Max Weber and the Legitimate Order Theory

Abstract: The Weberian theory of legitimacy is a topic that scholars have widely discussed, often arguing how contradictory it might be. One of the main problems concerns the formal mismatch between the two typologies of legitimacy presented in Soziologische Grundbegriffe and the one elaborated in Die Typen der Herrschaft , two texts composed by Weber towards the end of his life, between 1919 and 1920. This article examines Weber’s position on legitimacy as articulated in these texts, focusing in particular on the intertwining of order and legitimacy. In this respect, the article makes two points: firstly, Weber characterises the legitimate order as being, to some extent, connected to the representation of values. Secondly, Weber conceives the legitimacy of rulership as a prestige that cannot exist independently from a legitimate order. The centrality of the concept of order accounts for the coherence and unity of Weber’s final stance on the issue of legitimacy.