Answer: The Legitimate Use of Power: If power is the exercise of constraint and compulsion against the will of an individual or group, authority is the sub-type of power in which people willingly obey commands because they see the exercise of power as legitimate. Power without authority remains uninstitutionalized and relative. Because it is instrumental and conditional, its effectiveness is uncertain. Authority being institutionalized, is fixed in its scope, character and distribution.Authority represents the set of rules, procedures, traditions and norms that are regarded as binding when they are applied within a given social unit.
Max Weber on Legitimization: Max Weber, argued that there are three forms of legitimacy, and that all human societies, across history, have been based on them.
Charismatic Authority: Legitimacy based on the charisma of the leader, often partly based on the perception that this leader has certain extra or supernatural attributes. Example: a tribal chieftain or a religious leader.
Traditional Authority: Legitimacy based on tradition; e.g., people accept the government for the simple fact that it has been around for so long and is based on popular customs and usages. Example: A monarchy.
Rational/Legal Authority: Legitimacy based on the perception that a government’s powers are derived from set procedures, principles, and laws which are often complex and are written down as part of the constitution. Example: representative democracy or bureaucrats.
Legitimation: Central Concern on Political Science: Mills argues that the holders of these ‘command posts’ though apparently distinguishable from one another in terms of their association with three key institutions, are sufficiently similar in their values, interests and ideals and are inter-connected to form a single ruling minority. He names this ruling minority ‘the power elite’. He argues that economic, military and political interests which these three groups represent are promoted to the extent that there is co-operation and sharing among them. Legitimacy in political science, is the popular acceptance of a governing regime or law as an authority. Whereas, authority refers to a specific position in an established government, the term legitimacy is used when describing a system of government itself—where government may be generalized to mean the wider “sphere of influence.” It is considered a basic condition for rule: without at least a minimal amount of which, a government will lead to frequent deadlocks or collapse in the long-run. In modern society those centralization of power and that the men who head government, corporations, the armed forces and the unions are closely linked. The means of power at the disposal of centralized decision-makers have greatly increased. The Power Elite is made up of political, economic and military leaders. Mosca believed that elite rule is inevitable. The elite are drawn from a wider range of socio-economic background. As a result, the interests of various social groups are often represented in the decision-making process of the government. The majority may therefore have some control over the government. However, the government is never by the people. It is by the elite only. Above all, Mosca held the view that democracy is the best form of governance.
Process of Delegitimation: The process of delegitimation refers to a situation when the dominating ideas of a system are subjected to sustained decision. This process brings revolution, for example, the ideas of divine right and of autocracy were ridiculed by the philosophers and brought French revolution. When Weimar Republic lost confidence in democratic regime it supported Hitlers national socialist party. Similarly, many liberal democracies of Europe were overthrown by fascist systems.
Manipulated Consent: Manipulated consent is prepared by preventing ideas arising at the level of sub-conscious mind. It affects and moulds conscious of the people so that they accept the existing state of affairs. For example, gobbles’ propaganda machine in Germany served this purpose in maintaining the Nazi regime. According to C. Wright Mills, manipulation is power wielded unknown to the powerless. Peter Worseley and Marxists also discuss manipulation of consciousness. In this manner choice cannot be taken as something that is completely free from the outside influence.
Personnel of State Machine: The elite is a relatively small dominant group within a large society, having a privileged status perceived as being envied by others of a lower line of order.
The elite at the top of the social strata almost invariably puts it in a position of leadership, whether it be expected or volunteered and often subjects the holders of elite status to pressure to maintain that leadership position as part of status. However, in spite of the pressures, the existence of the elite social stratum is usually unchanged. In his work, The Politics of the Judiciary, J.A.C. Grifith describes about the state elite in Britain and says in broad terms, four out of five judges are products of the elite. Elitist theories give highest importance to the nature and composition of the state elite. Max Weber also was concerned about the nature of Germany political leadership. However, Marxists gives less importance to the nature of the state elite. They emphasize the role of social context and the economic framework.
From BPSC-131 Introduction to Political Theory (IGNOU)
Write a note on the legitimate use of Power.
Answer:
The Legitimate Use of Power: If power is the exercise of constraint and compulsion against the will of an individual or group, authority is the sub-type of power in which people willingly obey commands because they see the exercise of power as legitimate. Power without authority remains uninstitutionalized and relative. Because it is instrumental and conditional, its effectiveness is uncertain. Authority being institutionalized, is fixed in its scope, character and distribution.Authority represents the set of rules, procedures, traditions and norms that are regarded as binding when they are applied within a given social unit.
Max Weber on Legitimization: Max Weber, argued that there are three forms of legitimacy, and that all human societies, across history, have been based on them.
Charismatic Authority: Legitimacy based on the charisma of the leader, often partly based on the perception that this leader has certain extra or supernatural attributes. Example: a tribal chieftain or a religious leader.
Traditional Authority: Legitimacy based on tradition; e.g., people accept the government for the simple fact that it has been around for so long and is based on popular customs and usages. Example: A monarchy.
Rational/Legal Authority: Legitimacy based on the perception that a government’s powers are derived from set procedures, principles, and laws which are often complex and are written down as part of the constitution. Example: representative democracy or bureaucrats.
Legitimation: Central Concern on Political Science: Mills argues that the holders of these ‘command posts’ though apparently distinguishable from one another in terms of their association with three key institutions, are sufficiently similar in their values, interests and ideals and are inter-connected to form a single ruling minority. He names this ruling minority ‘the power elite’. He argues that economic, military and political interests which these three groups represent are promoted to the extent that there is co-operation and sharing among them. Legitimacy in political science, is the popular acceptance of a governing regime or law as an authority. Whereas, authority refers to a specific position in an established government, the term legitimacy is used when describing a system of government itself—where government may be generalized to mean the wider “sphere of influence.” It is considered a basic condition for rule: without at least a minimal amount of which, a government will lead to frequent deadlocks or collapse in the long-run. In modern society those centralization of power and that the men who head government, corporations, the armed forces and the unions are closely linked. The means of power at the disposal of centralized decision-makers have greatly increased. The Power Elite is made up of political, economic and military leaders. Mosca believed that elite rule is inevitable. The elite are drawn from a wider range of socio-economic background. As a result, the interests of various social groups are often represented in the decision-making process of the government. The majority may therefore have some control over the government. However, the government is never by the people. It is by the elite only. Above all, Mosca held the view that democracy is the best form of governance.
Process of Delegitimation: The process of delegitimation refers to a situation when the dominating ideas of a system are subjected to sustained decision. This process brings revolution, for example, the ideas of divine right and of autocracy were ridiculed by the philosophers and brought French revolution. When Weimar Republic lost confidence in democratic regime it supported Hitlers national socialist party. Similarly, many liberal democracies of Europe were overthrown by fascist systems.
Manipulated Consent: Manipulated consent is prepared by preventing ideas arising at the level of sub-conscious mind. It affects and moulds conscious of the people so that they accept the existing state of affairs. For example, gobbles’ propaganda machine in Germany served this purpose in maintaining the Nazi regime. According to C. Wright Mills, manipulation is power wielded unknown to the powerless. Peter Worseley and Marxists also discuss manipulation of consciousness. In this manner choice cannot be taken as something that is completely free from the outside influence.
Personnel of State Machine: The elite is a relatively small dominant group within a large society, having a privileged status perceived as being envied by others of a lower line of order.
The elite at the top of the social strata almost invariably puts it in a position of leadership, whether it be expected or volunteered and often subjects the holders of elite status to pressure to maintain that leadership position as part of status. However, in spite of the pressures, the existence of the elite social stratum is usually unchanged. In his work, The Politics of the Judiciary, J.A.C. Grifith describes about the state elite in Britain and says in broad terms, four out of five judges are products of the elite. Elitist theories give highest importance to the nature and composition of the state elite. Max Weber also was concerned about the nature of Germany political leadership. However, Marxists gives less importance to the nature of the state elite. They emphasize the role of social context and the economic framework.
From BPSC-131 Introduction to Political Theory (IGNOU)