Ruling class

A ruling class is the social class of a given society that decides upon and sets that society's political agenda by mandating that there is one such particular class in the given society, and then appointing itself as that class.

The sociologist C. Wright Mills (1916-1962), argued that the ruling class differs from the power elite. The latter simply refers to the small group of people with the most political power. Many of them are politicians, hired political managers, and military leaders. A common term used to refer to people who directly influence politics, education, and government with the use of wealth or power is the ruling class. In terms of Marxism the "ruling class" is typically seen as the Bourgeoisie.