WeberIn literary works by Gaetano Mosca and Max Weber, the idea of “power” can be extracted and further understood by examining related notions of power such as the “ruling class” and “legitimate domination” presented in them respectively. In particular, through the analysis of power, the distinction between individual and collective contexts of power becomes evident. That is, a difference in the idea of power is apparent when in the hands of one versus many. In both Mosca and Weber, the general meaning of power itself is similar, however, in their discussions the applications of individual and collective power diverge. In “The Ruling Class,” Mosca begins by stating that in all civilized societies, people are divided into two classes, “a class that rules and a class that is ruled” (Mosca 50). Given his characterization of each class, collective power can be described by the ruling class and individual power by the ruled. On the other hand, while discussing different forms of political domination, in Weber’s “Charisma and its Transformations,” collective power is associated with the public, while individual power with the leader. In “Bureaucracy” however, this distinction between collective and individual power is less defined.
To begin with, power presented in Mosca and Weber can be generally defined as an ability possessed by a person or group of people to influence others. In addition, putting aside definitions of power defined by previous authors such as Hobbes and Blau, power can be described as the ability to possess and preserve a value or tradition represented at the time. Expanding on this idea, individual and collective power, that is, power in the hands of one or many, are reflected in different social groups illustrated in Mosca and Weber’s writings.
In Mosca’s “The Ruling Class,” the ruling class can be associated with collective power. As a group, they possess qualities that allow them to become the ruling class. They are composed of a small group of people, are organized, and possess similar interests, needs, and goals, all of which are facilitated by better communication between members due to its small size. Characterized by common wants and a basic uniformity, this promotes efficiency within the group that allows them to become more influential in society and to thus create and maintain a societal norm.
Mosca describes the ruling class as “an organized minority…with a common understanding” (Mosca 53) and attributes that allow them to dominate and be influential. In separate historical instances, Mosca explains the basic conditions under which a group of people became a class ruling over another. In one example, the transition from an agricultural to warlike society enabled warriors, a position once avoided by men because of the risk of death, to become a dominant class. Changes in societal values and lifestyles (from farmers to crusading and defending warriors) best explain this “superposition of races” (Mosca 54); that is, the warriors possessed and represented what evolved to become valued at the time over agriculture, the maintenance of security.
Similarly in some other societies, priests who “possess legal and scientific knowledge…constitute the class of highest intellectual culture” (Mosca 59). Thus, possession of what was greatly valued became a prerequisite, and in this case, the power of knowledge.
On the other hand, individual power is associated with the ruled class, an “unorganized majority” (Mosca 53) where each person carried their own individual power. Due to their sheer size, not only would their opinions and interests greatly differ, but it would also make it harder for them to “organize for reaction against the minority” (Mosca 53). Thus, as Mosca states, “individual power is curbed by the collective power” (Mosca 57) where the ruled are subjected to the ruling class.
However, transition between collective and individual power is dynamic and fluid Conflicts through the introduction of “foreign peoples…discoveries, wars…new poverty and new wealth…new ideas…new social elements” (Mosca 67) 