This work investigates the emergence of the 'New Class' of intellectuals and intelligentsia as a pivotal force in modern social and political structures. Alvin Ward Gouldner, a prominent sociologist, utilizes historical analysis and class theory to argue that the rise of this group signifies a fundamental shift in power dynamics, characterizing contemporary class conflict as an internal struggle within the ruling elite rather than a traditional binary opposition between labor and capital.

Scholars frequently cite this text as a foundational contribution to the sociology of intellectuals and the study of class formation in the twentieth century. Readers often note the dense, academic prose that requires a strong background in social theory to fully grasp the author's complex arguments.