Robert Michels

Robert Michels was a German-born sociologist who became an Italian citizen, born in Cologne in 1876. His 1911 book Political Parties introduced the iron law of oligarchy, the argument that political parties, including avowedly socialist and democratic ones, inevitably transform into bureaucratic oligarchies run by a small leadership rather than remaining genuinely democratic, a foundational contribution to elite theory. He held professorships at the University of Turin, the University of Basel and the University of Perugia, was a close associate of Max Weber, and moved from membership in the Social Democratic Party toward Italian fascism, joining Mussolini's National Fascist Party in 1924. He died in Rome in 1936. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/