ipl-logo

Power Elite Theory

2235 Words9 Pages

The importance of the history of minority groups have been undercut throughout history due to the position of racial minorities in the American society. When it came to historical preservation of sites thought to be historically significant, barely any buildings related to the history of minority races were included in the preservation efforts. However, efforts by the Chinese were able to prevent the demolition of the Chinese Mission Church in San Diego. This essay will explore how, and to what extent, the theories of power elite and pluralism explain the developments surrounding the fate of the Chinese Mission Church in San Diego when it was identified as a structure to be demolished in the 1986 Marina Redevelopment Project to make way for …show more content…

The group of power elite is composed of members with similar interests and ways of living, and thus contributes to clear and defined policies that help to achieve common goals/interests. This theory states that power is concentrated in the hands of the power elites, and that the influence of interest groups and the mass society is insignificant in shaping decisions as the power elite seeks to manipulate the mass society’s understanding of policies. This theory also suggests that there may be the use of mass media to manipulate the perception of the mass society towards certain issues. The theory of pluralism, however, suggests that power is equally shared between interest groups, with no dominant group. It suggests that all parties have equal power and are able to protect their self-interests as they are able to lobby for their desired outcomes. Thus, the outcome is always a compromised decision that satisfies all groups’ interests. This theory also explains that all decisions made are essentially based on consensus that also takes into account the opinions of the mass society, whom they obtain financial and moral support from for their causes. Thus, the mass society has some political …show more content…

The CHS and CCBA, as interest groups, tried to lobby for preservation of the Chinese Mission Church, against the decision by the city council that supported the demolishment and redevelopment of Chinese Mission. While the CHS and CCBA were successful in preserving the structure, they were unsuccessful in demanding for the complete preservation of the building since they had to give up the original historical location of the Chinese Mission

Show More
Related
782 Words | 4 Pages

In his book titled American Babylon: Race and Struggle for Postwar Oakland, Historian Robert Self places the actions of two groups together in Post-World War II, Oakland, California: a movement centered on black power that stressed community defense and empowerment in ending Jim Crow laws, which notably included the group known as the Black Panthers, and another movement that was primarily white property owners intent on creating a secure economic environment. Both of these two groups, with their own political agendas, argues Self, were instrumental in the development and growth of the political culture not just in the postwar suburbs of Oakland, but in the entire state of California. Charting the rise of these two groups as well as how their

Read More
123 Words | 1 Pages

Using The Shifting Grounds of Race by Scott Kurashige focuses on the role of African Americans and Japanese Americans played in the social and political struggle that re-formed twentieth-century Los Angeles. By linking important historical events, such as Black Civil rights movement, NAACP, and Japanese Alien Land Law, internment camps, Kurashige also explains the classical black & white separation to then explore the multiethnic magnitudes of segregation and integration. Understanding how segregation, oppression, and racism shaped the area of Los Angeles became a shared interest between African American and Japanese Americans living together within diverse urban communities. Using this newly profound empowered a mental state that prepared

Read More
849 Words | 4 Pages

Advancement was obraved in the Chicano and Mexican race was slow but proliferate in today’s modern and race accepting society. In the 1960’s the Mexican and Chicano race were ridiculed upon in the classroom as well as in the society. And moreover, there was a sense of inequality lurking in the shadow. The Cristal City incident was important to bring out the legacy which is now seen as the Chicano Movement.

Read More
444 Words | 2 Pages

Political belief that factions rise from inequality in property rights, and that “the theories which men entertain are emotional reactions to their property interests”. The establishment of a series of checks and balances, by the Constitution, was enacted to regulate the allocation of power in Congress. No one branch of the government would have more power than the other, and this system of regulating each other’s powers is known as checks and balances.

Read More
2097 Words | 9 Pages

Scott Kurashige’s The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles exposes its’ readers to the history of race and politics in the city of Los Angeles, California. In his research, the author describes the political history of Japanese and Black Americans in LA by discussing the interethnic cooperation and competition each group faced while dealing with bigoted and racist beliefs and challenges that white people threw their way. Kurashige’s research focuses most on how these two racial groups at Little Tokyo/Bronzeville produce entirely different responses to the political sphere around them after World War II. The author shows how the African Americans in this city were trapped in the lower

Read More
1152 Words | 5 Pages

In 1952, some residents of a neighborhood in San Francisco were victorious in keeping the neighborhood 100 percent white. A former Chinese Nationalist was trying to move his family in, but the residents did not want them. One of the many reasons was because of their presence, it would depress property values. However, all of the reasons added up to the fact that the family was Chinese(document 6). An argument is made that whites and minorities did things together.

Read More
662 Words | 3 Pages

They state: “In the world imagined by deliberative theorists, the mechanisms and institutions of interest aggregation (voting, parties, interest groups) are to be supplemented by processes that allow for ‘genuinely thoughtful and discursive public participation in decision making’” (Baber and

Read More
1289 Words | 6 Pages

Today, the cultures that were once considered minorities now flood the Los Angeles county streets. They are the ones that shape the city of Los Angeles and make it be a multi-faceted community of many ethnicities. While a repeat time of unrest is inevitable amongst today's population, which constantly finds itself fighting back against racial inequality, it is conclusively so that the racial

Read More
176 Words | 1 Pages

A pluralistic society can correspondingly become a ‘special-interest’ society (Carroll & Buchholtz 2015, p. 9). As the notion of pluralism continues to be practised, the appearance of large quantities of special-interest groups within this society is common and expected, with each focused on following up their own agenda. Growing the specialisation and representation of interest groups such as employees, consumers, investors, communities, the environment, the government and business itself, is a reflection of how society has changed. However, the leading common interest associations such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry still exist. These special-interest groups have continued to grow in number as well as at a faster pace,

Read More
293 Words | 2 Pages

The public’s interest is a deciding factor of how the government is influenced. The theories of pluralism include: No group loses or wins because no group competes, no group is more dominant than the other, and the group provides a link between people and the government. The elitist view focuses on dictatorship that is in absolute rule of the country to which it controls. The elitist view

Read More
1090 Words | 5 Pages

Soon there will be no home for minorities and lower income in San Francisco. The districts of San Francisco soon will lose all its original dwellers to the high demands of the Bay Area. The new, “improved” population is overtaking a district such as the Mission that historically has been home to Central and South American immigrants. As you stroll down Valencia Street, once home to taquerias, bakeries, bars and auto mechanic shops, one can instantly see the difference.

Read More
256 Words | 2 Pages

Mills believes that in modern societies there is an elite who controls the resources of majority of bureaucratic organizations that have come to dominate industrial societies. As time passed by, these bureaucracies have converged and expanded, the circle of those who run these organizations have narrowed and the impact of their decisions have become enormous. According to Mills, the power elite are the key people in the thre major institutions of modern society. These are people working in the Economy, Government and Military. The bureaucracies of state, corporations, and military have become so big and centralized and their power isunprecedented in human history.

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

understand the 'hidden face' of power as in Steven Lukes' (1974) “three faces of power” it is necessary to explore beyond what initially appears from a policy decision or political standpoint. The realms in which the media operate can be quite complex, gauging an understanding to these is essential when trying to understand the various sources of power that the media controls and hence can manipulate. There have been numerous theories and theorists which have been introduced throughout this course regarding various conceptions of power, the 'two faces' view of Bachrach and Baratz (1970) provided the framework for the view on power. However, it was not until Lukes (1974) “three faces of power” theory which expanded on the work of Bachrach and

Read More
710 Words | 3 Pages

As a result of there being insider groups who share the governments agenda or groups with experts who can help deliver the agenda;

Read More
1263 Words | 6 Pages

Undoubtedly politics is “the study of influence and the influential”, there is most certainly truth in Harold D.Lasswell’s definition of politics. Throughout the course of this essay the study of politics will be examined in relation to Laswell’s definition. Furthermore the concept of government and how people influence government action will be looked at. In Lasswell’s book “Politics, Who Gets What, When and How” he clearly outlines the “influential are those who get the most of what there is to get”, in his opinion politics was primarily to do with power and influence. Lasswell’s definition of politics has been in the past supported by prominent political scientists such as Abraham Kaplan and Robert A. Dahl, both men believe the study of politics is largely to do with the use of influence by those who find themselves in influential positions.

Read More

More about Power Elite Theory

Related Topics

Open Document