Max Weber’s Theory on Power

Relevance: Sociology: Paper I: Thinkers

Max Weber deals power primarily in the context of society and state. Weber defines power as the probability that an actor will be able to realize his own objectives against opposition from others with whom he is in social relationship). This is a broad definition.

• His definition of domination (Authority) is more specific. It refers only to those cases of exercises of power where an actor obeys a specific command issued by another. In making the distinction between power and domination (authority) Weber put forward two types of solution to the problem of order. Power represents action likely to succeed even against the opposition and resistance of those to whom it is applied. This solution is typically found in warfare and class conflict, but it has the limitation of being unstable as long term source of order. Legitimate domination, by contrast, involves an element of voluntary compliance from those to whom it applied and therefore embraces the issue of meaningful action. Domination can be legitimized in terms of the appeal to the different principles, namely tradition, national legality as embodies in enacted law and charisma (Turner 1996).
• Weber’s concept of class, status and party along with his analysis of state and bureaucracy are the centre of his concept of power. Each grouping is focused around or oriented towards power as an independent point of conflict. Each represents an aspect of and a basis for power.
• Weber’s discussion of ‘class’, ‘status’ and ‘party’ are three dimensions of stratification in society, each of which conceptually separate from the others, and specifies that, on an empirical level, each may casually influence each of the others. Weber did not ignore economic sources of power, CLASS and considered these to be among the more important sources, especially in capitalism. But unlike Marx, he claimed that power did not emerge only from economic sources, and he certainly does not restrict power relationships to ownership or non-ownership of the means of the production. Power can also emerge from status or party (associations concerned with acquiring power) or can a also be pursued for its own sake. Among these different forms of power, there are cross-cutting influences and effects, so that power obtained in one of these spheres may lead to power or a change in situation in another sphere.
• For Weber class is an expression of economic order to be more precise it is determined by a person market situation. Here a class denotes an aggregate of individuals who share the same Market situation. So as per the identification of class situation with the market situation there could be as many class division as there are minute gradations of market (economic) position. But similar to Marx, Weber also argues that the ownership versus non-ownership of property is the most important basis of class division in a competitive market. Weber distinguishes two types of classes, positively privileged class who are the property owners and non-owners or commercial class.
• He also identifies middle class, a group that can be placed between these two. For him property or lack of property is the composed of the plurality of the class statuses between which an interchange of individuals on a personal basis or in the course of generation is readily possible typically observable.
• For Weber power is associated with property class in terms that they enjoy more status and privilege in the society. The acquisition classes are in a negatively privileged situation and they are workers of the various principal types. They are less powerful in the society.
• Social mobility is possible between different classes or strata in the society. But this movement is possible only to a limited extent according to Weber. He says moving into a wider range of position is blocked by power differentials between different classes (Crib)
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• Weber considers both class and status group membership as basis of social power. But the formation of political party has more influence upon power in modern society. For Weber a party refers any voluntary association, which has the aim of securing directive control of an organization in order to implement certain definite policies within the organisation. Parties are organisation, rather than communities or groups, and they involve striving for a goal in a planned manner.
• Weber notes that classes are in the economic order, status groups in the social order, and parties in the sphere of power. In some senses, power is not a separate order, in that classes and status groups are concerned with power. The difference between parties on the one hand, and status groups and classes on the other, is in the level of analysis, Parties are organisation, whereas classes and status groups are groupings of people.
• If status groups of classes become well organized, they may form parties, or their parties may become the organizational wings of the class or status group.
• Trade unions, professional association, ethnic organizations, and religious institutions are examples. Parties represent power at the macro level. For Weber all three – class, status and party are sources of power. Thus his view on power is extensive cutting across economy, social and political parameters.
• When it comes to his perception of power at macro level, his concepts of power and domination are closely associated. He distinguishes between these types of domination: charismatic, traditional and legal rational. In charismatic leadership the basis of power is the charisma of the leader.
• The term charisma is applied to certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary individual personality and treated as endowed with supernatural or specifically exceptional powers and qualities. In traditional domination the basis of power is age-old traditions.
• Patriarchalism is a good example of traditional domination. The basis of power in legal-rational domination is legitimate law.