what do we understand by politics? Would politics be confined to the legislative chambers of our cities? Would it be just the activities of elected politicians or their work during elections that would be configured as a political act? In fact, the concept of politics is so broad that, in a way, we could associate any an act of mediation of forces and conflicts, which occurs in a non-violent way, as a manifestation politics. Therefore, we will only talk about a specific aspect of this theme: the policy associated with institutionalized action in a State, more specifically, a “democratic State”.
But what would a state be? The definition that Max Weber brings is that ¹"the State is a human community that successfully seeks a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” In other words, the State is the only entity that has the genuine power to resort to the use of force as form of intervention, if necessary, in the actions of subjects who are subject to their jurisdiction.
Although the possibility of using legitimate force is the point that differentiates political power from other forms of power, it is not correct to understand that politics is configured by the use of force. This is equivalent to saying that, even if they are willing and able to do so, the use of force by groups or individuals is not configured as political power. In fact, political power is materialized in the establishment of exclusivity in the use of coercive actions, as mentioned before, by the entity of the State, while at the same time criminalizing any act of violence carried out by subjects who were not authorized to make legitimate use of this power. In other words, legitimate coercion comprises the measured use of force in extreme cases and by specific institutions of a State. In this case, the police, for example, is an organ of a State that is authorized by that same entity to use force in order to reinforce order.
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The police are the State's coercive body
Political action is linked to the clash of interests. In the institutional aspect, politics is found in the ways in which power, understood here as the ability to exercise influence in favor of self-interest - even in the face of resistance - is used so that government determinations are fulfilled. The State is, then, the only source of power that can legitimately use force. However, this is only possible when a majority acts within the limits of the laws stipulated by the institutions of a State. This is what we call the legitimation of power: being willing to submit to the control of a larger entity. It is on this principle that the entire structure of political power in a democratic state is structured.
* References: ¹WEBER, Max – Politics as a vocation - Publisher: UNB, Nº 1, 2003.
by Lucas Oliveira
Graduated in Sociology
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RODRIGUES, Lucas de Oliveira. "Political power"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/sociologia/poder-politico.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
