The article analyzes the possibility of the subject of the role of elites in the transformation process and overall development of society in the context of social conflict theory. As the basis of reconstruction types of conflicts are allocated to those entities whose activities have a significant impact on the socio-political processes of society transformation, namely elites, interest groups and class-structured entities. It is shown that while in Russia, the dominant models of conflict are class and elitista, which indicates the predominance of vertical relationships, the division of society according to the type of “elite - mass”, there is a high degree of alienation of the population from power and centers of political decision-making. The predominance of these models has also contributed to the significant potential social and political instability, fraught with unexpected outcomes.
