Understanding Political Systems and Social Contracts

The political system is the set of rules and institutions that regulate the functioning of a society as a whole. The form of these institutions and the rules governing them vary directly with the economic structure that serves as their basis. According to Marx, in class societies, the State is an instrument at the service of the dominant classes who control the means of production.

The Ideological Superstructure

Refers to a set of religious, philosophical, economic, moral, or political representations that people maintain or develop at a time and within a given society. Its purpose is to ensure certain relationships between people and legitimize their living conditions. This ideology has two uses:

• Regarding the exploited, ideology makes them accept their living conditions as a natural situation.
• Regarding the exploiters, ideology makes them legitimize their exploitation over the working class.

Thomas Hobbes

State of Nature

Before the State, no rights are recognized or respected. The individual lives in a state of war of all against all.

Purpose of the Social Contract

Individuals transfer all their rights to a single person, the sovereign. Authoritarian State

John Locke

State of Nature

Before the State, individuals have natural rights. There are no mechanisms to enforce them or to punish those who violate them.

Purpose of the Social Contract

Individuals cede their rights to a group of people (rulers). However, this cession is provisional, since it can be revoked if the rulers do not respect those rights. Representative Democracy

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

State of Nature

Before the state, human beings are free, equal, and good. Society is what corrupts them. There are difficulties in satisfying all human needs.

Purpose of the Social Contract

Individuals join together and put their individual will to serve the will of all. That “will of all” is the general will. Direct Democracy

Max Weber's Types of Legitimate Domination

According to Max Weber, there are three types of legitimate domination:

Traditional Authority

• Power is legitimized by resorting to tradition.
• It is not based on rational elements; it is based on the belief in the hereditary or divine character of the ruler.

Examples: Tribal leaders, Monarchies

Charismatic Authority

• Power is legitimized depending on a kind of quality or talent that some people have and that makes them special to rule.
• The capacity is considered personal and not hereditary.
• The prestige of these leaders does not have a rational explanation, but it is commonly based on the emotions and feelings that they provoke.

Examples: Leaders such as Hitler, Mussolini, Franco. Revolutionary leaders such as Che Guevara.

Legal-Rational Authority

• Power is legitimized by resorting to law. Law is what confers authority because it has been democratically established.
• The State has legitimate power because it is the result of an agreement among citizens.
• It is the only type of rational authority.

Examples: Athenian democracy, Current democracies.