government to wield power in other countries have included joining with other nations to form the Allied forces during World War II, entering Iraq in 2002 to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime, and imposing sanctions on the government of North Korea in the hopes of constraining its development of nuclear weapons.Įndeavors to gain power and influence do not necessarily lead to violence, exploitation, or abuse.
A dominant nation, for instance, will often use its clout to influence or support other governments or to seize control of other nation states. Similarly, a government’s power is not necessarily limited to control of its own citizens.
#Max webber power definition professional
Power affects more than personal relationships it shapes larger dynamics like social groups, professional organizations, and governments. Many scholars adopt the definition developed by German sociologist Max Weber, who said that poweris the ability to exercise one’s will over others (Weber 1922). Indeed, the concept of power can have decidedly negative connotations, and the term itself is difficult to define. 640–568 B.C.E.) opined, “The measure of a man is what he does with power,” and Lord Acton perhaps more famously asserted, “Power tends to corrupt absolute power corrupts absolutely” (1887). National Archives and Records Administration)įor centuries, philosophers, politicians, and social scientists have explored and commented on the nature of power. He is pictured here with fascist Benito Mussolini of Italy. Sociologists also examine how the use of power affects local, state, national, and global agendas, which in turn affect people differently based on status, class, and socioeconomic standing.įigure 17.3 Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was one of the most powerful and destructive dictators in modern history. Sociologists, however, tend to be more interested in the influences of governmental power on society and in how social conflicts arise from the distribution of power. They would observe, for example, that the United States’ political system is divided into three distinct branches (legislative, executive, and judicial), and they would explore how public opinion affects political parties, elections, and the political process in general. For the most part, political scientists focus on studying how power is distributed in different types of political systems. Sociologists have a distinctive approach to studying governmental power and authority that differs from the perspective of political scientists. Explain why charismatic authority may be unstable in the long run.
Define power and the three types of authority.
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