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power elite

noun

a closely knit alliance of military, government, and corporate officials perceived as the center of wealth and political power in the U.S.

power elite

A term used by the American sociologist (see sociology) C. Wright Mills to describe a relatively small, loosely knit group of people who tend to dominate American policymaking. This group includes bureaucratic, corporate, intellectual, military, and government elites who control the principal institutions in the United States and whose opinions and actions influence the decisions of the policymakers.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of power elite¹

First recorded in 1950–55

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Robles was bitter that L.A.’s “Latino power elite” hadn’t listened to him and invested more time and effort in the South Bay, where Latinos make up a majority of the population in many cities but have little political representation.

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In “The Power Elite,” one of the most important sociological books of the 20th century, C. Wright Mills wrote that America was ruled by a triangle of unelected elites: wealthy corporate elites allied with top civilian government leaders and the military.

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But the power elite, as understood by Mills and the left, also includes and highlights the corporate rich.

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The power elite identified by Mills and that Trump would restore to unfettered control melds class and caste—and has an important history.

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Trump could win a second term, unless the Harris-Walz campaign makes clear that Trump’s resurrected power elite uniting caste and class power will worsen the problems of ordinary working voters, especially blue-collar workers in the Blue Wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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