Summarize the major elements of the conflict perspective on power and political systems

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Conflict theorists acknowledge that government serves a number of important purposes

in society, but they argue that government exists for the benefit of wealthy or politically

powerful people in society. According to the elite model, power in political systems is

concentrated in the hands of a small group of elites, and the masses are relatively

powerless. Contemporary elite models are based on the assumption that decisions are

made by the elites, who agree on the basic values and goals of society without

consideration for the concerns of the masses. According to this approach, power is

highly concentrated at the top of a pyramid-shaped social hierarchy, and public policy

reflects the values and preferences of the elite, not the preferences of the people. C.

Wright Mills applied the term "power elite" to describe the leaders at the top of

business, the executive branch of the federal government, and the military. Mills

believed that the "corporate rich" (the highest paid officers of the biggest corporations)

were the most powerful because of their unique ability to parlay the vast economic

resources at their disposal into political power. At the middle level of the pyramid, Mills

placed the legislative branch of government, special interest groups, and local opinion

leaders. The bottom (and widest layer) of the pyramid is occupied by the unorganized

masses, who are relatively powerless and are vulnerable to economic and political

exploitation. Similarly, G. William Domhoff applied the term "ruling class" to the

corporate rich, who constitute less than 1 percent of the U.S. population. The ruling

class refers to a relatively fixed group of privileged people who wield power sufficient

to constrain political processes and serve underlying capitalist interests. Domhoff

suggests that the corporate rich influence the political process in three ways: (1) They

affect the candidate selection process by helping to finance campaigns and providing

favors to political candidates. (2) Through participation in the special interest process,

the corporate rich are able to obtain favors, tax breaks, and favorable regulatory

rulings. (3) The corporate rich gain access to the policy-making process through their

appointments to governmental advisory committees, presidential commissions, and

other governmental positions.