Editing Politics as a Vocation (section)

== Three grounds for legitimate rule ==
Weber defines politics as a form of "independent leadership activity". In this essay, the "state" serves as the placeholder for the analysis of political organizations. The grounds for the legitimate rule of these political organizations, according to Weber, fall into three major categories, or types:<ref>Weber 2015: 137–38</ref>
;Traditional Authority: The authority of "eternal past," based on habit. Weber defines custom as largely [[patriarch]]al, [[Patrimonialism|patrimonial]], and traditional in scope.
;Charisma Authority (Gift of Grace): The authority of the "[[revelation]]s, [[hero]]ism, or other [[leadership qualities]] of an individual". Associated with "[[charisma]]" of [[prophet]]s, [[demagogue]]s, and [[popularity contest|popular vote]].
;Legal Authority: Legal rational authority, legality based on valid [[statute]]s which are enforced by technically trained [[civil servant]]s. Legal authority assumes a [[rational]] competence and conditioned [[obedience]] of both the civil servants and the people to the legal apparatus.