What is legitimacy: an interesting lesson

Many social and political concepts of our time have become the brainchild of the last few hundred years. Democracy, freedom, the republic - all these concepts did not appear long ago, if you do not take into account the interrupted tradition of the Antiquity forgotten for ages. But people always knew what legitimacy is. Let this notion was not as clearly defined as it is today, but any monarch aspired to this recognition, no matter how great his strength and arrogance. So let's take a closer look at what legitimacy is. This term, derived from the Roman word legitimus (legitimate), means the consent of the people's opinion of the country with the power existing in it , political structure, state institutions. That is, the legitimate authority is the power with which the majority of the government agrees People. There is one more point in this concept. Legitimacy is also the recognition of conditional power as authorized by the relevant authorities abroad. This, firstly, implies that the laws issued by the authorities will be executed by the overwhelming majority of the population, and this population agrees with the laws, since it agrees with the authorities. Secondly, this means that such power has the right to speak on behalf of its people in the international arena, and this opinion should be considered. Everything is quite simple, as you can see.

History of the concept

Now, answering the question of what is legitimacy, we can be sure that it was always necessary for all governments, even if not yet existed Definition of the concept in the modern form. The ancient pharaohs and eastern emperors deduced their genealogy from the deities of the people's pantheon, thereby confirming their regular stay on the throne. The right to the power of the members of the ancient Greek Areopagus was determined by the chosenness. European monarchs of the Renaissance proved their chosenness with a noble genealogy, the longest stay of the clan in power already meant this legitimacy. As we see, even without knowing what legitimacy is in modern scientific terminology, the rulers have always clearly felt the need to substantiate their own claims. In the end, the word "legitimacy" was born after the Great French Revolution. Her concept was finally clearly outlined by the monarchists who advocated the return to the throne of the legitimate king instead of impostors who usurped the government of the country.

Features of terminology

There are different legitimate types of power. Political science distinguishes three main:

1. Traditional. This type is based on the belief of most people in the inevitable submission and power of this power, on a long habit. This legitimacy should be remembered when it comes to those very ancient pharaohs, kings and emperors.
2. Rational. It is also called democratic legitimacy, and it is the most popular in the modern world. In any case, all heads of state rush to say so. Such legitimacy begins with the recognition by the majority of the people of the democratic nature of the election of the government.
3. Charismatic. It is formed as a result of people's belief in the ideal image of their ruler. An example of such legitimacy can be religious leaders, partly totalitarian dictators, whom propaganda has turned into demigods, and who have gained fanatical support from the people.

At the same time, the legality and legitimacy of state power should not be confused with each other. If we have already dealt with the first, then the legality is a clear correspondence to the constitutional norms and state laws. It is an exclusively legal concept.