Date of Award
9-24-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Political Science, MA
First Advisor
Amy Buzby
Committee Members
David Harding; Hans Hacker
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2020 N62
Abstract
The relationship between elitism and corruption in the United States has become problematic for the prosperity of our democracy. Throughout United States history, this relationship has continually evolved and allowed for elites to be able to pursue personal interests and abuse their positions. The pursuit of corrupt actions to achieve personal gain results in a widening gap between the elites and the masses. A thorough analysis of the history of the United States (with special emphasis on scandals and events within each block of time) shows that this is, in fact, the case; the evolutionary relationship has resulted in an imbalance of power between the elites and the masses, and this imbalance of power is tipped unfairly towards the elite class. This is detrimental for the masses as they are losing their promised freedoms while the elites are continually gaining power. The prosperity of the nation is no longer a priority. These issues must be analyzed and addressed in order to ensure that the nation will continue to prosper and to come up with effective solutions for returning power to the people and keeping the elites checked.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Noel, Emily Hayes, "Elitism, Corruption, and Democracy: An Evolutionary Study of American History" (2020). Student Theses and Dissertations. 360.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/360
