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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Discuss the importance of ‘power elite’ in democracy.

  • UPSC 2016
  • Politics and Society

C. Wright Mills (The Power Elite, 1956) coined the term for the interlocking corporate, military and political leaders who take a society's major decisions. In a democracy that small group matters in two opposite ways: modern government cannot work without it, and democracy cannot survive if it becomes unaccountable.

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What the full answer covers

  • Why elites are indispensable
  • Why a power elite threatens democracy
  • What decides the balance
  • Conclusion

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