Political Science 101
Introduction to American Politics in a Global Perspective
Dr. James Samstad
Unit 2:
Legitimation in Authoritarian Systems
Legitimacy and
Regime Type
An central issue for any form of government is
“legitimation,” with the source of legitimacy
particular to each regime type
Nation-States and
Legitimacy
Politics as a Vocation (1918)
Max Weber
(1864-1920)
For states to be seen as having a “rightful monopoly on
violence,” there needs to be a source of legitimation, which
can come from three sources
Traditional Authority based on appeal to an “eternal
yesterday”
Charismatic Authority based on a personal “gift of grace”
of the leader
Legal Authority based on a belief governmental
competence and rationally created rules
Traditional Authority
Authority Based on Identities and Traditions
Historical Traditions
Religious Traditions
Communal (Ethnic) Traditions
Habit
Absolute Monarchies
A traditional form of authority generally based upon
hereditary rule, usually legitimated through the a “divine
right of kings”
Can sometimes have weak parliaments with an advisory
role
Not to be confused with “Constitutional Monarchy” where
royals serve a symbolic role and have very limited political
power
Traditional Authority
Theocratic Regimes
Rule by religious authorities claiming to govern on
behalf of God
May also have a secular government, though one with
very limited power held in check by religious
authorities
Herrenvolk Regimes/Racial Oligarchies
Exclusion of ethnic majority (or a substantial minority)
from effective political participation
System may be democratic for the favored ethnic
group, though highly repressive for everyone else
Charismatic Authority
Authority based on personal characteristics
Sometimes the term is applied to institutions that
link to previous charismatic leaders or movements
Personal Dictatorships
Rule centered around a single individual, often who
came to power by military force, such as through
a coup d'état (armed overthrow of the old regime),
or else through family ties to the late dictator
Sometimes relies on the charisma of the leader,
promoted by a “cult of personality”
Charismatic Authority
Single-Party Regimes
Political power is centered around a single party,
which is the only one effectively allowed to run in or
win elections
Not to be confused with democratic one-party
dominant regimes, where a single party dominates for
a longer period of time due to strong voter support
Often associated with Totalitarian Regimes, which are
highly ideological, such as Communist and Fascist
states, and seek high levels of control over all aspects
of the political, economic, and social systems
This is a form of institutional charisma, though it has
elements of traditional authority in terms of the
“story” behind the ruling party (such as “revolution”)
Legal Authority
Authority based rule of law and secular ideas of rationality
Dependent to some degree on how well it performs in
providing security and prosperity over the long run
Democratic Regimes
Usually based legitimacy provided by free and fair
elections (the speci cs of which will be discussed in
more detail in the next module)
Democratic governments are also continually reliant on
performance (such as ensuring economic growth) to
maintain their legitimacy
fi
But if a democratic government is seen as a failure in
terms of performance, it can be voted out and the
system maintains its overall legitimacy
Legal Authority
Bureaucratic Authoritarian (BA) Regimes
Authoritarian regimes can also rely on legal authority
to a degree
Usually based on collective rule by a “junta” consisting
of various leaders of the armed forces
Seeks to repress and demobilize civil society and rule
in a theoretically apolitical “technocratic” manner, one
which in theory promises social peace and prosperity
Since it represents a type of “pact” with society
exchanging participation rights for security and
prosperity, it is vulnerable to society mobilizing
against in in the event of obvious policy failures
Legal Authority
Illiberal Democracy
Also known as Semi-Authoritarian or Competitive
Authoritarian regimes
Relies on regular, but carefully controlled democratic
elections for legitimation of the incumbent leader or
political party
Unlike a regular democracy, illiberal democracies put
many restrictions on the political opposition in order
to make opposing factions non-competitive
Normal institutions expected to provide democratic
“checks and balances,” such as the judiciary, the
legislature, or the media, come under the control of
the executive
Key Terms & Names
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Absolute Monarchy
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Junta
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Bureaucratic
Authoritarian (BA)
Regimes
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Legal Authority
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Single-Party Regimes
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Coup d'état
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Technocratic Rule
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Cult of Personality
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Theocratic Regimes
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Herrenvolk Regimes
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Totalitarian Regimes
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Illiberal Democracy
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Traditional Authority