{"id":1013,"date":"2026-08-09T18:45:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/pyq\/elitist-theory-of-democracy-denies-the-possibility-of-democracy-upsc-psir-2022-0607\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:23:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:53:24","slug":"elitist-theory-of-democracy-denies-the-possibility-of-democracy-upsc-psir-2022-0607","status":"publish","type":"psir_pyq","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/elitist-theory-of-democracy-denies-the-possibility-of-democracy-upsc-psir-2022-0607\/","title":{"rendered":"Elitist theory of democracy denies the possibility of democracy as rule of the people. Elucidate"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pq-flow\">\n<div class=\"pq-flow-h\">Flow snapshot <em>\u2014 how the answer moves<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p1\"><span>Intro routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> classical democracy promises government of\/by the people <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> elitist theory denies it is possible <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> power always rests with a small organised minority<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> people may vote but do not rule <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> democracy reduced to competition among elites, not self-government<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>classical denial: <b class=\"pq-sc\">Mosca<\/b> (society split into rulers and ruled) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Pareto<\/b> (power always with a few; elites and counter-elites only replace one another; democracy unrealistic) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Michels<\/b> (Iron Law of Oligarchy; even democratic parties turn bureaucratic and leader-dominated) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> democratic elitism: <b class=\"pq-sc\">Schumpeter<\/b> (democracy as a method; competitive struggle for the people\u2019s vote; people only choose rulers) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Sartori<\/b> (self-governing people a delusion; leadership the core) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Mills<\/b> (power elite of corporate, military and presidential insiders decides national events)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p><b class=\"pq-sc\">Mannheim<\/b> and <b class=\"pq-sc\">Aron<\/b> (governed can still remove leaders; competing elites allow circulation and compromise) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> pluralist and deliberative critics (civil society, media, public reasoning restrain elites)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> even softened, people choose rulers rather than govern <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> denial holds in the full sense of self-rule<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> democracy survives only as a method of selecting and removing elites, not as rule of the people<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"pyq_year":[47],"pyq_marks":[35],"pyq_topic":[51],"pyq_paper":[33],"class_list":["post-1013","psir_pyq","type-psir_pyq","status-publish","hentry","pyq_year-47","pyq_marks-15-marks","pyq_topic-democracy","pyq_paper-paper-1"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_pyq"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4607,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1013\/revisions\/4607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"pyq_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_year?post=1013"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_marks","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_marks?post=1013"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_topic?post=1013"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_paper","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_paper?post=1013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}