Forms of power and authority

Overview

Power, authority and coercion, Weber's traditional, charismatic and rational-legal authority, bureaucracy, pluralism and elite theory, liberal democracy, and parties and pressure groups.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Why did Weber distinguish power from authority?

   Model answer

   Weber argued that power based only on force is unstable, because people obey only while they fear punishment. Authority lasts because people accept it as legitimate.

2. 2

   What is coercion, and how does a dictatorship rely on it?

   Model answer

   Coercion is power exercised through force or the threat of force, without consent. A dictatorship is rule by one person or group with no free elections, often backed by the army and secret police.

3. 3

   Name Weber's three types of authority.

   Model answer

   Weber's three types of authority are traditional, charismatic and rational-legal authority.

4. 4

   What is traditional authority?

   Model answer

   Traditional authority rests on custom and the belief that things have always been done this way. The British monarchy is an example, as the throne is inherited by birth.

5. 5

   What is charismatic authority?

   Model answer

   Charismatic authority comes from a leader's exceptional personal qualities, which inspire devotion in followers. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela are often given as examples.

6. 6

   Why is charismatic authority often unstable?

   Model answer

   Charismatic authority depends on one person and can collapse when that leader dies or loses appeal. Weber argued that it is often turned into traditional or rational-legal authority over time.

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