Influential minorities have existed in some form in all human societies. Throughout history, such elites have evoked varied responses--respeet. hos-tility, fear. envy, imitation, but never indifference. While certain elite groups have been of only passing historical importance, strategic elites, whose mem-bers are national and international leaders, today are ultimately responsible for the realization of social goals and for the continuity of the social order in a swiftly changing world.

1: Introduction to the Original Edition; 2: Strategic Elites: Historical Antecedents; 3: Strategic Elites: Concomitant Social Forces; 4: The Social Functions of Strategic Elites; 5: The Emergence of Strategic Elites: Selected Cases; 6: Strategic Elites and the Moral Order; 7: The Symbolic Role of Strategic Elites; 8: Recruitment, Responsibilities, and Rewards; 9: Social Backgrounds and Careers of Selected Elites in the United States; 10: The Rise and Fall of Strategic Elites; 11: Elites, Equality, and Freedom