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The New Power Elite
Revisiting C. Wright Mills' classic, an analysis of power structures in the neoliberal era and America's drift toward authoritarianism.
In 1956, radical icon C. Wright Mills wrote The Power Elite , a scathing critique of elite power in the United States that has become a classic for generations of nonconformists and students of social and political inequality. With rising rates of inequality and social stratification, Mills' work is now more relevant than ever, revealing a need for a fresh examination of American elitism and the nature of centralized power.
In The New Power Elite , Heather Gautney takes up the problem of concentrated political, economic, and military power in America that Mills addressed in his original text and echoes his outrage over the injustices and ruin brought by today's elites. Drawing from years of experience at the highest levels of government and in the entertainment industry, Gautney examines the dynamics of elite power from the postwar period to today and grounds her analysis in political economy, rather than in institutional authority, as Mills did. In doing so, she covers diverse, yet interconnected centers of elite power, from the US State and military apparatus, to Wall Street and billionaires, to celebrities and mass media. Gautney also accounts for changes in global capitalism over the last forty years, arguing that neoliberalism and the centering of the market in political and social life has ushered in ever more extreme forms of violence and exploitation, and a drift toward authoritarianism.
A contemporary companion to Mills' work through a fresh critique of elites for the new millennium, The New Power Elite offers a comprehensive look at the structure of American power and its tethers around the world.
In 1956, radical icon C. Wright Mills wrote The Power Elite , a scathing critique of elite power in the United States that has become a classic for generations of nonconformists and students of social and political inequality. With rising rates of inequality and social stratification, Mills' work is now more relevant than ever, revealing a need for a fresh examination of American elitism and the nature of centralized power.
In The New Power Elite , Heather Gautney takes up the problem of concentrated political, economic, and military power in America that Mills addressed in his original text and echoes his outrage over the injustices and ruin brought by today's elites. Drawing from years of experience at the highest levels of government and in the entertainment industry, Gautney examines the dynamics of elite power from the postwar period to today and grounds her analysis in political economy, rather than in institutional authority, as Mills did. In doing so, she covers diverse, yet interconnected centers of elite power, from the US State and military apparatus, to Wall Street and billionaires, to celebrities and mass media. Gautney also accounts for changes in global capitalism over the last forty years, arguing that neoliberalism and the centering of the market in political and social life has ushered in ever more extreme forms of violence and exploitation, and a drift toward authoritarianism.
A contemporary companion to Mills' work through a fresh critique of elites for the new millennium, The New Power Elite offers a comprehensive look at the structure of American power and its tethers around the world.
- GenresPolitics
336 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2022
15 people are currently reading
1370 people want to read
About the author
Heather Gautney
10 books15 followersHeather D. Gautney is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Fordham University. She has written and edited books, opinion essays, and academic articles on US politics, social movements, social inequality, and workforce issues. Dr. Gautney was a senior policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders in the US Senate Budget Committee. In 2012-2013, she was a legislative fellow in Sanders’s Senate Office, a volunteer organizer and researcher on his presidential campaign in 2015-16, and representative of the State of Vermont for the 2016 Democratic Party Platform Committee. Currently, she is the Executive Director of Our Revolution.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 18, 2023
Richly detailed and persuasively argued, an excellent follow up to the C. Wright Mills classic. If you've ever wondered why most politicians are incapable of acting in the best interests of ALL the people and instead seem only capable of protecting the wealthy and powerful, this is the book for you.
April 21, 2025
9/10
pc: 313
This was the textbook for my political sociology class and I truly enjoyed reading it so much. It’s a take on a previous book by C. Wright Mills analyzing what groups hold power and how they actively wielded it to create the current conditions we are living through. I felt as though it was an equal critique of the right and left side of politics, and I learned a lot of reasons why I HATE neoliberalism. Some of the groups analyzed were the military, billionaires, Wall Street, celebrities, and the public & masses. Highly recommend!!
pc: 313
This was the textbook for my political sociology class and I truly enjoyed reading it so much. It’s a take on a previous book by C. Wright Mills analyzing what groups hold power and how they actively wielded it to create the current conditions we are living through. I felt as though it was an equal critique of the right and left side of politics, and I learned a lot of reasons why I HATE neoliberalism. Some of the groups analyzed were the military, billionaires, Wall Street, celebrities, and the public & masses. Highly recommend!!
Want to Read
November 1, 2024An excerpt concerning media-ownership oligopoly, the end of the Fairness Doctrine, and post-truth "news:" https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2... in Current Affairs magazine, 2023.03
November 15, 2022
Excellent, incisive and timely critiques! Recommended read for anyone!
December 1, 2022
For anyone looking to understand how we got to this point of extreme inequality and disaffection, this book is for you. Eye-opening and thought-provoking. And a great read!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews