Power in British Society: Pluralist and Ruling Class Theories

Abstract

In the two final chapters, we aim to bring the concerns of Parts I–III of our book together, focusing particularly in this chapter upon ideological approaches to understanding the political system and in the final chapter on the impact of Thatcherite ideology upon the working of British politics. This chapter begins with the question: how important to the interpretation of political behaviour is the social background of the people who make the major political decisions? In broader terms, what are the relations between politics and society? We examine the composition of the élites at the top of major sectors in British society before proceeding to the two main interpretations of this evidence — pluralist theory in its various forms and ruling class theory (a third approach — the theory of a power élite — is also discussed briefly). The pluralist approach is broadly associated with liberalism; the ruling class model with Marxist political theory and ideology. The chapter then considers how these two rival approaches handle the evidence presented in Parts II and III of this book, for which purpose this material is grouped into several broad themes: the Constitution, the political process including the role of parties and groups, and the nature of the State. New Right theories which have come to prominence since the 1970s are discussed where appropriate under pluralism, not separately (as is done by some books on British politics).