Mills reviews the structure of power in American society. Power is defined by the ability to make or not make decisions
and that history and social structures are shaped by the decisions made while in the power position ( Mills, 1958). There are three types of power that Mill’s reviews, authority, manipulation, and coercion. Authority is “ justified by the beliefs of the voluntarily obedient”(Mills, 1958, p. 29). Manipulation refers to “power that is wielded unbeknown to the powerless” (Mills, 1958, p.29). Coercion is a tool to used as a last resort (Mills, 1958). Another important area that Mills reviews is the triangle of power. He refers to these as the elite power, middle power, and lower power. The elite power consists of powers from political, military, and economic entities. They are interchangeable but all still have power or are in power. These people tend to all come from the same pull of people. Political institutions control administration, military controls conflict, and economic institutions control production. The middle power consists of religion, education, family, congress, political parties, associations, and labor unions. The