Legitimate regime. What does the concept of “Legitimacy in political power” and “Legitimacy” mean in a general sense?

Political legitimacy

In relation to political legitimacy The famous English political scientist David Beetham developed a “normative structure of political legitimacy”:

Legal- recognized by law, in accordance with the law.

The relationship between legitimacy and legality

The term "legitimacy" originated in early XIX century and expressed the desire to restore the power of the king in France as the only legitimate one, in contrast to the power of the usurper. At the same time, this word acquired another meaning - recognition of this state power and the territory of the state at the international level. The demand for the legitimacy of power arose as a reaction against the violent change of power and redrawing of state borders, against arbitrariness and ochlocracy.

Legitimacy means recognition by the population of a given government and its right to govern. Legitimate power is accepted by the masses, and not simply imposed on them. The masses agree to submit to such power, considering it fair, authoritative, and the existing order the best for the country. Of course, in society there are always citizens who violate laws, who do not agree with a given political course, who do not support the government. The legitimacy of power means that it is supported by the majority, that laws are executed by the main part of society. Legitimacy should not be confused with the concept that also exists in political science legality authorities. The legality of power is its legal justification, its legality, compliance with the legal norms existing in the state. Legitimacy, unlike legality, is not a legal fact, but a socio-psychological phenomenon. Any government that makes laws, even unpopular ones, but ensures their implementation is legal. At the same time, it may be illegitimate and not recognized by the people. There may also be illegal power in society, for example, the mafia, which, in principle, can also be perceived by the people (or part of it) as legitimate or illegitimate.

Legitimacy is the trust and acceptance of power by public consciousness, the justification of its actions, therefore it is associated with moral assessment. Citizens approve of the authorities based on their moral criteria, ideas about goodness, justice, decency, and conscience. Legitimacy is intended to ensure obedience, consent without coercion, and if it is not achieved, then to justify coercion and the use of force. Legitimate authorities and policies are authoritative and effective.

In order to win and maintain legitimacy and the trust of the people, the authorities resort to argumentation of their actions (legitimation), turning to the highest values (justice, truth), to history, feelings and emotions, moods, the real or fictitious will of the people, the dictates of the time, scientific and technical progress, production requirements, historical tasks of the country, etc. To justify violence and repression, dividing people into “us” and “strangers” is often used.

The principles of legitimacy (beliefs) may have their origins in ancient traditions, revolutionary charisma or in current legislation. A corresponding typology of legitimacy, which is widely accepted, was introduced by Max Weber. According to it, three types of legitimacy correspond to three sources of legitimacy of political power: tradition, charisma and rational-legal basis. Weber emphasized that we are not talking about classifying any real regime as one of the types, but about abstractions (the so-called “ideal types”), which are combined in one proportion or another in specific political systems.

Depending on which of the listed motives for the population’s support of the political normative order prevails in society, it is customary to distinguish the following types of legitimacy: traditional, charismatic and rational.

traditional legitimacy, formed on the basis of people’s belief in the necessity and inevitability of submission to power, which receives in society (group) the status of tradition, custom, habit of obedience to certain persons or political institutions. This type of legitimacy is especially common in hereditary types of government, in particular in monarchical states. A long habit of justifying one or another form of government creates the effect of its fairness and legality, which gives power high stability and stability;
rational (democratic) legitimacy, arising as a result of people’s recognition of the justice of those rational and democratic procedures on the basis of which the system of power is formed. This type of support develops due to a person’s understanding of the presence of third-party interests, which presupposes the need to develop rules of general behavior, following which creates the opportunity to realize his own goals. In other words, rational type legitimacy has essentially a normative basis, characteristic of the organization of power in complexly organized societies.
charismatic legitimacy, which develops as a result of people’s faith in the outstanding qualities of a political leader that they recognize. This image of an infallible person endowed with exceptional qualities (charisma) is transferred by public opinion to the entire system of power. Unconditionally believing all the actions and plans of a charismatic leader, people uncritically accept the style and methods of his rule. The emotional delight of the population, which forms this highest authority, most often arises during a period of revolutionary change, when social orders and ideals familiar to people collapse and people cannot rely on anything former norms and values, not on the still emerging rules of the political game. Therefore, the charisma of a leader embodies the faith and hope of people for a better future in troubled times. But such unconditional support of the ruler by the population often turns into Caesarism, leaderism and a cult of personality.

Literature

D. Beetham The Legitimation of Power. London: Macmillan, 1991.
Achkasov V. A., Eliseev S. M., Lantsov S. A. Legitimation of power in post-socialist Russian society. - M.: Aspect Press, 1996. - 125

Notes

legitimacy- and, f. légitime adj. The property of being legitimate; legality. BAS 1. And in general, the barbarians, the young peoples of Europe, who were at enmity with Rome, and then with the New Rome, did not even think of denying their only legitimacy in the world. S. S. Averintsev Byzantium and Rus':... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Legitimacy- Legitimacy ♦ Legitimité A concept that lies on the border between law and morality, on the one hand, and law and politics, on the other. What is legitimate is what is in its right, from which it follows that the right is not always legitimate. Legitimacy is compliance... ... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary

- (from Lat. legitimus, agreeing with the laws, legal, lawful) political and legal concept, meaning a positive attitude of the inhabitants of the country, large groups, public opinion (including foreign) to those operating in a particular state... ... Legal dictionary

Competence of an elected body or elected person. Dictionary of business terms. Akademik.ru. 2001 ... Dictionary of business terms

- (lat. legitimus legal) in a broad sense recognition, explanation and justification of social order, actions, actor or events. In jurisprudence, it is opposed to legality (actually legality) as having not legal, but... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

LEGITIMATE, oh, oh (special). Recognized by law, in accordance with the law. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

from lat. legitimus - in agreement with the laws, legal, lawful) is a political and legal concept that means a positive attitude of the inhabitants of the country, large groups, public opinion (including foreign) towards the institutions of power operating in a particular state, recognition of their legitimacy. The question of law usually arises when a government (political regime) changes as a result of a revolution or coup.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

LEGITIMITY

lat. legal) is a mandatory sign of the legitimate power of any civilized state, denoting its recognition both within the country and in the international arena.

L. as a concept took shape during the period of the English and French bourgeois revolutions of the 17th-18th centuries, but came into active use only at the beginning of the 19th century, when, with its help, supporters of the monarchy in France sought to restore the power of the king as the only legitimate one, in contrast to the power usurper. At the same time, the concept of law acquired another meaning, associated with the recognition of this power and the territorial borders of the state by the entire international community.

The law of power is its ethical assessment, which should not be confused with the concept of legality as a legal characteristic. Any government, if it issues laws and ensures their implementation, is legal. But at the same time, it may remain unrecognized by the people, i.e. not be legitimate (meanwhile, not only illegitimate, but also illegal power can operate in society, for example, the power of shadow workers, mafia structures).

M. Weber proposed to distinguish between three “ideal types” of L.: traditional, charismatic and rational. Traditional literature is based on a set of customs and the habit of adhering to them. It is within this framework that L.’s justification for the monarchy fits. Thus, until 1879 in France, to justify royal authority, they referred to the traditional principle of inheritance, which was considered as a historical precedent. Charismatic leadership is determined by the devotion of subjects (subjects) to the cause or personal qualities of the leader. An example is the popularity of General Charles de Gaulle in France, who was the first, since the establishment of the Third Republic in the country in 1970, to begin to use the concept of law in relation to political power. Rational law implies compliance of the actions of a political regime with the principle with the help of which it was established. For example, if we are talking about democracy, then the actions of the authorities must comply with its requirements. In practice, this can be expressed in the assertion of power with the help of traditional democratic institutions (elections, referendum).

To maintain law, a wide variety of measures are used: changing current legislation and forms of government; taking into account national traditions and customs; separation of political institutions from the army; implementation of economic and social programs; support for law and order; popularization of personal qualities of state and government leaders, etc.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

The term Legitimacy has been constantly heard lately, you can hear it in famous talk shows on TV or read on the Internet. Many people understand what we are talking about, but few citizens have thought about the meaning and origin of this word.
In colloquial speech, few people use this term. This concept is in great use in politics, implying the legality of resolving certain situations or issues.

The history of the term "Legitimacy"

The concept of "Legitimacy" was borrowed from the Latin language "legitimus" and translated into Russian as "lawful", "legal". Politicians pronouncing given word imply that the majority of the country's citizens support the existing government and accept all its decisions in terms of legality.
Speaking in simple words“Legitimacy” is when the people trust the management of their country, either a city or an individual entity, submit to this authority, and fully agree with its decisions.

If we look deep into history, we will notice that it is full of cases when a group of people overthrows the current government and begins to rule the state; such power was rejected by the people and could not be considered legitimate because the people did not elect it and, accordingly, cannot trust it.
Subsequent laws, decisions and agreements are usually called illegitimate.

We won’t look far for an example, but let’s turn our inquisitive gaze to our neighbor Ukraine. In this country, there was a coup d’etat initiated by Western intelligence services, namely German and American. After a handful of people seized power, which everyone began to call the Junta. That’s it. its decisions are considered illegitimate, just like the government itself.

What is the difference between legitimate and legal power?

Do not confuse terms such as legitimacy and legality. These are completely two different concepts.
Legality is a legalized activity that is based on generally accepted norms and documents, and legitimacy refers to the legality of power in a country, its leaders and politicians, who reflect qualities not from formal decrees and laws, but from social consent.
In the image below you can familiarize yourself with the concepts of legality and legitimacy

What is the difference between legitimacy and legality?

Types of legitimate power: ontological, charismatic, traditional, technocratic, democratic.

Make binding decisions. The lower the level legitimacy, the more often power will rely on force.

Legitimate an action is an action that is not disputed by any of the players who have the right and opportunity to dispute this action. An action ceases to be legitimate when the subject of the action has to make special efforts to protect his right to act as he did [ ] .

Legitimate, oh, oh(specialist.). Recognized by law, in accordance with the law. || noun legitimacy, -i, g. L. authorities. (Ozhegov’s Dictionary, Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language)

Besides, legitimacy- a political and legal concept that means a positive attitude of residents of the country, large groups, public opinion (including foreign) towards the institutions of power operating in a particular state, recognition of their legitimacy.

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Subtitles

Political legitimacy

In relation to political legitimacy The famous English political scientist David Beetham developed a “normative structure of political legitimacy”:

Legitimacy is the trust and acceptance of power by the public consciousness, the justification of its actions, therefore it is associated with moral assessment. Citizens approve of the authorities based on their moral criteria, ideas about goodness, justice, decency, and conscience. Legitimacy is intended to ensure obedience, consent without coercion, and if it is not achieved, then to justify coercion and the use of force. Legitimate authorities and policies are authoritative and effective.

traditional legitimacy, formed on the basis of people’s belief in the necessity and inevitability of subordination to power, which receives in society (group) the status of tradition, custom, habit of obedience to certain persons or political institutions. This type of legitimacy is especially common in hereditary types of government, in particular in monarchical states. A long habit of justifying one or another form of government creates the effect of its fairness and legality, which gives power high stability and stability;
rational (democratic) legitimacy, arising as a result of people’s recognition of the justice of those rational and democratic procedures on the basis of which the system of power is formed. This type of support develops due to a person’s understanding of the presence of third-party interests, which presupposes the need to develop rules of general behavior, following which creates the opportunity to realize his own goals. In other words, the rational type of legitimacy essentially has a normative basis, characteristic of the organization of power in complexly organized societies.
charismatic legitimacy, which develops as a result of people’s faith in the outstanding qualities of a political leader that they recognize. This image of an infallible person endowed with exceptional qualities (charisma) is transferred by public opinion to the entire system of power. Unconditionally believing all the actions and plans of a charismatic leader, people uncritically accept the style and methods of his rule. The emotional delight of the population, which forms this highest authority, most often arises during a period of revolutionary change, when social orders and ideals familiar to people are collapsing and people cannot rely either on former norms and values, or on the still emerging rules of the political game. Therefore, the charisma of a leader embodies the faith and hope of people for a better future in troubled times. But such unconditional support of the ruler by the population often turns into Caesarism, leaderism and a cult of personality.

Recently, cases have become more frequent when the people of certain countries express distrust of the authorities of their states, while such terms as “legitimacy” and “illegitimacy” appear in the press. For many, it remains unclear what these concepts mean.

Legitimacy: what is it?

The term "legitimacy" comes from the Latin word legitimus, which translates as "lawful, lawful, lawful." In political science, this term refers to the voluntary recognition by the people of the right to make decisions affecting the entire people. In the scientific literature you can find complete answers to the questions: “The term “legitimacy” - what is it? How to understand the expression “legitimacy of power”?” So, this is a political and legal term that means the approving attitude of the country's citizens towards the institutions of power. Naturally, in such countries the supreme power is legitimate. However, when this term first came into use, it meant something completely different. This was at the beginning of the 19th century in France, during the years of Napoleon's usurpation of power. Some group of French wanted to restore the only legitimate power of the king. This desire of the monarchists was called the term “legitimacy.” That this is more in keeping with the meaning of the Latin word legitimus is immediately apparent. At the same time, Republicans began to use this term as recognition of a given state and the power established on its territory by other states. In the modern understanding, legitimacy is the voluntary acceptance of power by the masses, who constitute the majority. Moreover, this approval is primarily associated with moral assessment: their ideas about nobility, justice, conscience, decency, etc. In order to win the trust of the masses, the government tries to instill in them the idea that all its decisions and actions are aimed at the benefit of the people.

The great German sociologist and philosopher Max Weber introduced a typology of the legitimacy of power. According to it, there are traditional, charismatic and rational legitimacy.

Traditional legitimacy. What is it? In some states, the masses blindly believe that power is sacred, and obeying it is inevitable and necessary. In such societies, power receives the status of tradition. Naturally, a similar picture is observed in those states in which the leadership of the country is inherited (kingdom, emirate, sultanate, principality, etc.).
Charismatic legitimacy is formed on the basis of people's belief in the exceptional merits and authority of one or another. In such countries, the formation of the so-called is possible. Thanks to the charisma of a leader, people begin to believe in the entire political system reigning in the country. People experience emotional delight and are ready to strictly obey him in everything. This usually occurs at the dawn of revolutions, changes in political power, etc.
Rational or democratic legitimacy is formed due to the recognition by the people of the justice of the actions and decisions of those in power. found in complexly organized societies. In this case, legitimacy has a normative basis.

The idea of a legitimate state comes from two things: legitimacy. A state of this type, in fact, has every right to demand obedience from its citizens, since in these societies the rule of law comes first. Consequently, regardless of the personalities of individual members of the government, the people must obey the laws in force in a given state. If citizens are not satisfied with these laws, and they do not want to obey them, then they have several options: emigration (leaving a given state for another), overthrowing the government (revolution), disobedience, which is fraught with punishment provided for in the legislation of this country. A legitimate state is a mechanism for transferring the right of choice from one generation to another.