Weber’s theory of legitimate domination explains why people obey authority not merely from fear, habit or material interest, but because they recognise a command as valid. Domination, for Weber, means the probability that a command will be obeyed by a given group, yet stable domination requires legitimacy, since obedience becomes more durable when subjects believe authority has a rightful basis . He identifies three pure types of legitimate authority: legal-rational, traditional and charismatic. Legal-rational authority rests on belief in impersonal rules, offices and procedures; obedience is owed not to a person as such, but to the legally established order, most clearly embodied in bureaucracy. Traditional authority depends on sanctified custom, where rulers are obeyed because inherited practices appear timeless and binding. Charismatic authority, by contrast, rests on devotion to the extraordinary qualities of a leader, prophet, hero or revolutionary figure. A useful case study is modern bureaucracy: officials occupy clearly defined offices, follow written rules, receive fixed salaries and exercise authority only within legally delimited competence, making power appear objective rather than personal. Yet Weber’s typology also shows that real political systems often combine these forms: a modern state may rely on legal administration, traditional symbols and charismatic leadership simultaneously. Ultimately, Weber demonstrates that power becomes domination when obedience is institutionalised, but domination becomes stable only when it is translated into a recognised claim to legitimacy.
