Traditional power: concept, main features

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

From the very beginning of mankind, there has been the concept of power. With the advent of Homo sapiens, already in the first tribes and settlements there were figures who had more authority and power than the rest. They were people doing their own thing. They obeyed, their opinions were always taken into account. Gradually, over the centuries, the concept of power became more complicated, overgrown with new terms and categories.

In the New Age, the principle of separation of powers is finally consolidated, systems of checks and balances appear. However, just like thousands of years ago, an important role was assigned to the figures who were at the head of states. Tsars, monarchs and emperors can be traced to the beginning of modern times with the concept of traditional power.

What is power?

Before you begin to understand what the traditional version of it 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 the guarantorlaw and order and sustainable, stable development of society and the state.

It is worth noting that power is not only the imposition of one's will by the ruler and authority 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. Within the framework of traditional power, the method of achieving this goal is the use of some kind of authority, often facing the past. These are the traditions and customs that people used to follow. And if they were followed, then they are useful, they are effective.

Weber and the typology of power

When we talk about power in this article, we certainly mean political power. This is a more specific category, which is defined on a broader 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 develops a typology of power, dividing it into three varieties: charismatic, traditional and legal. Each of them, respectively, relies on the personal qualities of the ruler, traditions and customs, formal law. All three types of power are characterized by the phenomenon of legitimacy, that is, society's approval of the ruler's activities.

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 theyappear. Within the framework of traditions, not only the transfer of power to the next generations takes place, but also the implementation of the will of the leader, the subordination of society to him. Subordination to a monarch, king or king is considered a cultural norm, where tradition serves as an instrument and guarantor of the power of the supreme ruler. Subordination itself is feasible only if all members of society are aware of the existence of centuries-old traditions and customs and adhere to them.

Traditional power is characterized by the unshakable faith of society in established customs and norms, since their ancestors lived there, and their ancestors before them. 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 turns over the centuries into a habit. This type of power has both positive and negative features.

Positive ones include:

• Strength due to centuries of rule of the same family or dynasty.
• Union of the people through common ideas about power.
• External shocks are less painful.
• Less cost of managing subjects.

Negative ones include:

• Excessive conservatism slows down the pace of economic development.
• Biased against innovative ideas.
• The state apparatus is cumbersome and not agile.
• Possibility of increasing internal contradictions. Demanding change and changepower.

The concept of legitimacy

The very phenomenon of power is inextricably linked with the concept of legitimacy. It originated in the days of ancient Greece and is translated from Latin (legitimus) as "legitimate". In simple terms, 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, the majority of people voluntarily transfer the levers of power, the right to make important decisions for the state, into the hands of the ruling minority, a narrow stratum of people. Power is not always legitimate. The less this “legality” in it, the more often the ruler, in order to maintain his status, resorts to forceful coercion, violence against his subjects.

Legitimacy is essential within traditional political power. Tradition is the strongest tool, but also a double-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 violates tradition, this will create serious prerequisites for his overthrow. Already in the Middle Ages, the idea was theoretically fixed that a tyrant monarch, neglecting traditions and customs, could be overthrown by his destiny by the people, since his power ceases to be legal.

Traditional legitimacy. Examples

The previously mentioned sociologist and philosopher Max Weber in his works singled out not only the types of power, but also accompanied them with the concept of legitimacy. For example, from the point of view of Weber, one can speak of traditional legitimacy when a patriarchal society preserves the tradition of succession of power and the monarchy as such. If we consider on a smaller scale the relationship between the majority and the governing minority within the state, then we can cite as an example a family in which the authority of the elder is unshakable - the younger ones honor and obey him.

Examples of legitimate power and at the same time traditional can be found both in history and in the modern world. This includes the monarchical power, which has been operating in the UK since 1901 to this day. It is worth noting that Weber himself spoke positively about the existence of a hereditary monarchy within 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 family, as well as the tradition of honoring the ruler fixed in thinking. Also, as an example of traditional legitimacy, one can cite the period of the Romanovs' rule from 1596 to 1917. Russian tsars and emperors have been inheriting power for more than 300 years.

General conclusion

In itself, the concept of power is quite extensive. If we talk about its types, we can refer to the works of the German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920), who in his works singled out three types of power. One of them is traditional power. The key tool it uses to subdue the majority is tradition. One of them is the tradition of honoring the ruler by the people, whichrooted deep in human history.

This type of government has many shortcomings, among which one can highlight the lack of change, innovation and strong economic growth. She also has strengths - the stability of the regime, as well as the rallying of the people through a single attitude towards the ruler. All types of power are united by one concept - the concept of legitimacy. It denotes the agreement of the majority with the ruling regime, its decisions and actions.