ABSTRACT
The final chapter demonstrates that the idea of the domination of a minority did not give rise to a univocal view of the phenomenon by American elitists. Once the existence of significant inequalities in the distribution of power is recognized, it is necessary to verify how many elites hold power and to understand the real level of democracy of American society. Do one or more elites exist? Is the distribution of power pluralistic? How is the relationship between dominant and mass classes configured? After an overview of American elitist studies in the 1950s, this chapter examines the answers provided by Lasswell and Mills, taken as an expression of the main theoretical orientations expressed by the American scientific community on the subject (elitist pluralism and monistic elitism). In a few words, elite theory helped American scholars to understand the transformations taking place in society and politics, providing a method and categories that met their requirements. Beyond the different theoretical orientations and personal political evaluations, indeed, these scholars shared the fundamental belief that the rule by the people should be reinterpreted as the control of the people by the ruling elites.
