Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The Integration of the Polish Post-Transition Elite

The Integration of the Polish Post-Transition Elite JACEK WASILEWSKI (Kraków, Poland) THE INTEGRA TION OF THE POLISH POST-TRANSITION ELITE Integration and differentiation: Three models of post-transitional elites In elite studies great importance is attributed to elite integration. Classical approaches emphasize the coherence of an elite and its exclusive character, that is, barriers of birth, wealth, prestige, interpersonal contacts and, most im- portantly, power. The common values, goals and interests of elites are founded on similar background, education, professional experience, social af- filiations and family relations. James Meisel aptly synthesized the classical approach in the formula of three "C's": group consciousness, coherence and conspiracy. i Critics of elites used to stress the homogeneous character of elites, perceiv- ing them as a threat to democratic, egalitarian and achievement oriented so- cieties. This threat was said to include political authoritarianism (or even dic- tatorship), economic exploitation of the masses, rejection of the principle of equal opportunity and the elite's realization of their own interests at the cost of public interest. C. Wright Mill's conception of the power elite, that is, of the integrated minority holding the highest positions in the economic, mili- tary, and political structures and monopolizing strategic decisions, illustrates well this critical perspective perspective on elites.2 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Soviet and Post Soviet Review Brill

The Integration of the Polish Post-Transition Elite

Wasilewski, Jacek
The Soviet and Post Soviet Review , Volume 26 (1): 139 – Jan 1, 1999
Download PDF
42 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/brill/the-integration-of-the-polish-post-transition-elite-N4KF0vaxIL

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1999 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1075-1262
eISSN
1876-3324
DOI
10.1163/187633299X00066
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

JACEK WASILEWSKI (Kraków, Poland) THE INTEGRA TION OF THE POLISH POST-TRANSITION ELITE Integration and differentiation: Three models of post-transitional elites In elite studies great importance is attributed to elite integration. Classical approaches emphasize the coherence of an elite and its exclusive character, that is, barriers of birth, wealth, prestige, interpersonal contacts and, most im- portantly, power. The common values, goals and interests of elites are founded on similar background, education, professional experience, social af- filiations and family relations. James Meisel aptly synthesized the classical approach in the formula of three "C's": group consciousness, coherence and conspiracy. i Critics of elites used to stress the homogeneous character of elites, perceiv- ing them as a threat to democratic, egalitarian and achievement oriented so- cieties. This threat was said to include political authoritarianism (or even dic- tatorship), economic exploitation of the masses, rejection of the principle of equal opportunity and the elite's realization of their own interests at the cost of public interest. C. Wright Mill's conception of the power elite, that is, of the integrated minority holding the highest positions in the economic, mili- tary, and political structures and monopolizing strategic decisions, illustrates well this critical perspective perspective on elites.2

Journal

The Soviet and Post Soviet Review – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1999

There are no references for this article.