Quick questions on Power, authority and legitimacy - SQA Higher Politics Political Theory

Power can be exercised in several ways. Force and coercion compel obedience through violence or the threat of it, such as a police crackdown or military rule. Persuasion and influence win people over through argument, reputation or the media. Incentives and rewards secure compliance by offering benefits.

The crucial distinction is that power and authority can come apart. An armed gang can hold power over a neighbourhood through fear but has no authority. A respected institution can hold authority that people accept even when it cannot physically compel them. Stable politics depends on power and authority going together.

Weber argued that modern democracies rest mainly on legal-rational authority, which is why a Prime Minister's authority comes from holding the office under accepted rules, not from personal charisma or inheritance.

Legitimacy is gained in different ways: through free elections that give a mandate, through tradition and continuity, through legal and constitutional process, and through performance (delivering security and prosperity). A government that loses legitimacy faces protest, civil disobedience and ultimately collapse, even if it still holds the instruments of power.

Define power and explain two ways it can be exercised. [4 marks]

Describe Weber's three types of authority. [6 marks]