Commentators have been divided about the degree to which democracy can be reconciled with the existence of elites. Some have seen them as a threat to democracy; others, the “democratic elitists,” have perceived their autonomy as a necessary ingredient of a democratic polity. This article contends that it is not possible to generalize about the attitude of elites to democracy. Some of them, like the military, by virtue of their functions, have values which are unlikely to foster democracy; others have values and procedures which are congenial to the democratic ethos. Elite autonomy cannot be a meta-principle of democracy.
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