Weber and Legitimacy
Recently, the president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, has been extremely ill. Because of this, other government officials must take a greater role and have greater responsibility than they already have. One such government officials that has a had greatly expanded role is Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov. Paul Quinn-Judge of Time Magazine wrote an article entitled "Russia's New Icon" describing the Russian situation. In this article he articulates that "Former Spymaster Yevgeni Primakov reluctantly became Prime Minister [of Russia] two months ago. Now he is virtually running the country". Throughout the course of politics and government the issue of legitimacy of the power of rulers has arisen. The rise to power of Yevgeni Primakov brings about many questions about whether or not he possess the legitimacy to become an effective and exemplary leader. Max Weber(1864-1920), a German sociologist, believes in government, to be a legitimate ruler, one must have three characteristic. These characteristics are law, tradition, and charisma. "One can say that three pre-eminent qualities are decisive for the politician: passion, a feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion." If one possess the trait of law, it means that the per
son is acting under the strict guidelines of the law and is not deviating from what a person must do to become the leader legally and justly. The characteristic of tradition, is if the way the person came to rule was because "it was always this way". As an example, if a king has only one son then the next king will be the king's son. Charisma is a rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm. Another of the three characteristics, is tradition. Traditionally, Russian leaders have been strong, intelligent, and qualified. Primakov seems to fit this profile well. He studied at "Moscow's prestigious institute Oriental Studies, where he learned Arabic and graduated in 1953." His work background is extensive. Primakov was a journalist in the Middle East forming relationships with such leaders as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. Then he supposedly worked for the KGB as an intelligence officer. He also was the director of both the Institute of Oriental Studies and the Institute for World Economy and International Relations. Personally, he is a very private man but has persevered through many tragedies in his life such as the deaths of his wife and one of his children. Through his education, work experience, and personal background, he fits the mold as a traditional leader, because he is strong, educated, and qualified. Thus he fulfills the second criteria to be a legitimate ruler. Whether Yevgeni Primakov is a legitimate leader of Russia is a question that cannot be clearly answered.
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Approximate Word count = 1041
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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