Sovereignty, Authority
& Power
What is a ‘state’?
States, Nations & Regimes
Democracies, Authoritarian Regimes &
Military Regimes
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Power is territorially organized into states
Max Weber (German scholar) defined state as:
◦ The organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory
◦ The state determines who can and cannot use weapons of force, and it set
rules to how violence is used
◦ States sponsor armies, navies, and/or air forces
 But citizens are often limited in their use of force
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Institutions:
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States exercise sovereignty: ability to carry out actions or policies
w/in their borders independently from interference from inside or
outside forces
◦ Stable, long-lasting organizations that help turn political ideas into policy
◦ Common institutions: bureaucracies, legislatures, judicial systems & political
parties
◦ Institutions help keep a state long-lasting; leaders change, but institutions
don’t
◦ A state unable to exercise sovereignty lacks autonomy
◦ States with less autonomy are sometimes exploited by larger, stronger,
more stable states
◦ The states referred to are typically industrializing countries and exist in the
southern hemisphere
Introduction
States promote:
•General welfare: health,
safety, safe
transportation,
communication systems,
economic stability
Regime:
•The rules that a state
sets and follows in
exerting power
•Country’s institutions &
practices carry over across
time, leaders or issues
Nation:
•Group of people bound
together by common political
identity
•Nationalism:
•Sense of belonging and
identity; can be
translated to patriotism
or pride & loyalty
•Individual differences exist
w/in nations, but “nation”
provides overwhelming
identity for majority of
citizens
States, Nations, Regimes
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Democracy is type of regime that bases its authority on the
will of the people
Indirect
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Direct
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Most democracies are indirect (due to large populations)
Three major branches (typically)
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◦ Elected officials representing the people
◦ Individuals have immediate say over many decisions that the gov’t
makes
◦ Executive, legislative, judicial
◦ Some are Parliamentary:
 Citizens vote for legislative representatives; representatives vote for
select leaders of the executive branch
◦ Some are Presidential:
 Citizens vote for legislative AND executive branch leaders
 Two branches function w/ separation of powers
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Democracies vary in the degree to which they regulate
economy, but businesses, corporations and/or companies
generally operate independently from gov’t
Democracies
Parliamentary
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Parliamentary sovereignty governs
decision-making
In theory: legislature makes the laws,
controls finances, appoints and dismisses
prime minister and debates public issues
Reality: strong party discipline, cabinet
initiates policy (Tony Blair criticism)
Majority party in legislature typically
votes for bills proposed by leadership
No separation of powers exist (Prime
Minister and Cabinet are members of the
same majority party)
Separation in the executive branch: Head
of Gov’t and Head of state
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Queen is head of state (symoblizes power)
Prime Minister is head of gov’t (every day
task of running gov’t
Presidential
Roles of head of state and head of
gov’t are given to same personPresident
 President is directly elected by the
people and serves as Chief
executive
 Checks & balances between
legislative, executive & judicial
 As a result:
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◦ Power is diffused
◦ Policy-making is slowed down
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Each branch MUST have an
independent base of authority
recognized and respected by
politicians & the public
◦ Nigeria and Mexico have presidential
system, but branches are not truly
independent of one another
Democratic Types
Presidential:
Parliamentary:
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Decisions made by political elites w/out much
input from citizens
◦ These regimes may be ruled by single dictator,
monarch, small group of aristocrats, or single
political party
◦ Economy is tightly controlled by ruling elite
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Regime Types:
◦ Communism as altered by V. Lenin
◦ Corporatism
 Gov’t officials interact w/ business & labor leaders
before policy is set
◦ Patron-client systems
 Reciprocal favors and services provided to supporters
Authoritarian Regimes
Totalitarianism
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If people accept authority of
authoritative leaders, then
gov’t is legitimate
Totalitarianism has negative
connotations- used to describe
often detested and/or
corrupt regimes
Totalitarian gov’t seek to
control all facets of peoples’
lives- economy, politics and
social
Totalitarian gov’ts use
force/violence as a techniqe
for destroying any obstacles to
their governance
Military Regimes
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Prevalent in Latin America,
Africa & parts of Asia
States w/ instability are ripe
for military intervention
Rule usually begins w/ a coup
d’ etat (forced takeover)
Coup may or may not have
widespread support
Military leaders often restrict
civil rights, liberties and keep
political parties from forming
A specific ideology is usually
lacking
◦ Leaders often lack charisma and
lack traditional source of authority
Totalitarianism & Military Regimes
Power is territorially organized into states
States exercise sovereignty
Institutions help keep a state stable and functionary
Democracy is based on will of the people
Most democracies are indirect
Two types of prevailing democracies: Parliament &
Presidential
 Authoritarian and Totalitarian regimes are not one in
the same
 Totalitarian regimes use force to compensate for lack
of legitimacy
 Military regimes lack legitimacy and found in states
with instability and/or internal violence
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Lecture Highlights/Key Points