A central paradox of democracies is that they are always ruled by elites. What can democracy mean in this context? Today, it is often said that a populist revolt against elites is driving democratic politics throughout the West. But in Elites and Democracy, Hugo Drochon argues that democracy is more accurately and usefully understood as a perpetual struggle among competing elites鈥攂etween rising elites and ruling elites. Real political change comes from the interaction between social movements and elite political institutions such as parties. But, although true democracy鈥攖he rule of the people鈥攎ay never be achieved, striving towards it can bring about worthwhile democratic results.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michels put forward 鈥渆lite鈥� theories of democracy and gave us terms such as the 鈥渞uling class鈥� and 鈥渆lites鈥� itself. Drawing on their work and tracing the history of democratic thought through figures such as Joseph Schumpeter, Robert Dahl, C. Wright Mills, and Raymond Aron, Elites and Democracy reveals that this fundamentally elitist basis of democracy鈥攄emocracy understood as competition between elites鈥攚as there all along. The challenge is to think it anew.
Moving away from procedural or principled conceptions of democracy, Elites and Democracy develops a dynamic theory of democracy, one grounded in movement. With current politics defined by a populist backlash against elites, dynamic democracy offers the tools we urgently need to understand our contemporary predicament and to act upon it.
"A cogent argument that democracies are always ruled by a minority. . . . A timely, provocative analysis of the nature of power in supposedly democratic polities."鈥�Kirkus Reviews
"A fascinating and paradoxical study of democratic societies and the contest between elites that drives them."鈥擬atthew d鈥橝ncona, The New World聽
"As Hugo Drochon shows in his essential new book, Elites and Democracy, such harangues [against elites] gained momentum at the turn of the 20th century when European thinkers examined the composition of society and its representation by elected elites."鈥擱ichard Bourke, UnHerd
"Anyone who wants to grapple with the challenges of establishing participatory democracy in the modern world needs to read these theorists [Mosca, Pareto and Michels]—ideally, with Drochon’s clear and insightful book as a guide."鈥擭icholas Tampio, Contemporary Political Theory
"In his new insightful book Elites and Democracy, Hugo Drochon tells the story of how the 'ruling class' and the 'iron law of oligarchy' came to dominate modern political life and theory."鈥擬ax Skj枚nsberg, Law & Liberty
“Elites and Democracy offers a fresh and insightful examination of elite theory, showing its continued relevance to contemporary democratic systems. Revisiting the foundational thinkers—Mosca, Pareto, and Michels—Hugo Drochon brings historical depth and interpretive nuance to their work, treating their ideas not as historical artifacts but as powerful tools for analyzing the dynamics of modern power. By revitalizing elite theory for the twenty-first century, Drochon presents democracy not as a fixed structure, but as an ongoing struggle—marked by contestation, transformation, and resistance. This book is essential reading for those trying to understand today’s shifting political landscape and the enduring role of elites within it.”—Fernanda Gallo, Homerton College, University of Cambridge
“Elites and Democracy is lucid and engagingly written, taking on questions of unquestionable contemporary and theoretical importance. Drochon has produced a rich account of the history of elite theory and a provocative outline of an elite-focused, dynamic theory of democracy. Even for those who are not convinced, Drochon’s argument must be recognized and answered.”—John Medearis, author of Why Democracy Is Oppositional
“Drawing on the elitist tradition of democratic theory, Drochon confronts the paradox whereby democracy gives rise to oligarchy. In the spirit of Mosca, Pareto, and Michels, he develops a theory of ‘dynamic democracy’ as the continual challenge to elite rule. An important contribution to both the intellectual history and political theory of modern democracy.”—Richard Bellamy, University College London
“A fascinating and paradoxical study of democratic societies and the contest between elites that drives them...Tremendous.”—Matthew d’Ancona, The New World
