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AP Comparative Government
Power and Legitimacy AP Comparative Government
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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