This article is about the book by Robert Michels. For the topic of political parties generally, see Political party.
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy
Author
Robert Michels
Original title
Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der modernen Demokratie; Untersuchungen über die oligarchischen Tendenzen des Gruppenlebens
Translators
Eden Paul
Cedar Paul
Country
Germany
Language
German
Publisher
Werner Klinkhardt
Publication date
1911
Published in English
1915
Pages
401
OCLC
02067594
Dewey Decimal
329.02
LC Class
JF2049 .M6
Original text
Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der modernen Demokratie; Untersuchungen über die oligarchischen Tendenzen des Gruppenlebens at Internet Archive
Translation
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy at Internet Archive
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy (German: Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der modernen Demokratie; Untersuchungen über die oligarchischen Tendenzen des Gruppenlebens) is a book by the German-born Italian sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy. It is considered one of the classics of social sciences, in particular sociology and political science.[1]
It was translated to Italian as Sociologia del partito politico nella democrazia moderna: studi sulle tendenze oligarchiche degli aggregati politici by Alfredo Polledro in 1912, and then translated from the Italian to English by Eden Paul and Cedar Paul for Hearst's International Library Co. in 1915.[2]
This work analyses the power structures of organizations such as political parties and trade unions. Michels's main argument is that all organizations, even those in theory most egalitarian and most committed to democracy – like socialist political parties – are in fact oligarchical, and dominated by a small group of leadership.
The book also provides a first systematic analysis of how a radical political party loses its radical goals under the dynamics of electoral participation. The origins of moderation theory can be found in this analysis.
^Hughes, Sharrock & Martin 2003, p. 127; Lipset 1999, pp. 20–21.
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