If Karl Marx's theory of political elites held true in the United States, for instance, there would be little opportunity for the "power of the people" to take root and flourish. Marxists believe that the government itself holds little significance or power, because it is simply controlled by the dominant economic class. Political decisions are made by whichever class holds power at a certain point in time: the capitalists or the workers. The members of the dominant

social/economic class would then construct policies that promote their own interests, not the interests of the other classes. Such a situation would render impossible any form of representative democracy, because the great majority of the people would hold no influence on (or knowledge of ) the government's decisions. While, in a representative democracy, officials of the government work for the interests of their constituents, government leaders in a Marxist political system would have no obligation to do as the people demand.

The fourth and final theory, Pluralism, is that which can most easily coexist with a representative democracy. In a representative democracy, no one faction or elite commands most or all of the nation's political power. The same theory applies in a pluralist society, in which political resources are so widely scattered that no single group or government institution can dominate t

Some common words found in the essay are:
Marx Mills, Wright Mills', Karl Marx's, Max Weber, Mills Weber, representative democracy, , power elite, political process, coexist representative democracy, form representative democracy, true united, nation's political, bureaucrats hold, power simply, bureaucratic view, major decisions, political elites,
Approximate Word count = 613
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)