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THIS CHAPTER EXAMINES HOW CONSENSUS AND UNITY HAS DISAPPEARED IN THE RULING CLASS OF SOUTH AFRICA. THE DIFFICULTIES FACED IN THE QUESTION OF A SUCCESSOR TO BOTHA ARE ALSO STUDIED. THE AUTHOR EXAMINES THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT AGAINST APARTHEID WITHIN THE RULING CLASS, HOW IT RELATES TO THE REVOLUTION AND WHAT ATTITUDE SHOULD BE ADOPTED TO SUCH DEVELOPMENTS.

The Russian political order, both before & after the revolution of 1917, was dominated by a ruling class (RC) with a political monopoly that governed in its own selfish interests. The existence of the RC prevented the development of a concept of Russian state. The RC consisted of a ruling elite, a political infrastructure of hereditary nobles in the countryside, & a managerial apparatus in army & civil service. Emerging in the seventeenth century, the RC reached the height of its power in the eighteenth. Serfdom was its social foundation. In the 1860s, the RC was forced to choose between reforms, including the abolition of serfdom, & the status quo. In choosing the former, it destroyed the legitimacy of its rule. The Bolsheviks recreated a ruling class of party members that reached the height of its power after WWII. In the 1980s, the RC again chose reform & once more destoyed its legitimacy. The question remains whether its disintegration is temporary or final, paving the way for the emergence of a pluralistic society in Russia. 2 Photographs. Modified AA

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSACTION EDITION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION -- Elites defined -- Influential theories of elites -- Questions and pitfalls in the study of elites -- Plan of this book -- 2. STRATEGIC ELITES: HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS -- Types of social core groups -- The rise of social core groups and social classes -- Two historical illustrations -- Origins of social classes -- The perpetuation of social classes -- The ruling class: Marx and Engels -- The ruling class and strategic elites -- 3. STRATEGIC ELITES: CONCOMITANT SOCIAL FORCES -- Growth of population -- Growth of the division of labor -- Growth of formal organization and its social implications -- Growth of moral diversity -- Rise of functional elites -- Elites as minorities -- 4. THE SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF STRATEGIC ELITES -- A junctional model of the social system -- Emergent types of elites -- External and internal elites -- Modes of organization -- Instrumental and expressive aspects of elite roles -- 5. THE EMERGENCE OF STRATEGIC ELITES: SELECTED CASES -- Elites in industrialized societies -- A note on elites in the developing countries -- Rank order among strategic elites -- 6. STRATEGIC ELITES AND THE MORAL ORDER -- The collective conscience and strategic elites -- Moral differences among strategic elites -- Cohesion among strategic elites -- 7. THE SYMBOLIC ROLE OF STRATEGIC ELITES -- Three kinds of collective symbols -- Instrumental and symbolic functions -- Symbolic reciprocity between strategic elites and their publics -- Symbols and sentiments -- 8. RECRUITMENT, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND REWARDS -- Desirable attributes -- The search for candidates -- Selecting desirable candidates -- Attracting desirable candidates -- Responsibilities and rewards -- Patterns of recruitment

Reported are preliminary findings of a field investigation of two communities in northeast Brazil. The setting & historical patterns of rule are examined. Rulers are identified, & ruling-class perspectives on the question of dependency are analyzed. Two kinds of dependency are revealed: (1) one community is dominated by a paternalistic bureaucracy whose recent history of political dissensus resulted in increased dependency on the outside world & in capitalist underdevelopment internally; (2) the other community is dominated by a patriarchy whose power recently consolidated within a single family, resulting in a break with dependency on the neighboring community, but in closer dependent ties with the outside world as well as in capitalist development, internally. Dependency combined with divisions in the ruling classes led to underdevelopment in one case; dependency combined with a cohesive ruling order led to development in the other. These patterns were studied in interviews with 118 members of the ruling classes of the communities. Ten questions on dependency probed attitudes about the relationship of local industrialization & commercial activities to the outside world. Findings show that an upper echelon of power holders in the communities is more aware of dependency than others interviewed. The ruling classes of the two communities shared common understandings of dependency, however. A minority acknowledged the thesis of capitalist development of underdevelopment, while a majority firmly believed in capitalism & were not much concerned about dependency. 1 Figure. AA.

For more than two decades sociologists have debated the social and political consequences of an emergent postindustrial society. This comparative study addresses these debates, using original empirical data from five advanced capitalist economies - Canada, the United States, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.