Who Really Rules America? : A Study of the Power Elite

Who Really Rules America? A Study of the Power Elite by William Stuart McBirnie examines what the author identifies as the interconnected centers of power operating behind the formal institutions of American democracy. Rejecting the idea that any single organization secretly governs the country, McBirnie argues instead that a continuing “Power Elite” exercises influence through seven major concentrations of institutional power: Big Labor, Big Business, Big Religion, Big Foundations, Big Education, Big Government, and Big Defense. He examines the growth of labor unions and corporate monopolies, American business dealings with Communist countries, the political activities of major religious organizations, the influence of foundations and research institutions, federal involvement in education, the expansion of government programs and taxation, and the enormous economic and political reach of the defense establishment. Throughout the study, McBirnie contends that these increasingly centralized institutions overlap through personnel, money, government contracts, research programs, and common political objectives, encouraging collectivism and weakening individual independence, constitutional restraints, local authority, and free enterprise. He concludes that the danger lies in the accelerating concentration of power itself and calls upon citizens to defend dissent, constitutional safeguards, decentralized authority, and individual freedom before the American system becomes dominated by institutions too powerful to be effectively controlled by the electorate.