High-authoritarian decisions were made by elites alone, not their teams

Evidence

In class societies which are also formal democracies, the structures of democratic representation and opinion are structures to be negotiated in the interest of power. The elites are in a powerful position to win assent in this way: (a) because they play a dominant role in crystallizing issues, (b) because they provide the material and information which support their preferred interpretations, (c) because they can rely on the disorganized state of public knowledge and feeling to provide, by inertia, a sort of tacit agreement to let the existing state of affairs continue. We are thus in the highly paradoxical situation, whereby the elites of power constantly invoke , as a legitimation for their actions, a consensus which they themselves have powerfully pre-structured. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 875 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Authoritarian systems amplify the personality effects of top leaders.; Totalitarian elites obey vague orders meant to convey intent, not explicit commands; Elites legitimate their power by invoking a consensus they themselves pre-structure — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 875 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Elites legitimate their power by invoking a consensus they themselves pre-structure #complicates (0.78) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 875