Value-based regimes of power
Abstract
Building on M. Weber’s theory about three types of legitimate rule, the author puts forward a conceptual model of the relationship between values and power exerted by governing institutions. In this theory, Weber draws a distinction between two basic concepts: claim to legitimacy (der Legitimitätsanspruch) and belief in legitimacy (der Legitimitätsglaube). The former describes the demand imposed on citizens by the authority, whereas the latter is related to the phenomenon of trust in this authority. Values are located in the interval between the claim to legitimacy and citizens’ response to this claim in terms of trust.
Keywords: value, power, authority, legitimation, social memory, nationalism.
