The Power Elites Summary

During the 2017 presidential campaign, Trump promised to "drain the swamp," or rid the government of the power elites. In his chapter "The Power Elites," Mills explains that that there are often two ways the general population views the idea of a power elite. One, is through the context of the events that occur during their lifetime; for example, when people see that big things are happening and that they are not being consulted, they deduce that there is a power elite in charge (the bombing of Japan during WWII). The other perspective Mills offers is the denying of a power elite altogether, he explains that this view is often held by those who pay attention to the news and feel politically aware of their government. He then explains that both of these views are wrong; it is the conglomeration of politics, economics, and the military in policy making that creates an elitist government

As Mills explains on page 76, the country is highly interconnected and dismantling any one institution would result in a dismantling of the entire country. Take for example, Steven Mnuchin (big time banker), General James Mattis (four star marine corps general), and Jeff Sessions (long time politician); all three of these men represent one of the three major institutions. Regardless of who was elected for president, their spots would have been filled with someone who has extensive knowledge over economics, defense, and politics. Ideally, they would also have a sense of public interest/altruism. However, more often than not, what ends up happening is that these men bring their extensive knowledge and power over their respective institution and combine it with their individual values. This results in an elitist power, or a swamp, that creates policies in favor of those who made them and not in favor of the common man whom Trump promised to