Part 5/9:
Michels illustrated that whether the mass consists of 25,000 union members or 250 million citizens in a country, the masses struggle to organize effectively. Only a minority can mobilize, strategize, and form coherent agendas, thus perpetuating the concept of governance by a ruling elite.
Historical Context and Modern Implications
Historically, attempts at pure direct democracy have resulted in chaos or collapse. Michels cited examples from ancient Greece and the Florentine republic, where brief experiments with direct rule ended in disarray. Modern parallels can be drawn from California’s proposition system, which many view as a convoluted democratic process that has led to unmanageable political outcomes.