"The Three Types of Legitimate Rule" (''Die drei reinen Typen der legitimen Herrschaft'') is an

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

written by Max Weber, a German

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

and sociologist, explaining his

tripartite classification of authority Max Weber distinguished three ideal types of legitimate political leadership, domination and authority. He wrote about these three types of domination in both his essay '' The Three Types of Legitimate Rule'' which was published in his masterw ...

. Originally published in the journal ''Preussische Jahrbücher'' 187, 1-2, 1922, an English

translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

, translated by Hans Gerth, was published in the journal ''Berkeley Publications in Society and Institutions'' 4(1): 1-11, 1958. Weber also refers to the three types of legitimate rule in his famous essay " Politics as a Vocation."Tony Waters and Dagmar Waters, Weber's Rationalism and Modern Society, Palgrave Books 2015, pp. 137-138 According to Weber,

belief A belief is an attitude that something is the case, or that some proposition is true. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take ...

s in the legitimacy of a political system go beyond philosophy and they directly contribute to the state system stability and authority.Reinhard Bendix, ''Max Weber: an intellectual portrait'', University of California Press, 1977, p.294 All rulers have an explanation for their superiority, an explanation that is commonly accepted but during a crisis can be questioned. Weber sees only three categories of legitimation strategies (which he calls " pure types") used to justify the right of rulers to rule: * Legal authority is based on a system of rules that is applied administratively and judicially in accordance with known principles. The persons who administer those rules are appointed or elected by legal procedures. Superiors are also subject to rules that limit their powers, separate their private lives from official duties and require written documentation. *

Traditional authority Traditional authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. The main reason for the given state of affairs is that " things have always been that way".Reinhard Bendi ...

is based on a system in which authority is legitimate because it "has always existed". People in power usually enjoy it because they have inherited it. Officials consist either of personal retainers (in a patrimonial regime) or of personal loyal allies, such as

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

s or tributary lords (in a feudal regime). Their prerogatives are usually similar to those of the ruler above them, just reduced in scale, and they too are often selected based on inheritance.Reinhard Bendix, ''Max Weber: an intellectual portrait'', University of California Press, 1977, p.295 *

Charismatic authority Charismatic authority is a concept of leadership developed by the German sociologist Max Weber. It involves a type of organization or a type of leadership in which authority derives from the charisma of the leader. This stands in contrast to two o ...

is based on the

charisma Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...

of the leader, who shows that he possesses the right to lead by virtue of magical powers, prophecies, heroism, etc. His followers respect his right to lead because of his unique qualities (his charisma), not because of any tradition or legal rules. Officials consist of those who have shown personal devotion to the ruler, and of those who possess their own charisma. The types of authority change over time, when the ruled are no longer satisfied with the system.Reinhard Bendix, ''Max Weber: an intellectual portrait'', University of California Press, 1977, p.297 For example, after the death of a charismatic leader his followers, if they lack the charisma of their predecessor, will try to institute a system based on tradition or law. On the other hand, these systems can be challenged by the appearance of a new charismatic leader, especially during economic or military crises. These 'pure types' are almost always found in combination with other 'pure types' — for example,

familial charisma Familial may refer to: * ''Familial'' (album), a 2010 studio album by Phil Selway *Family, a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence *Family (biology), one of the eight major taxonomic ranks, classified between orde ...

(important in kingship and the

Indian caste system The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic example of classification of castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mu ...

) is a combination of charismatic and traditional elements, whil
institutional charisma
(existing in all church organizations, but absent from a priesthood that fails to develop such an organization) is a mixture of charismatic and legal elements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Types of Legitimate Rule 1922 essays Philosophy essays Sociology essays Essays by Max Weber Authority Works originally published in German magazines