Archetypal mechanisms of Michels’ iron law of oligarchy in political parties viewed as missionary organizations

Abstract

The article examines the archetypal mechanisms that may contribute to the operation of Robert Michels’ iron law of oligarchy in political parties analytically viewed as missionary organisations in Henry Mintzberg’s sense. It argues that oligarchization should be interpreted not only through bureaucratization, the professionalization of leadership, information asymmetry, and procedural control, but also through group-dynamic and archetypal mechanisms. Within the proposed theoretical framework, ranking conflicts in primary groups may facilitate the emergence of leader–subordinate relations, the delegation of responsibility to leaders, the sacralization of leadership, the ritualization of democratic procedures, and the personalisation of political institutions. These mechanisms are interpreted as factors that can deform the standardization of norms, generate moral duality, and gradually displace the statutory democratic structure with an informal hierarchy. The approach is theoretical and interpretive rather than empirically causal; further research should therefore test the proposed mechanisms comparatively and examine whether variable organisational structures can limit the reproduction of oligarchical power.