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| Gaetano Mosca April 1, 1858—Nov. 8, 1941 Sicilian jurist and philosopher |
One of the most essential traits in ruling classes is, or should be, honesty in its relations with subordinates. The lie is a defense that is commonly used by the lower against the higher, by the weak against the strong. It becomes doubly repugnant and cowardly when the strong use it to the harm of the weak. It strips the man in command of all title to respect and renders him despicable in the eyes of the subordinate. Simply because men so often resort to lying, the person who abstains from it acquires great prestige. Now abhorrence of falsehood is a quality which is ordinarily acquired by a long, careful and, one might say, traditional moral training. It is only natural, therefore, that it should be more characteristic of ruling classes, in the development of which the element of inheritance plays a preponderant part.
Another important and almost indispensable requisite in ruling classes, even in relatively peaceful and commercial ages, is personal courage. Men as a rule shun danger and fear death, and they admire those who can risk their lives intrepidly in case of need. When such risks are not undertaken irresponsibly or frivolously they presuppose great strength of will and self-control, which last, perhaps, of all the moral qualities is the one that exacts the greatest respect and deference. When a detailed history of the many ruling classes comes to be written, and we are able to see just how they arose, flourished and decayed, we believe that it will be shown that ruling classes which have had military origins and traditions have been the strongest and that they have, in general, lasted longer than those which have had only industrial or plutocratic backgrounds. Even today, in western and central Europe, one of the best defenses of the ruling class lies in the personal courage that army officers coming from the ruling classes have in general displayed before their soldiers.
Reprinted from The Ruling Class by Gaetano Mosca, 1939, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., pp.425-426
