With The Leader (le Parti C'est Moi) -- Introductory. The Class Struggle And Its Disintegrating Influence Upon The Bourgeosie -- Analysis Of The Bourgeois Elements In The Socialist Leadership -- Social Changes Resulting From Organization -- The Need For Differentiation Of The Working Class -- Labor Leaders Of Proletarian Origin -- Intellectuals, And The Need For Them In The Working-class Parties -- The Referendum -- The Postulate Of Renunciation -- Syndicalism As Prophylactic -- Anarchism As Prophylactic -- The Conservative Basis Of Organization -- Democracy And The Iron Law Of Oligarchy -- Party-life In War-time -- Final Considerations. Robert Michels ; With An Introduction By Seymour Martin Lipset ; Translated By Eden And Cedar Paul. Originally Published In 1962 By The Crowell-collier Publishing Company--t.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The principle of self-government through political parties, the cornerstone of democracy, has come to be regarded as a solution to the problem of nationality. This is because the principle of nationality entails the acceptance of the idea of popular government. The importance of the principle of nationality is undeniable, and most of the national questions of Western Europe might be solved in accordance with this principle. Matters are complicated by geographical and strategical considerations, such as the difficulty of determining natural frontiers and the frequent need to establish strategic frontiers. Moreover, the principle of nationality cannot help us where nationalities barely exist or where they are entangled in inextricable confusion.The present work is a critical discussion of the problem of democracy. Michels believes that democracy, as an intellectual theory and as a practical movement, has entered upon a critical phase from which exit will be extremely difficult. In this book he analyzes the tendencies that oppose the realization of democracy, and claims that these tendencies can be classified in three ways: dependence upon the nature of the individual; dependence upon the nature of the political structure; and dependence upon the nature of organization.This edition, described by Morris Janowitz as a'classic of modern social science'and by Melvin Tumin as'the beginning of a tradition,'offers a landmark study in political science. Following its original publication in 1910, the study and analysis of political parties was established as a new branch of science. Political Parties continues to be a foundation work in the literature and is a necessary addition to the libraries of contemporary political scientists, sociologists, and historians. In this book Michels analyzes the tendencies that oppose the realization of democracy, and claims that these tendencies can be classified in three ways: dependence upon the nature of the individual; dependence upon the nature of the political structure; and dependence upon the nature of organization. This edition, described by Morris Janowitz as a "classic of modern social science" and by Melvin Tumin as "the beginning of a tradition", offers a landmark study in political science. Following its original publication in 1910, the study and analysis of political parties was established as a new branch of science. Political Parties continues to be a foundation work in the literature and is a necessary addition to the libraries of contemporary political scientists, sociologists, and historians. Michels believes that democracy, as an intellectual theory and as a practical movement, has entered upon a critical phase from which exit will be extremely difficult. In this book he analyses the tendencies that oppose the realisation of democracy THE MOST restricted form of oligarchy, absolute monarchy, is founded upon the will of a single individual.