Gaetano Mosca

Gaetano Mosca ( born April 1, 1858 in Palermo, † November 8, 1941 in Rome ) was an Italian legal and political scientist and sociologist and became known as an elite theorists.

Work and impact

From Mosca, the term originates " political class ". His analyzes show many similarities with those Vilfredo Pareto, who persistently not quoted him. In contrast to ( it totally skeptical ) Pareto 's position Mosca allows compatible with democracy vision of elite domination. Mosca also rejects Social Darwinism.

Mosca's position is reminiscent of the Marxist interpretation of the state as a function of a class. But the similarities end here also: Mosca has economism of Marx back as well as the class struggle and the dequalifizierte of him as a utopian vision of a classless society.

Mosca's work has been (the " iron law of oligarchy " ) and Charles Wright Mills (the " power elite " power elite) included, inter alia, by Robert Michels.