A Study Of The Saudi Arabia Elite Groups In Saudi Social Transition

Saudi Arabia, the Islamic chief, is a power in Arab-Islamic countries and has important impact on regional and international affairs. Since World War II, Saudi Arabia has undergone a qualitative change from a traditional nomadic country to a modern oil producer. At the same time, Saudi Arabian society transformed from singularity to multicity following the oil boom and the development of modernization in-depth. This reflects mainly on the emergence of new social classes and elites groups, which unleashed an extraordinary role on economical construction and societal development, and becomes a dynamic force in pushing forward its material development and political change. Nevertheless, elites groups play a key role in Saudi Arabian societal transformation process, which would promote or restrict the process. And the development of these groups is affected by the process accordingly. These two processes are intertwined and complementary to each other. To some extent, the societal and political development and change of Saudi Arabian kingdom mainly depends on the elites groups’actions and decisions. Therefore, the study on elites groups of Saudi Arabia is an entry point on the study of its societal transformation."Elite" is a traditionally political and sociological concept, In general, the "Elite classes" are celebrities from political and business circles, which have the social power and can directly or indirectly affect national policies. In this dissertation, elite mean elite figures who have participated in political decision-making or associated with politics.This dissertation attempts to investigate the elite groups in the social transitions of Saudi Arabia. From forming to sorting, then to behavior exchanges and structure characteristics, finally assembling interrelation of elite groups and positive or negative impacts for Saudi society and royalty political. The dissertation generalize the common and special traits of transformation of elite groups and royalty political, all these researches have practical and theoretical implications for understanding of the intricate political phenomena and royalty political of the future of Saudi Arabia. And provide a new visual angle for observing Saudi society. It includes six parts.The introduction section will present the issues and objects of the article as well as review relevant achievements, state the framework of analysis, the writing methods and the innovation.The first chapter will introduce and elaborated the western theories of elite, bring forward and design the research base of Saudi Arabia’s elite. The layer module with three concentric rings is designed to analysis the elite groups of Saudi Arabia.The second chapter will discuss the conditions and context of Saudi Arabia’s elite groups, sum up historic base of their producing and forming as well as various factors of the transformation.In the third chapter, the elite groups in Saudi Arabia are divided into two categories according to the development of petroleum industry. Before the flourish of the petroleum industry, the traditional political elites are mainly composed of the royal family, the religious elite and the tribal elite. After1970s, the new elite classes which mainly composed of business elite, technocrats and Islamist reformers are appeared. Every elite group is constantly developing and boosting social changes.In the fourth chapter, the relations of Saudi Arabia’s elite groups are discussed. The evolution of the elite classes in the process of modernization and social and political development of Saudi Arabia is discussed. We also analyzed the function of the elite classes and comparative research from various points of view.In the fifth chapter, the primary character and in face of questions are analysed. This chapter expatiate the configuration of the elite groups’ transformation, sum up the fabric character, rheology configuration and value tropism, and analyse the challenges and choices of the elite groups.The last chapter summarize and prospect all these things such as the royal family’s reign, succession, the elite groups’ political influence as well as kingship’s status and foreground.Through the study and analysis of various elites groups of Saudi Arabia, it is found that Saudi Arabian kingdom transformed from a traditional nomadic country to a modern petro producer with the aid of oil boom in few decades. But this process was sponsored by "rental income" of huge sum petrodollars, not found by an instinct process of domestic accumulation. So it is not the outcome of original and difficult venture accumulation and not an outcome of industrialization progress at a certain level either. Saudi Arabia hasn’t formed a societal group which could genuinely represent the advanced productive forces. Generally, Saudi Arabian people enjoy modern material civilization ahead of the time, but the Ideology and value orientation still has not get rid of the obstacles of its inherent regional religious character and Arabian tribalism tradition. The particular conditions of Saudi Arabia made the elites groups formed in different times get obvious limitation and fragility. Essentially, Saudi Arabia provided a typical case of study that a family owns national sources and elites groups dominate monarchy politics. Thus, the future transformation of Saudi Arabian royal power would struggle to maintain its traditions and conservativeness. But this does not mean it will stick to or solidify contemporary political system. On the contrary, along with the passing time, the political system needs to be poured with fresh blood and new dynamics to sustain the monarchy permanently. And the best method to achieve this goal is change. Saudi Arabian would take a slow and gradual pattern to promote the amelioration and development of its monarchy politics.