Robert Michels: Κριτική της Σοσιαλδημοκρατίας. Οι καταβολές της κοινωνιολογίας των κομμάτων

Abstract

Robert Michels (1876-1936) is generally considered a «classic author» of political sociology, especially of the sociology of the parties. The laster came into being at the beginning of the 20th Century as a diagnosis of the mass democratization and the increasing socialization of the state which was accompany by crises. From the point of view of a radical socialist, Michels inquires into the Continental Labour Parties, above all the German, as a prototype of the modem democratic party. In the foreground of the statement of the problem is the analysis of the controlling groups, delegation and abuse of power. This article proceeds on some assumptions that were neglected in the present investigations: The development of the sociology of parties by Michels is only explicable from the context of the contemporary German Social Democracy. It is a question of a critique of the Labour movement on a definite level of its development. Further, the theory of Michels is based on his own experiences as an intellectual in the Labour movement.