The political economy of James Burnham: An alternate approach to realism

American political scientist James Burnham (1905-1987) authored two books that can be viewed as contributions to realism: The Managerial Revolution (1941) and The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom (1943), considered herein as the possible foundation of a class-based approach to realism, serving as an adjunct to state-based realist schools. Burnham's thesis in The Managerial Revolution was that the old capitalist class is being supplanted, not by the proletariat, but by a class of highly-educated, mid-level professionals-- "the managers". Burnham's predecessors, Bruno Rizzi, Jan Machajski, and Adolf A. Berle and Gardiner C. Means, and Burnham's influence on George Orwell and Alvin W. Gouldner are examined at length. The Machiavellians analyzed the role of power elites in history, concluding that Western democracy constitutes the best hope for controlling the ruling minority. Also discussed are the "Elitist" philosophers who inspired Burnham (Machiavelli, Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, Robert Michels and Georges Sorel).