First published in 1980, this book presents an important critique of prevailing political doctrine in Western societies at a time of major change in circumstances of Western civilization. G. Lowell Field and John Higley stress the importance of a more realistic appraisal of elite and mass roles in politics, arguing that political stability and any real degree of representative democracy depend fundamentally on the existence of specific kinds of elites.

G. Lowell Field, John Higley

Preface 1. Elitism in eclipse 2. The elitist paradigm restated 3. Elitism and liberalism 4. Elitism as obligation 5. Elites and the management of world problems 6. Elitism: answers and questions; Index