The article examines the sociological theory of the ruling elite created by the famous American sociologist Ch. R. Mills. Although the theory formulated by him in the last century was a rather important step forward for his time in the study of that social community, today the analysis of its basic provisions is not so often found in modern research. At the same time, many of its provisions are not only not outdated, but are also a refl ection of the modern portrait of the elite, and the socio-political processes taking place in society. In contrast to the established in sociology and political science consideration of the elite as a special social group, the works of Ch. R. Mills present a view of it as a kind of social institution. In this regard, a number of works consider the approach of Ch. R. Mills as institutional. The article defi nes the theory of the ruling elite of Ch. R. Mills as a special version of the socio-institutional approach, since Ch. R. Mills himself considers the elite as a group of individuals representing the leading institutions of society (primarily political, economic and military), making all decisions that entail the most important consequences. The undoubted advantages of Ch. R. Mills’ approach are his attempt to defi ne the boundaries of the elite group, to characterize the structure of the elite, the social strata and the groups that form it. The defi nitions of a politician and the analysis of two leading interlayers that make up the core of the ruling elite – professional politicians and political “outsiders” – have not lost their relevance. The article also considers the trend in the elite, which has not lost its relevance, associated with the gradual replacement of the category of professional politicians by administrators-bureaucrats, who come from corporate and ‘outsider’ groups, including representatives of the economic and military elite.