SOC 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: North American Free Trade Agreement, Charismatic Authority, Welfare Capitalism
Document Summary
Chapter 11 politics and the economy: politics is always about power and authority, weber points out that we perceive power to be either legitimate or illegitimate, legitimate power is called authority; power that people accept as right. Illegitimate power is called coercion; power that people do not accept as right. The government, also called the state, claims a monopoly on legitimate force or violence: weber points out that the state claims both the exclusive right to use violence and the right to punish everyone else who uses violence. Traditional authority is the most common basis for authority. Custom dictates basic relationships: rational-legal authority (bureaucratic authority) is refers to matters agreed by reasonable people and written into law. Rational meaning reasonable and legal means part of law: charismatic authority is based on an individual"s outstanding traits which attracts followers. Example: the transfer of authority in cuba after fidel. Totalitarianism: a form of the government that exerts almost total control over people.
