DEMOCRATIC ELITISM AND THE AUTONOMY OF ELITES

Commentators have been divided about the degree to which democracy can be reconciled with the existence of elites. Some have seen them as a threat to democracy; others, the ''democratic elitists,'' have perceiv ed their autonomy as a necessary ingredient of a democratic polity. Th is article contends that it is not possible to generalize about the at titude of elites to democracy. Some of them, like the military, by vir tue of their functions, have values which are unlikely to foster democ racy; others have values and procedures which are congenial to the dem ocratic ethos. Elite autonomy cannot be a meta-principle of democracy.