C. Wright Mills

C. Wright Mills was one of the most influential American sociologists of the twentieth century, whose work challenged the power structures of postwar American society. His book The Power Elite, published in 1956, argues that the United States is dominated by a small, interconnected group of leaders from the military, corporate and political spheres who make the key decisions shaping the nation's future while the democratic process serves as little more than a facade. Mills's analysis was revolutionary in its time and has proven remarkably prescient, with his concept of a power elite becoming a foundational idea in political sociology and a reference point for debates about inequality, democracy and concentrated power. Born in Texas in 1916, Mills was a professor at Columbia University who combined rigorous social science with a passionate commitment to democratic values. His other major works include White Collar and The Sociological Imagination. He died in 1962 at the age of forty-five, but his ideas continue to influence scholars, activists and citizens concerned about the concentration of power. The audiobook brings his essential analysis of American power structures to listeners interested in politics, sociology and the health of democratic institutions.