1. AP Comparative Government
Power and Legitimacy
AP Comparative Government

2. Power and Legitimacy
Power is the ability to get people or groups to do what they otherwise would not do
In order to wield power one must have some form of legitimacy
Legitimacy is the right to rule as determined by their own citizens

3. Legitimacy Legitimacy can be achieved in a variety of ways
Traditional legitimacy
Traditional legitimacy rests upon the belief that tradition should determine who should rule and how they should rule (monarchies, religion)
Charismatic legitimacy
Charismatic legitimacy is based upon the dynamic personality of an individual leader or a small group. This type of legitimacy is notoriously short-lived because it usually does not survive its founder
Rational-legal legitimacy
Rational-legal legitimacy is based on a system of well-established laws and procedures.
It is therefore anchored in strong institutions that carry on for generations
Rational-legal legitimacy is often based upon the acceptance of rule of law, or the idea that everyone must follow the law
Common law is based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents
Code law is based on a comprehensive system of written rules of law divide into different codes

4. Legitimacy These concepts can influence the legitimacy of a state
Economic well-being
Historical tradition/longevity
Charismatic leadership
Nationalism/shared political culture
Satisfaction with the government’s performance/responsiveness

5. Political Culture
Political culture refers to the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institution that the government is based on
If a society values individualism, the government will reflect this value
Political culture can often be measured by social capital
The higher the social capital, the higher the trust exists between citizens and government

6. Types of political culture
Consensual political culture
Generally with consensual political culture, people accept both the legitimacy of the regime and its solutions to major problems
This trust persists even in cases when the people do not agree with the decisions being made
Conflictual political culture
Citizens in a conflictual political culture are sharply divided regarding the legitimacy of the regime and the solutions the regimes offers to fix major problems

7. Political Ideology
Political ideologies are sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics
Main political ideologies include:
Liberalism
This ideology places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom
Liberals seek to maximize freedom for all people, including free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of association
Communism
This ideology values equality over freedom
This equality, as dictated by the government, should eliminate exploitation
Communists believe in equality of outcome, not just equality of opportunity

8. Political Ideology Socialism Fascism
Socialism also values the concept of equality, but is influenced by liberal freedoms
Socialists accept and promote private ownership and free market principles but believe that the state has a strong role in regulating the economy and providing benefits to the public
Fascism
This ideology accepts the idea that people and groups exist in degrees of inferiority and superiority
They believe in the superiority of the state over the individual

9. Political Ideology Religion-
Religion can play a large role in how a society works and functions. There are varying degrees to which a country deals with religion within its borders
Some countries, like the United States, have a very strict separation of government power and religious practice
Some countries, like the United Kingdom, have official state religions but are very secularized
Some countries, like Iran, are theocracies and require that religion permeate every party of society
Some countries, like China, play a large role in marginalizing religion within their society
All of this can lead to the politicization of religion