From the very inception of mankind there is a concept of power. With the advent of Homo sapiens, figures already possessed in the first tribes and settlements possessed more authority and power than the rest. These were people who did their will. They obeyed, their opinions were always taken into account. Gradually, over the course of centuries, the concept of power became more complicated, overgrown with new terms and categories.
In modern times, the principle of separation of powers is finally fixed, systems of checks and balances appear. However, just like thousands of years ago, an important role was given to the leaders who headed the states. Until the beginning of modern times, the connection of kings, monarchs and emperors with the concept of traditional power is traced.
What is power?
Before you begin to understand what its traditional variety is, you should familiarize yourself with the concept of power as such. Encyclopedias and explanatory dictionaries explain power as the ability to control a person or entire groups of people through the imposition of their will even in the presence of opposing moods. It is also an inseparable element of historical development, it is a guarantee of the rule of law and the sustainable, stable development of society and the state.
It is worth noting that power is not only the imposition by the ruler and authority of his will through physical coercion. On the contrary, a more important role is played by the psychological impact on the individual and society. Submission is carried out through the socio-psychological sphere. In the framework of traditional power, the method of achieving this goal is to use a certain authority, often facing the past. These are the traditions and customs that people have followed before. And if they were followed, then they are good, they are effective.
Weber and the typology of power
Speaking about power in this article, we certainly mean political power. This is a more specific category, which is defined on a wider scale and means the implementation of the will and promotion of the ideas of an entire social class, which ultimately affects the activities of other classes. Political power takes place nationwide.
The famous German philosopher and sociologist Max Weber at the end of the 19th century developed a typology of power, dividing it into three varieties: charismatic, traditional and legal. Each of them accordingly relies on the personal qualities of the ruler, traditions and customs, a formal law. All three types of power are characterized by the phenomenon of legitimacy, that is, public approval of the activities of the ruler.
Features of the traditional type of power
Not only the presence of traditions and customs plays an important role here. What matters is through what and how they manifest. Within the framework of traditions, there is not only a transfer of power to future generations, but also the implementation of the will of the leader, the subordination of society to him. The cultural norm is submission to the monarch, king or king, where tradition serves as an instrument and guarantor of the power of the supreme ruler. Submission itself is only feasible if all members of society are aware of and adhere to centuries-old traditions and customs.
The traditional government is characterized by the unwavering faith of society in established customs and norms, since it was the ancestors who lived before them, and before them their ancestors. This creates the effect of monumentality and ensures the authority of the leader, whose power was inherited. Obedience to him in the minds of the people has turned into a habit over the centuries. This type of power has both positive and negative traits.
The positive include:
- Strength due to the centuries-old rule of the same kind or dynasty.
- Rallying people through general ideas about power.
- External shocks are less painful.
- Less expensive management of subjects.
Of the negative, we can distinguish:
- Excessive conservatism slows down the pace of economic development.
- Bias towards innovative ideas.
- The state apparatus is cumbersome and does not differ agility.
- The possibility of increasing internal contradictions. The demand for change and a change of power.
The concept of legitimacy
The very phenomenon of power is inextricably linked with the concept of legitimacy. It originated in ancient Greece and is translated from Latin (legitimus) as "legal." In simple words, legitimacy is the voluntary consent expressed by the people of the country with the actions and decisions of the ruler, the ruling dynasty or clan, regime. That is, most people voluntarily transfer the levers of power, the right to make decisions important for the state, into the hands of the ruling minority, a narrow stratum of people. Power is not always legitimate. The less this “legality” is in it, the more often the ruler, in order to maintain his status, resortes to forceful coercion, violence against his subjects.
Legitimacy is crucial within the framework of traditional political power. Tradition is a powerful tool, but also a two-edged sword: used to control the masses, it can also be used against the ruling elite. If the monarch, king, king or any other ruling person breaks the tradition, this will create serious prerequisites for his overthrow. Already in the Middle Ages, the idea was theoretically fixed that a tyrant monarch who neglects traditions and customs, can be overthrown by his people by his destiny, since his power ceases to be legal.
Traditional legitimacy. Examples
The previously mentioned sociologist and philosopher Max Weber in his works highlighted not only the types of power, but also accompanied them with the concept of legitimacy. For example, one can speak of traditional legitimacy from Weber’s point of view when a patriarchal society preserves the tradition of succession of power and the monarchy as such. If we consider on a smaller scale the relations of the majority and the governing minority within the state, then we can cite an example of a family in which the elder’s authority is unshakable - the younger ones honor and listen to him.
Examples of legitimate power and at the same time traditional power can be found both in history and in the modern world. This includes monarchical power, which from 1901 to the present day has been operating in the UK. It is worth noting that Weber himself spoke positively about the existence of a hereditary monarchy in the framework of the spread of democracy, since the authority of the ruling person is reinforced by the centuries of rule of his dynasty or clan, as well as the tradition of honoring the ruler fixed in thinking. Also, as an example of traditional legitimacy, we can cite the period of the Romanovs from 1596 to 1917. Russian tsars and emperors handed down power for more than 300 years.
