The peoples of the elite are led by people in serious posts who have access to closed sources of information. They are quite diverse and are formed in various ways. Let's look at what are the types of political elites, how they affect the development of society. The question is not non-exclusive. Our fates depend on the actions and decisions of these people. In addition, they have a serious impact on the future, which means they create conditions for the lives of potential children and grandchildren. It is advisable for ordinary citizens to understand which group of people in the country is managing, in order to understand the meaning of current events, and to predict the likely consequences.
What is the elite?
This word we often hear in television shows, we meet in serious articles. The elite is a group of people with the ability to influence society. It must be understood that ordinary access to power is not enough. In history, there are many examples of how leaders emerged from the people, moving away from the management of those who were supposed to take this place under the current law. But to become an elite, you must have a certain set of qualities and skills. This is education, and communication, and leadership qualities: wisdom, charisma, the ability to analyze, plan actions and agree. The ruling elite has power leverage. Those who are not able to take part in management oppose them. These are the counter-elites. In addition, there are still cultural figures whose influence on society is sometimes enormous. It is also worth pointing to the military elites. In some states they play a decisive, dominant role. The scientific community cannot be bypassed, although today their role is not as noticeable as in the last century. The political elites of the country are formed under the influence of historical circumstances and economic factors. Sometimes the leadership class is completely reformatted under public pressure (revolutionary situation).
Types of Political Elites
The question under discussion by political scientists is often and varied. It depends on the degree of development of society, its traditions, thinking, historical path. These types of political elites are distinguished:
- Open, all citizens can get into it.
- Closed replenished only by representatives of certain groups (aristocracy, for example).
The Indian scientist P. Sharan proposed his own classification. He describes the types of political elites:
- The highest occupies leadership positions.
- Medium - people with a certain condition, professional skills, and education.
- Administrative - employees of higher state institutions, ministries, for example.
- Marginal does not have the above characteristics, but has influence in society.
Ruling elite
The main positions in any state are occupied by people with sufficient skills and influence. They are representatives of all types of elites. Modern society has a complex structure. To keep it under control, it is necessary to influence all segments of the population. From this point of view, constant interaction of managers, adjustment of plans and actions is necessary. The visible ruling elite organizes this work. Administrative carries out executive functions, and higher generates ideas. Each social stratum seeks to nominate its representatives to the top of power. This also happens during the election. The deputy corps replenishes the elite circles of a democratic society at different levels. At the same time, there is a strong belief that only the elite rule the world. These people receive special education and management skills. There are two types of elite recruitment: entrepreneurial and guild systems. Let's consider them in more detail.
Guild system
In almost all countries, getting to the top of power is not easy. The formation of the political elite is based on the principle of belonging to a particular group or caste. This is a closed selection. It involves a gradual, fairly slow career progression. A candidate for entry into the elite circle is checked for the level of education, the ability to communicate with people, speak publicly, and so on. Family ties, party experience and other things also matter. This system is considered conservative. The decision to enter an elite club is made by the elite, inclined to reproduce one type of leadership. There is no competition in it. This leads to a gradual degradation of the elites. These people do not have time to respond to the challenges of our time, do not have sufficient flexibility. So it was, for example, in the USSR, which contributed to the collapse of the state. The positive side of the guild system is that it does not contribute to the emergence of internal conflicts, its policy is predictable. This method of nominating elites is present in democratic countries with a strong party system.
Entrepreneurial system
Modern society is developing rapidly, facing a lot of problems. For it to live normally, it is necessary to conduct a careful selection of managers. Entrepreneurial or entrepreneurial system involves the selection of candidates with certain qualities. One of the main is the ability to please the public. Any social stratum can push its representative to the very top. The competition in this system is very high. The selection is carried out by the entire population of the country. Such a system is characteristic of developed democracies. For example, an actor (R. Reagan) became one of the presidents of the United States. Under the entrepreneurial selection system, the professional preparedness of the future manager is not of particular importance. People should like it, be able to respond to public requests and challenges. The disadvantage of the system is the likelihood of random, unprepared people coming to power.
On the role of political elites
It should be noted that for the development of the state it is very important who manages it. The role of the political elite is very important and multifaceted. These people affect the welfare of citizens, culture, education. They have the right to control the security of the country. In fact, people's lives depend on them. It is important that modern political elites have a high level of professionalism. The world is quite complicated. If the number of erroneous decisions is high, then you can simply destroy it. In most countries, the formation of the political elite follows a combined principle. That is, part of it is selected from certain groups, bright personalities come to power from the people. This allows you to observe the principles of democracy, while at the same time maintaining balance and stability in society. It is no secret that the wrong, destructive policy has repeatedly led to the destruction of the state. Today they are trying to avoid these mistakes by involving the population in the assessment of managers.
The mistakes of the elites are a disaster for the people
It is very important that the country's elite be united, adhere to strictly defined rules, and not enter into serious conflicts. In any country, living people who have both advantages and disadvantages are in influential positions. They deal with various issues that affect society. They should be able to develop a common opinion consistent with the aspirations of the population. That is, open and closed elites must act together to resolve conflicts within themselves, without involving the people. As a negative example, we can cite the long-suffering Ukraine. Its elites fought for power for many years. The representative of the western regions, then the eastern, became the president of the country. Politicians could not agree, which led to armed clashes. That is, the elite circle simply could not cope with its responsibilities.
What determines the quality of managers
A democratic society seeks to strike a balance between different groups and strata. It is necessary to find consensus in the performance of any task. Politicians depend on peace and stability in the state. Governance of the country must be trusted by trained, competent and talented people. That is, the elite should be specially prepared. At the same time, one cannot refuse social elevators. Competition helps to improve the quality of managers, generating, more importantly, new ideas. The quality of the elites, no matter how the reader may object, depends on the population. It is his reaction to these people that is the main and most important measure of the effectiveness of their work. For example, don’t mindlessly vote for a candidate you have never seen in your yard. He does not fulfill his duties, which means he is not worthy of a place in the elite circle.
Professional support for managers
It has already been mentioned that the typology of the political elite has a complex structure. This helps not to lose control of the country when changing the ruler. The work of state bodies is mainly provided by professionals. These are people with special knowledge, skills, experience. Without their help, no bright leader can do. In the structure of any political party, for example, there is an apparatus. His elite is known to all for his speeches and publications. The activity of leaders is provided by ordinary specialists, sometimes called bureaucrats. They lead a huge organizational and analytical work. These people should also be attributed to the elite. After all, they influence the decisions and actions of their leader. It is sometimes said that any type of elite is blurred. Relatives and staff are close to influential people in high positions. They also have a certain impact on their policies.
Features of the change of elites
As a rule, the circles of influential people replenish constantly and gradually. People are prepared, selected, and tested. But there have been exceptions in history. Revolutions push the brave and decisive people to the top of power. They occupy the highest positions. Naturally, the revolutionary process is a serious shock to society. To prevent it, it is necessary to constantly improve the management system. New people should come into it, bring ideas that are popular in society.
