This is the best book on political science I have ever read.
The fact that it was written nearly a century ago shows how
little the field has progressed since! Unlike modern political
theorists, Mosca was not a tenured scribbler isolated from
practical realities, but a Ciceronian intellectual who moved
with ease from politics to journalism to academia. While those
who hear about Mosca know him as a founder of 'Elite Theory',
those who have read him know that he is a much greater thinker.
Like his contemporary Max Weber, Mosca wrote on law,
politics, economics and comparative world history alike
with equal insight and brilliance.

'The Ruling Class' begins with an overview of the disappointing
progress of the social sciences. He notes in particular the
failure of the 'holistic' approach of Sociology and utopian
Marxism alike (apparently, some people still haven't caught on!).
He also notes the failure of the most successful branch of the
social sciences, economics, to quantify and colonize political
science (Mosca would not be surprised at the current absurdities
of 'Neo-Realist' and 'Rational Choice' theory-the more things
change...)

Mosca goes on to provide his own theory of politics, one that
I find eminently convincing. There is an excellent review of
it in Robert Kaplan's *The Coming Anarchy*, so it would be
superfluous and tedious to repeat it here.

One question remains-if Mosca was such a great thinker,
why is he so little known? Perhaps because, unlike Marx,
he offered no utopian promises or secular religions in disguise.
Perhaps also because of the strong Anglo-Saxon bias in American
scholarship-while an occasional French or German scholar is
recognized as worth of note, Italian thought is supposed to end
with Machiavelli!

For whatever reason, Mosca remains the best-kept secret in
political science; it is time the word got out.

The Ruling Class is an excellent example of early twentieth elite theory. It is a scathing retort to Marx and those who believe in a utopian vision without an elite. This book is clear and brilliant. It challenges the political thinker in a democratic society to examine the basic assumptions of democracy and representational government. This book is a must read for the political scientist.