How Do Elites Maintain Their Power

Individuals of high status in society has a desire to maintain their positions. It has been observed that elites use different methods in order to keep their ranks. For instance, elites may implement coercion and force against people of low status. However, this tactic can create tension between the classes and will ultimately cause a revolt. As a result, elites use different tactics to maintain their power and at the same time control the possibility of an uprising which includes controlling ideas, information, stifling criticism, and technology. Controlling the ideas of the people is one of the most frequently used method to influence the individuals in the lower class. The usage of ideology can profoundly impact a whole society because allows the acceptance of the people which results in certain elites maintaining their power. For example, one of the earliest known application of social ideology is during the medieval era and the development of "the divine right of kings." This is the idea that the king 's power and authority is given directly from God. With this concept, it instills the belief that if the people oppose the king they would …show more content…
Furthermore, in order for this method to be effective, it is necessary to avoid the people from knowing that they are being observe. For instance, the incident with Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency. He exposed classified NSA information regarding mass surveillance on American citizens. This results in a public uproar and seen as either the endangerment of national security and information privacy in the United States. In addition, while the innovation of technology helps the elites to observe the lower classes, it also allows public access to information, as in the case of the Internet, which contradicts the other method of controlling