Dr. Afxendiou AP Comparative Government and Politics Sachem North High School

 the ability, whether personal or social, to get things done — either to enforce one’s own will or to enforce the collective will of some group over others

 a socially constructed and psychologically accepted right to exercise power.

 A person can have legitimacy but no actual power For example: the legitimate king might reside in exile, destitute and forgotten  A person can have actual power but not legitimacy For example: the usurper who exiled the king and appropriates the symbols of office

 It is subjective; it depends upon an individual’s perception of its rightness.  It is defined as rightful power, or legitimate power. For example: the president of the United States and his administration command authority, or rightful, legitimate power