Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Robert Michels is one of the founding fathers of modern political sociology. His writings focus on mass democracy, fascism, political leadership, political parties, and social movements. He has become famous for his widely cited “iron law of oligarchy,” which continues to be an important reference point for both social scientists and political activists. Michels, born in Cologne in 1876, grew up in a liberal bourgeois merchant family. He studied in France, Germany, and Italy. After having joined the German Social Democratic Party, he also became a member of the Italian Socialist Party. In the early years of the twentieth century, he embraced the ideas of revolutionary syndicalism and socialist internationalism. However, when his academic career was blocked in part due to his political engagement, Michels discontinued his membership in both political parties. In 1907, he left Germany to teach economics, sociology, and political science in Turin. He became Professor of National Economics in Basel (Switzerland) in 1914. In 1923, he joined the Italian Fascist Party. His shift to the far right helped him obtain an appointment as chair of economics and the history of doctrines in Perugia (Italy) in 1928. This position had been deliberately created to provide academic support to the fascist regime. Michels died in Rome in 1936. Among his many writings, his monograph Political Parties ... log in or subscribe to read full text