Weber's Theory Of Authority Essay

Authority refers to a type of power which is seen as socially recognised, it also refers to the amount of power which someone or a group have over someone else. Legitimacy is a key concept in authority, it highlights the way in which authority is distinguished from general notions of power. Weber distinguished three different types of authority in the work that he done, the first type of authority was rational legal authority, this is dependant on laws of the state. The second type is traditional authority, this comes from different habits and different social structures and it is when power is passed from different generations and the last type of authority is charismatic authority, this is when the charisma of a certain person plays an important role. Weber later highlighted that legitimacy distinguishes these different types of authority from leadership and power and that people who are have a higher status feel like they may have more right to give out commands but this is based off of the legitimacy of authority which has been recognised. Democracy is based on a Government by the people which their power is invested …show more content…
He said that citizens should take part in a political society so that they are able to enjoy freedom, he said that no man should be living in the shadows of another and citizens should form a legislation. Rousseau later went on to say that there is no legitimate authority and society can only work well if people have the same interests. He argued that the common good can be reached, only if the General will is expressed by the sovereign. The sovereign can not change its power to someone else or be represented by a smaller group. It highlights General will and how it will ever coincide with a specific private will, the sovereign can only exist if the people have both an active and direct political voice. The sovereign will also always express the will of the people as a