Democratic Elitism - The Founding Myth of American Political Science

About the author

Natasha Piano is Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of California, Los Angeles, and coeditor of Florentine Political Writings from Petrarch to Machiavelli.

Summary

Natasha Piano argues that the Italian School of Elitism—comprising Pareto, Mosca, and Michels—has been consistently misread. These thinkers did not, as alleged, oppose electoral politics. Rather, they saw elections as just one component of democracy and warned that equating the two leaves publics disillusioned and vulnerable to elite capture.

Product details

• Authors: Natasha Piano
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.04.2025
• EAN: 9780674295377
• ISBN: 978-0-674-29537-7
• No. of pages: 256
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Economic history, Politics & government, Politics and government, General and world history, Political science and theory, Centrist democratic ideologies, Right-of-centre democratic ideologies, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General