C. Wright Mills: Intellectual, Revolutionary, Or Both?

From the introduction: 'It seems natural that the upstart movements that characterized the 1960s in America began with someone who went against the grain, the firebrand sociologist C. Wright Mills. The leather jacket-wearing and motorcycle-riding Texan turned New Yorker fit in nicely with the rebellious aesthetic of the ‘60s, but it was his ideas that mattered the most in spawning the decade that many say changed America forever. Mills acted as the connective force between postwar America and the New Left, which only truly took off domestically after his untimely death. Mills instigated the liberal pushback against the conservative understanding of power, and he advocated for a sociological approach to empower the masses. To best understand his ideas and their motivations, respecting the chronology of his writing is especially helpful. It is easy to notice Mills’ transformation from a philosophizing pragmatist to a political radical, but his unwavering penchant for taking ideas and running with them made the transition natural. Though he addressed a variety of topics, his work can be read with an eye for logical progression. Mills first recognizes trends in US concentration of power in ​The Power Elite​, and then identifies those who are ultimately affected by these trends in ​White Collar: The American Middle Classes,​ before making a final push for how the affected should respond by advocating for a new brand of leftist ideology. More than a sociologist, Mills proves himself to be an intellectual to the core and apostle for the left in the second half of the 20th century.'