The Corporation [excerpt]

Tags:  corporations, economic sociology, globalization, government/the state, social mvmts/social change/resistance, political economy, capitalism, democracy, power elite, privatization, 00 to 05 mins
Year: 2004
Length: 5:00
Access: YouTube

Summary: This excerpt from the documentary The Corporation explores the relationship between corporations and government.  It shows CEOs and business leaders stating that corporations have attained unusual power in contemporary society, documents high level cooperation between corporations and intelligence agencies ("how the industry and government are consulting with each other and working with each other"), and shows this cooperation at an international free trade meeting where protesters are gassed outside.  The clip convincingly illustrates Mills' power elite, where 2 out of the 3 top institutions (corporations and federal governments) are believed to share the same assumptions about society, come from similar origins, and work together to achieve their common interests. They are inside a protected area making the decisions affecting society, while mass society remains physically and politically separate with little control over the decisions made that affect their lives. The clip also works well with William Domhoff's Who Rules America?. The YouTube clip is 8:58, but I used only the first 5:00. The full film is available online here. 

Submitted By: Paul Dean

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