ABSTRACT
The survival of democratic social systems depends ultimately on the democratic control of power in all its forms which range from military, political, and economic to intellectual and opinion-making power. The new human type is capable of ‘integrative behavior’ which harmoniously interrelates different existential levels such as politics and economic activity, work and leisure. Political sociology and especially the sociology of power, then, represent the central concerns of Mannheim’s fourth phase which began in 1945 with the conclusion of the Second World War and ended abruptly in 1947 as a consequence of his untimely death. Freedom, Power, and Democratic Planning derives its significance mainly from the fact that it is a theoretical reflection of the international political situation taking shape after the Second World War. The effective operation of this planning body presupposes the centralization of political authority.
