Response to The Higher Circles

Mills’ essay entitled The Higher Circles is about the existence and functions of the power elite groups in our society and how they affect, influence, or shape affairs of the society and the world. In a society or a nation, Mills argues that there are people more influential and powerful than the others and every decision or action they make holds significant consequences to ordinary men.

“Within American society, major national power now resides in the economic, the political, and the military domains” and “they occupy the strategic command posts of the social structure” which include making decisions on how governments and social sectors operate (Mills). The powerful men who hold these elite positions are very different from the ordinary men for all their decisions, even their failure to make some, all have substantial effect and repercussions to other sectors of the society.

The argument of Mills in his work is supported by facts and proofs of how significant are the higher circles in the society. He discussed how other institutions like schools, families, and religion become subordinate to these power elite groups. He emphasized that these men “occupy positions in American society from which they can look down upon, so to speak, and by their decisions mightily affect, the everyday worlds of ordinary men and women” (Mills).
These elite groups dominate major decisions in the society and every action they do make up the structure of social conditions. Mills’ work is accurate because it laid down facts and comparisons to prove his definition of the role of the power elites. As a whole, C. Wright Mills’ article was very informative and insightful as it focuses on enlightening readers on the existence that the powerful men that lead the higher circles and it also highlights their different, significant functions to the society.
The article gave substantial evidences how ordinary people perceive and accept these power elites into their lives. Adequate information about their effect to the different sectors of society also suffice to prove that these men are indeed on the top of the rule. Everything that these powerful elites do have important consequences on how the society will function for the other people. Work Cited Mills, C. Wright. “The Higher Circles. ” The Power Elite. Oxford Press, 1956. Print.