What three categories does Max Weber divide political authority into?

Authority can be divided into three types, namely traditional authority, charismatic authority and rational authority (legal authority). In fact, he didn't particularly approve of any one, but explained that it was necessary to analyze the specific situation.

1, the so-called traditional authority refers to the authority based on the sanctity of ancient traditions and practices, such as authority and obedience obtained through succession to the throne. According to Weber, the imperial power in ancient China and the authority of clan elders are different forms of traditional authority.

2. The so-called charismatic authority refers to an individual with superhuman talent, outstanding character, heroism and its creative mode, belief and authority. Leaders and great men produced in the revolutionary era are followed and obeyed, which is a typical manifestation of charismatic authority.

3. The so-called rational authority (legal authority) refers to the authority based on trust and obedience to rationality, law, bureaucracy and legal authorization. This authority is not based on personal loyalty, but on impersonal organizational and institutional norms.

Extended data:

As one of the most important founders of public administration, Max Weber believes that the formation, governance and domination of any organization are based on certain authority, and appropriate authority can eliminate chaos and bring order; Without authority, an organization cannot achieve its organizational goals. He put forward three forms of political rule and authority, namely traditional authority, charismatic authority and rational and legal authority.

Traditional authority: This is a correct form of leadership that relies heavily on tradition or custom. Leaders have the traditional and legal right to exercise power. More importantly, traditional authority is the foundation of feudal and hereditary systems, such as tribes and monarchies. This force is not conducive to social change, and it is often irrational and inconsistent.

Charismatic authority: When a leader's mission and vision can inspire others, thus forming his power base and producing charismatic authority, his faithful obedience to charismatic leaders and his legitimacy are often based on faith. They may be imbued with divine or supernatural forces, such as religious prophets, war heroes or revolutionary leaders.

Rational legal authority: This is the exercise of authority based on rationality and legal provisions. Obedience is not because of faith or worship, but because of the power given to leaders by rules. Therefore, the application of rational legal authority can form an objective, concrete and organized structure, which is the basis of bureaucracy.

Max Weber, Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim are listed as the three founders of modern sociology, although he was mainly regarded as a historian and an economist at that time. Durkheim followed Comte's way and studied with sociological positivism.

Weber and his colleague Werner Sombart (also the most famous representative of German sociology) took the anti-positivism route. These works started the anti-positivism revolution in social science, and emphasized the essential difference between social science and natural science, because they thought that human social behavior was too complicated to be studied in the way of traditional natural science.

Weber's early works are usually related to industrial sociology, but his most famous contribution is his later research on religious sociology and political sociology. Weber began his research in Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism. In his book, he showed that some ascetic Protestant sects, especially Calvinists, gradually changed their doctrines in order to strive for rational economic profits, thus expressing their blessings from God.

Weber believes that capitalism supported by this rationalist foundation will soon develop more and more huge, it will conflict with primitive religion, and eventually religion will be abandoned. Weber continued to study this phenomenon in his later works, especially in his Classification of Bureaucracy and Political Authority. In these works, he vaguely realized that the rationalization of this society is an inevitable trend.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Max Weber