POLITICAL THEORY – LEGITIMACY
Rightfulness of Rule • Moral Justification of Power • Stability of Political Order
1️⃣ WHAT IS LEGITIMACY?
Legitimacy means the belief that authority or rule is justified and rightful.
When people accept rule not out of fear but because they consider it proper, legitimacy exists.
Power becomes authority only when it is seen as legitimate.
2️⃣ MAX WEBER ON LEGITIMACY
Weber connected legitimacy with types of authority:
- Traditional Legitimacy – Based on customs and historical continuity.
- Charismatic Legitimacy – Based on faith in extraordinary leadership.
- Legal-Rational Legitimacy – Based on rule of law and constitutional norms.
Modern democratic states rely primarily on legal-rational legitimacy.
3️⃣ DAVID EASTON – DIFFUSE & SPECIFIC SUPPORT
David Easton distinguished between:
- Specific Support – Support for current leaders or policies.
- Diffuse Support – Deep-rooted belief in the political system itself.
Legitimacy is stable only when diffuse support is strong.
4️⃣ SOURCES OF LEGITIMACY
- Democratic Elections
- Constitutionalism
- Rule of Law
- Performance (Development legitimacy)
- Moral or ideological belief
In modern states, performance legitimacy is becoming important.
5️⃣ LEGITIMACY CRISIS
When citizens lose trust in institutions, legitimacy declines.
- Corruption scandals
- Electoral manipulation
- Economic inequality
- Populist politics
- Judicial or institutional conflict
Legitimacy crisis leads to protests, instability, or authoritarian tendencies.
6️⃣ LEGITIMACY IN DEMOCRACY
In democracy, legitimacy flows from:
- Consent of the governed
- Free and fair elections
- Protection of rights
- Accountability mechanisms
Democracy survives not merely by elections but by sustained legitimacy.
📝 UPSC MAINS QUESTIONS
- What is legitimacy? How is it different from authority?
- Discuss Weber’s theory of legitimacy.
- Examine the crisis of legitimacy in contemporary democracies.
- Can performance replace democratic legitimacy?
📌 QUICK REVISION MAP
- Legitimacy = Rightfulness of rule
- Weber → 3 bases
- Easton → Diffuse vs Specific support
- Sources → Elections, Rule of Law, Performance
- Crisis → Trust deficit
Without legitimacy, authority turns into coercion and power into instability.
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