<P> The iron law of oligarchy is a political theory, first developed by the German sociologist Robert Michels in his 1911 book, Political Parties . It claims that rule by an elite, or oligarchy, is inevitable as an "iron law" within any democratic organization as part of the "tactical and technical necessities" of organization . </P> <P> Michels' theory states that all complex organizations, regardless of how democratic they are when started, eventually develop into oligarchies . Michels observed that since no sufficiently large and complex organization can function purely as a direct democracy, power within an organization will always get delegated to individuals within that group, elected or otherwise . </P>

Who claimed to have discovered an iron law of oligarchy