The famous political philosopher C. Wright Mills believed that in the United States the main power was concentrated in the hands of certain powerful people. Mills called these people “the power elite”. For him, “the power elite” were those who occupied “the dominant positions in the dominant institutions”. The model can be applicable to the Russian political system. Even though Russia is officially called a democratic country, it is necessary to look behind the rhetoric. There is a certain number of people in Russia whose power is much greater in comparison with the power of general masses. These people control a whole economic process, mass media, educational institutions and even election processes. In this essay, the relevance of Mills’ …show more content…
model will be examined at the example of the Russian Federation. In the book “The Power Elite”, C.
Wright Mills wrote that the main domains of the power elite were political, economic and military spheres. However, as many years have gone since Mills proposed this model, now it has become a little bit outdated. Since Mills lived in the period of consecutive wars, he has decided that military forces played an important role in governing the country. Even though Russia have some political conflicts with Ukraine, recently military service was removed from a “contract” created between the Russian elite. The professor of Political Science Anton Steen argues that the alliances between military-industrial complex and political sector, which were strongly integrated in the Soviet Union system, now have become much weaker. Recently, there are two cooperating systems: CEOs of the large corporations and the governmental officials. As Steen stated financial groups cannot afford a full independence from the Russian political power. On the execute level, these two cooperated groups are comprised by presidential administrators, bankers, CEOs of industrial corporations, local and high-ranked governmental …show more content…
officials. After the collapse of the USSR, there were slight changes within the main political and economic institutions, so the Russian elite continued to function under almost the same regime. According to the professor of the Russian politics Richard Sakwa, since 1991, the Russian elite started to grow and the main task of every new member was to adapt to the unofficially institutionalized hierarchy. The Moscow correspondent Gregorii Feifer claims that the nomenklatura which functioned during the Boris Yeltsin presidency, still governs the state, distributes and possesses Russian resources. As there were minor changes within the Russian system, when the period of perestroika has finished, the party-state nomenklatura has switched its central specialization to the private sector of the Russian economy. According to the research conducted by the RASIS (Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Sociology), in 1994 “the old nomenklatura represented 75 percent of Yeltsin’s closest political allies, 60 percent of the parliament, 74 percent of the government, 41 percent of the businessmen, and 83 percent of the regional leaders”. Remained 25 percent of the ‘newcomers’ have also managed to adapt to the rules of the power elite creating own political and economic ties. Thus, from year to year, in the framework of the Russian political system, the network between interested people is stably updated and continues to function in the previous mode. Another evidence of the presence of the power elite in Russia is a weak rotation of power.
Up to 2000, the president of Russia was Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin. However, since he had some political and economic struggles, Yeltsin was substituted by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Putin hold the presidency until 2008 and the next president of the Russian Federation became ex-prime minister Dmitri Anatolievich Medvedev. The expert in Russian politics Samuel Greene wrote that Medvedev managed to become a president due to Putin’s approval. It is assumed that unofficially, during Medvedev’s presidency, the power still belonged to Putin. In fact, the year of 2008 was a turning point when it has become clear that rotation of power does not actually take place in the Russian political system. The organization Amnesty International supported this view and claimed that in the elections there was no “real electoral campaign battle”, because “no real opposition” occurred. The president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Goran Lennmaker also said that these elections were not fair and that they have failed many of the standards and commitments of the Parliamentary Assembly. The next elections have become another proof of weak power rotation. In 2012, Putin became a president again and this fact has led to even more disagreements. It was obvious that the political structure of the Russian Federation was made up by Vladimir Putin and his allies.
C. Wright Mills also
highlighted that the main aim of each representative of the elite was to protect own power. This rule can be applicable to the Russian elite as well. In 1996, there was slightly above 6 percent of votes for the incumbent head of Russia. The Doctor of Sciences Rostislav F. Turovski said that: Yeltsin’s team decided to select who would be his main competitors, notably for the second ballot. To ensure Yeltsin’s final victory, they needed a Communist leader such as Gennady Zyuganov to be his main rival. They created a situation in which the electorate would have no choice but to vote for the president in power rather than go back to a Soviet-type regime. It can be clearly seen that Yeltsin in order to stay in power has put many efforts, even if these efforts were not legal. Another example could be the president Putin. It is suggested that in order to protect own political power he allowed his ally Medvedev to become the next president. In The Constitution of the Russian Federation in 81 article it is written that “No one person shall hold the office of President of the Russian Federation for more than two terms in succession”. Such rule was added to the Constitution in order to keep a democratic regime within the Russian political system. Therefore, Vladimir Putin might decide to give his power to his ally for one term and, thus, convince the citizens of Russia in the presence of democracy. The Professor at the Department of Political Science and Sociology in his work “The Rise and Decline of Electoral Authoritarianism in Russia” wrote: In fact, “Putin’s dilemma” was the choice between two evolutionary trajectories for the political regime: either to invest into the window dressing of a democratic façade or to tear off the mask and establish an authoritarian regime that had much in common with a classical dictatorship. While picking a loyal successor would mean the former choice, remaining in office for a third consecutive term would become a major shift to the latter option.
The film Matewan brings to life the workings of a small West Virginia coal-mining town in the 1920's. Stone Mountain, as the town was called, existed for mining exclusively. Every resident of the town worked for the Stone Mountain Coal Company. The company was the dominant force in the community, acting as a feudal lord. It owned all the land, residential areas and restaurants. In this particular town residents had no other choice than to work for the Coal Company because it had monopoly control over all the resources thus creating a feudal economic system. The miners were forced into a bondage contract with the company, because of the lack of choice they had regarding their employment, which is a fundamental element in a feudal system. The owners of the Stone Mountain Coal Company who profit from the coal generated never actually stepped foot on the Stone Mountain mine land. They had no idea who worked for them and what their situations were. The workers never knew their employer instead the owners sent two representatives to ensure the excavation of the coal happened. The representatives became a third force necessary for the existence of feudal economy in Matewan. They were sent from the company to manage the organization and production of the mine. The representativesÕ primary job was to enforce the rules that the company had established in order to maintain power of the town, mine and essentially the workers. They used threats to induce fear in the miners as a way to stimulate and motivate them to work, because the miners had little significant reason to work besides basic survival.
International politics as one may imagine includes foreign affairs. This is why the topic and focus of this paper revolves around the current event within Eastern Europe. It will focus on both Russia, Ukraine, and the world, and from it, it will be analyzed by using the resources provided within class. After all it is a International Politics course, and one of the best ways to effectively put the skills and knowledge to use is to focus on an event or current event. The paper will attempt to go over in a chronological order of the events that has happened, and what is happening currently over in Ukraine. Afterwards, an analyzed input will be implemented providing reasoning behind Russia's actions, and actions of the world, and potentially some solutions.
...oved to be singularly influential and daunting. This is, perhaps, the greatest obstacles to achieving true democracy in Russia—the authoritarian and repressive traditions that refuse to die out with the passage of time.
Vladimir Putin is the elected president of the Russian Federation. The former member of the KGB is known to some as a torturer, a tyrant, and a murderer and is known to have plans to recreate the Soviet Union. While saying that letting Crimea become a part of Russia is giving in to Putin’s communist ideals, Crimea is largely Russian, and is not strategically important to the European Union’s goals. Yanukovich’s (The former Prime Minister of Ukraine) security forces fired upon and killed dozens of protestors. He was ousted ...
Therefore, people forget their morals and defy their personality. Shea states people can change their morals due to the effects of power (Shea). Fromm claims that an individual’s decisions reflect his or her conscious because their conscious is what brings them “back to ourselves, to our humanity” (Fromm 126). Fromm would state that Jessup believes he could do anything because of the power he holds; therefore, Jessup allows power to rise above his conscious. This demonstrates how easily authority can corrupt an individual. Jessup knew Santiago would physically not be able to handle the “code red”, yet power overrules his morals (A Few Good Men). Fromm would admit that Jessup’s authority trumped his morals, yet also believes that Dawson and
Abraham Lincoln’s quote shows his thoughts on the power of power and its ability to corrupt even the best of men. The same opinion is shared by Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist responsible for the Stanford prison study. In his study, he observed the effect of power on college students in roles as prison guards and prisoners. The experiment had to be cut short due the effect the power had on the students in the the role of the guards. William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, supports Philip Zimbardo’s claim that evil is a natural consequence of power through the development of Roger and his personality. Golding shows this through Roger’s shift from civilized and shy to savage and bold in the time spent on the island.
The Slavophile and westernizer conflict is an inherent cultural question that Russians must answer about their country. Russian thinkers have long been fragmented between the Westernizer and the Slavophile viewpoint. Both disagreed about the true nature of the country as well as its relation with the West. It is a problem that has plagued Russia for centuries, and continues to do so to this day. Adopting the mindset of recognizing this conflict is essential to better understanding Russian history as well as the motives and thought processes of Russian leaders today.
Blasphemous, belittling, boorish. Such are the words some can describe Mike Myers 90’s classic comedy, Austin Powers. Mike Myers is regularly known for his outlandish and insensitive comedic films. So you may ask, how is Myers interpretation of Austin Powers a sophisticated example of satire which is undoubtedly deserving of the coveted Mark Twain Prize for American Humour? Despite the fact that the Austin Powers series serves as a deliberate parody, poking fun at the Bond series, it insightfully examines the role of serious topical issues present in contemporary society.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
Rule of Lenin vs the Tsar The beginning of the 20th century saw a great change in the political structure of the Russia. A country once led under an autocracy leadership. was suddenly changed into a communist state overnight. Dictatorship and communism are at separate ends of the political spectrum. This study so clearly shows both involve the oppression of society and a strict regime in which people are unable to voice their opinions.
C. Wright Mills, in this selection, explains to us how there are a certain group of people who make the important decisions in our country, the “power elite.” Mills splits this group into the 3 top leaders: the corporate elite, the military elite, and the small political elite. These 3 different departments work together as a whole to make decisions regarding the country.
Consequently, Russia offers U.S. businesses both high risk, and potentially high rewards. Russian firms and customers admire U.S. technology and know-how, and generally are interested in doing business with U.S. companies. At the same time, there is a tendency in some quarters to suppose that the U.S. is responsible for the changes which have occurred in Russia, especially those which have caused most hardship to individuals and to industry. This sentiment has attracted the support of some political leaders, and in given credence by a significant proportion of the populace. At the same time, a strong U.S. commercial presence is viewed in the Russian Far East as a counterbalance to other regional economic powers.
"From Autocracy to Oligarchy." The Structure of Soviet History: Essays and Documents. Ed. Ronald Grigor. Suny. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. 340-50. Print.
Exploring the October revolution and the establishment of communism, Richard Pipes concludes that the origin of communism can be traced back to the distant past in Russia’s history. Pipes states that Russia had entered a period of crisis after the governments of the 19th century undertook a limited attempt at capitalisation, not trying to change the underlying patrimonial structures of Russian society. (Pipes, 1964)
Since the earliest recorded history, there has always been one elusive title that a State has strived for, the title of Super Power. Power is one of the fundamental characteristics of the international system and the distribution of power among states. It is obvious that states are unequal in power and this “entails a number of important implications for international politics”. As a result of this lack of power, the ‘weak states’ desires and concerns are often neglected and the ‘strong states’ demands usually shape the international agenda. In the Modern Society, some would argue that we have two great powers in Russia and the United States, but if you measure and compare the two countries, The United States is more powerful. Some of these categories are population in which the U.S has more than double Russ...