Page 177 - DSOC401_SOCIOLOGICAL_THOUGHT_ENGLISH

Unit-30: Theory of Social Changes- Types of Elite Classification, Circulation of Elite

2. This is why they take the support of ______ and they convert themselves from “lions” to notes
“foxes” and like a fox work cleverly.
3. There comes a time when actually _____ slips from the hands of foxes of the upper class and
moves into the hands of the foxes of the lower class.

theory of circulation of elites

There is always inequality in the society. Someone is tall, while someone is short; someone is fair
while someone is dark; someone is rich while someone is poor; someone is sharp minded while some
one is slow on the draw. Meaning is that from physical, intellectual, material and ethical view there
I inequality in each society. It is possible that in any society inequality is very sharp and in some it is
negligible, but situation of inequality is always there.
Pareto has put forwards the theory of circulation of elites. Among his theories, there a few other
important theories too. E.g., he has also put forward certain theories of Community Utility, Fascism
etc. of these theories, theory of Circulation of Elite has been more popular. Raymond Aron, Bogards
etc have made a very big description of this circulation theory. There is a very big reason of it. Pareto
was fundamentally influenced by the thoughts of Mussolini and Machiavelli. Primarily he followed
Fascism. If his theories are tied in a pack and there is a need to put a tag for its identification then it
must be written in this tag: Fascism.

Notes Fundamental feeling that Pareto had behind the theory of circulation of elites was
that the job of running the society is that of the elites.

As per Pareto, society is operated by elites only. In each era and in each country the elite have been the
co-ordinator of the society. Movement of his fingers make the society dance. People only breathe in and
breathe out at the sign of the elite. Pareto puts forward the circulation theory after this fundamental
perception or understanding of the society.

Definition of Elite

Pareto has defined the elite. Those people who are best in any specific field of the society are known
as the elites. Society’s specific fields are- literature, art, business, religion etc. Many people are elites in
these fields and elites are more special as compared to people. For e.g., in Hindi literature, Premchand,
Jaishankar Prasad and Bhagvati Charan Verma are elites. In similar manner in film world Amitabh
Bacchan and Madhuri Dixit are elites. In business world Ambani, Birla, Godrej etc are elites. If a list
of elites is made from various fields of the society, it’s size will be very big. Some elites are considered
to be controversial also. Elite are there in every field but Pareto has only mentioned administrative
elites. When he talks about the theory of circulation of elites then he means only the elites who rule
or govern. His insistence is that only elite rules the society but elite’s group is not a closed group.
Those who are ruling today they will be pushed tomorrow and new elites will take their place. This
circulation of elites will go on in the society.

types of elites

Those people come in the class of elites who in comparison to other people are more intelligent,
skilled and have the ability to do any task. Everyone does the job but the job of elites is better as best

LoVeLY professionaL uniVersitY 171