Max Weber distinguished three ideal types of political leadership, domination and authority:
- charismatic domination (familial and religious),
- traditional domination (patriarchs, patrimonalism, feudalism) and
- legal domination (modern law and state, bureaucracy). Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (maks 'veːbɐ (21 April 1864 &ndash 14 June 1920 was a German political economist and sociologist who was considered Ideal type, also known as pure type or Idealtyp in the original German, is a Typological term most closely associated with Sociologist The Sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity heroism or exemplary character of an individual person Traditional authority (also known as traditional domination is a form of Leadership in which the authority of an Organization or a Ruling regime is largely Rational-legal authority (also known as rational authority, legal authority, rational domination, legal domination, or bureaucratic
These three forms of authority are said to appear in a "hierarchical development order"; states progress from charismatic authority, to traditional authority, and finally reach the state of rational-legal authority which is characteristic of a modern liberal democracy. A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of [1]
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Charismatic domination
Charismatic authority grows out of the personal charm or the strength of an individual personality. The Sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity heroism or exemplary character of an individual person [2] It was described by Weber in a lecture as "the authority of the extraordinary and personal gift of grace (charisma)"; he distinguished it from the other forms of authority by stating "Men do not obey him [the charismatic ruler] by virtue of tradition or statute, but because they believe in him. "[3] This form of authority can be seen in populist dictatorships where one individual exerts control by virtue of their personal popularity and following. Populism is a discourse which supports "the people" versus "the Elites " Populism may involve either a political philosophy urging social and political A dictatorship is usually defined as an autocratic Form of government in which the Government is ruled by a Dictator. Many states based on this model do not survive the death or fall from power of their original leader.
Traditional domination
In traditional authority, the legitimacy of the authority comes from tradition; Weber described it as "the authority of the eternal yesterday" and identified it as the source of authority for monarchies. Traditional authority (also known as traditional domination is a form of Leadership in which the authority of an Organization or a Ruling regime is largely In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or [4]
Legal domination
Legal authority, also known as legal-rational authority, is where an individual or institution exerts power by virtue of the legal office that they hold. Rational-legal authority (also known as rational authority, legal authority, rational domination, legal domination, or bureaucratic It is the authority that demands obedience to the office rather than the office holder; Weber identified "rationally-created rules"[5] as the central feature of this form of authority. Modern democracies are examples of legal-rational regimes. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system People also abide by legal-rational authority because it makes sense to do so for their own good, as well as for the greater good of society.
The classification of authority in the context of history
Weber also notes that legal domination is the most advanced, and that societies evolve from having mostly traditional and charismatic authorities to mostly rational and legal ones, because the instability of charismatic authority inevitably forces it to "routinize" into a more structured form of authority. Likewise he notes that in a pure type of traditional rule, sufficient resistance to a master can lead to a "traditional revolution". Thus he alludes to an inevitable move towards a rational-legal structure of authority, utilizing a bureaucratic structure. This ties to his broader concept of rationalization by suggesting the inevitability of a move in this direction. Thus this theory can be sometimes viewed as part of the social evolutionism theory. Sociocultural evolution(ism is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and Social evolution, describing how Cultures and societies
In traditional authority, the legitimacy of the authority comes from tradition, in charismatic authority from the personality and leadership qualities of the individual (charisma), and in legal (or rational-legal) authority from powers that are bureaucratically and legally attached to certain positions. In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of The word charisma (origin from the Greek word χάρισμα (kharisma, "gift" or "divine favor" from kharizesthai, "to favor" Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government A classic example of these three types may be found in religion: priests (traditional), Jesus (charismatic), and the Roman Catholic Church (legal-rational). A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Weber also conceived of these three types within his three primary modes of conflict: traditional authority within status groups, charismatic authority within class, and legal-rational authority within party organizations. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures.
In his view every historical relation between rulers and ruled contained elements that can be analyzed on the basis of the above distinction.
References
- ^ http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:-yJWnQaQaO4J:www.usp.ac.fj/fileadmin/files/Institutes/piasdg/governance_papers/leroy__comparative_constitutionalism_solomon_islands.pdf+weber+%2B+tripartite+%2B+authority+%2B+traditional&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=37&gl=uk&safe=vss
- ^ Charismatic Leadership (Weber)
- ^ Politics as a Vocation
- ^ Politics as a Vocation
- ^ Politics as a Vocation
See also
- Form of government
- List of charismatic leaders (on the basis of Weber's classification)
- The Three Types of Legitimate Rule
Characteristic | Charismatic | Traditional | Legal-Rational |
Type of ruler | Charismatic leader | Dominant personality | Functional superiors or bureaucratic officials |
Position determined by: | Having a dynamic personality | Established tradition or routine | Legally established authority |
Ruled using: | Extraordinary qualities and exceptional powers | Acquired or inherited (hereditary) qualities | Virtue of rationally established norms, decrees, and other rules and regulations |
Legitimized: | Victories and success to community | Established tradition or routine | General belief in the formal correctness of these rules and those who enact them are considered a legitimized authority |
Loyalty: | Interpersonalàpersonal allegiance and devotion | Based on traditional allegiances | To authority / rules |
Cohesion: | Emotionaly unstable and volatile | Feeling of common purpose | Abiding by rules (see Merton’s theory of deviance) |
Leadership: | Rulers and followers (disciples) | Established forms of social conduct | Rules, not rulers |
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