Meaning and Elements of Rural Power Structure

Definition

Power is an integral dynamics of politics. It can be defined as the degree of control over material human, intellectual, financial exercised by different section of society. That power may be social political and sometime unequal resources.

Sociology treat power as centralized, Bogardus says, political society think that power is defused.

Max Weber defines "the change of man or group of men realize their own wills, incommunicable actions even against the resistance of other who are participating in action."

Karl Marx differentiate power, in the view of class, he has said that those who belong the production instrument, the more powerful in the society.

Element/ Bases/ Variables of Rural Power Structure:

The element of power may also be considered as the bases of power or power bases, Clark writes a number of writers in community power have complied list of important bases of power, but the mains variables are included in Dahl’s list of nine.

1. Agricultural Resource: Power is based on agricultural resources. Such as land labor, capital equipment etc. the owner of the land exercise power to the labor, land is the basic unit of production and determine the power of the man those who have more land have more power in the rural areas. Social status also determine by the land. Those families possess more land the children got highest education and also got marriage in the high family. In this way a land owner is strength in economically and he maintained or control many people. An individual got control many people. An individual got higher status due to land owing and also his children got opportunity to get higher education as well as they also connected in town. So we can say that owners of land holding or agricultural resources are the important element in the rural power structure.
2. Economic Source: Economic strength is one of the important elements in the rural power structure. Economic strength is build up by the non agricultural sector. Such as business people who are powerful control other within his or other family members. Those families are economically strength connected other strength person in the society by married. They are appropriate person who can competition in the chairman of union praised or member etc.
3. Lineage: Big and higher lineage people are more powerful in the rural power stricture. Because they have large number of people in their lineage. Besides these in rural society higher lineage people got honor and respect. People obey them respectfully. They influence other family or members of the rural society.
4. Education: Education is an important element on the society. Through education people become socialized. Their mind become wider and their national outlook increase. The educated person got respect from people. In the rural area the people obey or respect the educated person influence in the rural power structure. The rural people go to the educated man for advice. Many people go to the educated man to inquire their land document. In this way educated person took the place in the rural power structure.
5. Credit/ loan: In rural area some people have more wealth or money. Those are called MOHAJON. They are more powerful in from them and so, they exercise power to the people. Poor people or poor farmer’s landless farmers brought loan from them to maintain their families.
6. Kinship Support: Kinship plays an influential role in the power structure of village Union Perished is the important administration of village. In rural area those people have large kinship group competent with their oppositions.  To participate in the power structure one group try to competent to others. And those have a big kinship group have support to hold the power.
7. Rural Elite: V. Pareto first uses the term elite. It has been come from a French language. The world elite were first used to indicate government or ruler. But now the idea has been changed. Now elite refers to higher class or superior person. The elite is divided into two types--- (1)Ruling elite. (2)Non ruling elite. When elite hold the power or exercise the power then they called ruling elite. When they don’t exercise the power them called non ruling elite. In the rural area the elite class holds the power. They often hold the economic, political power for their own needs. This mahjong controls the poor people to their own needs.
8. Urban Area:  Those who live in the urban or connect with the urban people got respect from the rural people. Our rural people are very simply in nature they thought that the urban dwellers are very powerful and they have the right to get respect. So this urban dwellers exercise power from the rural people.
9. Connection with the Political Parties: The village people who don’t directly involve in politics but conscious also about it. Many group live in the village that supports different political parties. Those who involved in the political parties thought themselves powerful. Especially those supports the ruling poverty seems to themselves powerful and controls the village people. They always try to solve the rural problem. So it is seem that to use the political background people exercise the power in the rural area.
10. Connection with Bureaucracy: It is another element to exercise the power of the rural area. Those who are connected any bureaucrat thought he powerful.
11. Modernization of Agriculture: Generally rural people use the traditional method in cultivation. But now many new technology used in the production. Those who uses this technology in village area are rich peasant seem to themselves power.