Discuss weber's concept of ideal types in political authority, with Essay

Discuss weber's concept of ideal types in political authority, with reference to real world examples - Essay Example According to Weber, â€Å"authority is power accepted as legitimate by those subjected to it. Weber outlines three forms of authority in modern societies: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal. These forms of authority are ideal pure types that are rarely â€Å"pure† in real life†. Political system has a rational nature and it gives political authority a legal outlook. The people who govern have been given the right to do so. The people who are subordinate believe in the actions taken by leaders trusting in their right of action. Every society has people in different position to govern the system. During the second First World War Weber raised as major critic to the government’s war policies. Marx writing had central focus on inequality and he considered it to be an inevitable part under capitalism(Laundy ,p 55,1988)After the end of the war the Germany found in Weber a statesman and an intelligent leader.Thus according to Weber they are traditional, charismatic and rational- legal. â€Å"Webers three kinds of ideal types are distinguished by their levels of abstraction† (Coser,1977). It is very essential to understand which factors lead to the formation of different kind of leaders in the world. They are from different field of activities like political, spiritual, cultural entertainment etc. Weber details different types of ideal political authorities in order to show their genuine nature. The following are the ideal types of Weber’s political authority. According to traditional way the authority is transferred by custom or religious means. .The practice of authority is in a dictator mode and it is passed on from past. In this case the power of the authority is not challenged by the subordinates. It can be made up from cultural or spiritual aspects. They have a dominant status as the power is being given from past authority. The people are more obedient to these leaders as this system is being