Ruling Class

Concept of Ruling Class in Comparative Politics

The concept of the ruling class occupies a central position in comparative politics, especially within critical and Marxist traditions. It refers to the social group or groups that hold dominant political, economic, and ideological power within a given society. The idea of a ruling class is primarily concerned with understanding who governs, in whose interest, and through what mechanisms. In different historical and political contexts, the ruling class may manifest in various forms—economic elites, political bureaucracies, aristocracies, technocrats, military elites, or party leaderships. Comparative political analysis uses this concept to explore the structure of power, state-society relations, and the persistence of inequality across regimes—be they democratic, authoritarian, or hybrid.

Marxist Origins and Classical Formulations

The foundational framework for the ruling class concept comes from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, particularly in their analysis of class struggle and capitalist society. According to Marx, “The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas”, indicating that the dominant material class also becomes the dominant intellectual force in society. For Marx, class is defined by the relationship to the means of production, and in capitalist society, the bourgeoisie—owners of capital and industry—constitute the ruling class, while the proletariat, or working class, remains subordinated and exploited.

The ruling class maintains its dominance not only through economic power but also through control over state institutions, law, and ideology. In this sense, the state is seen as an instrument of class domination, a mechanism that secures the interests of the capitalist class. This structural view implies that even in liberal democracies, which appear to be politically free, real power resides with economic elites, rendering democratic institutions largely symbolic or co-opted.

Antonio Gramsci and the Concept of Hegemony

While Marx emphasized the material basis of class rule, Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Marxist thinker, developed a more nuanced understanding through the concept of hegemony. Gramsci argued that the ruling class does not maintain power solely through coercion, but also through consent, which is manufactured and sustained via ideological leadership, especially through institutions like education, media, religion, and culture. This creates a “common sense” worldview that aligns with ruling class interests but appears natural to the masses.

In comparative terms, Gramsci’s theory explains how ruling classes can maintain dominance even in democratic and pluralistic societies, not by repressing dissent but by incorporating it within a framework that ultimately preserves the status quo. The hegemonic apparatus in liberal democracies thus functions to neutralize class conflict by presenting ruling-class ideology as universal interest, thereby stabilizing elite power without overt authoritarianism.

C. Wright Mills and the Power Elite

In a more empirical vein, American sociologist C. Wright Mills introduced the theory of the power elite in his influential book The Power Elite (1956), focusing on the United States. Mills argued that real power in American society resided not in democratic institutions, but in a tripartite elite: the corporate elite, the military establishment, and high-ranking political officials. These three sectors were interconnected through shared backgrounds, education, interests, and social networks.

Mills’ theory was significant because it challenged the liberal-pluralist view of politics, which saw power as dispersed among competing interest groups. Instead, he demonstrated that a small, interlocking elite wielded disproportionate control, and that public institutions were often used to advance elite agendas. In comparative politics, this theory has been used to understand elite dominance in both Western democracies and developing nations, illustrating how formal democracy can coexist with oligarchic realities.