can arise to counter and reestablish what was valued before. For example, in the case of priestly aristocracy, if one were to possess the mechanical process of gaining knowledge (Mosca cites a scribe) or a new religion or ideas were to sweep the society, then such a “shift in the balance of political forces” (Mosca 65) would break the norm and allow the ruled to force their way up.
Thus collective power can be represented by the ruling class and individual by the ruled given the understanding of power and the nature of Mosca’s social structure. Contrary to Mosca, in Weber’s “Charisma and Its Transformation,” collective power lies in the majority of the people for in this case, their collective interest and goal is embodied in their leader. Their goal creates a standard and their support of such an ideal form the belief of the value of a larger cause, and thus the very foundation of their power.
Unlike any other form of domination, charismatic domination relies on personality and “specific gifts of body and mind” (Weber 1112). It does not depend on material gifts or compensation, but rather “voluntary contributions of its own following” (Weber 1113). According to Weber, the power of the charismatic leader rests on his followers’ recognition of his mission. That is, to the people, the charismatic leader is the embodiment of their goals, and his being a charismatic leader to begin with, rests solely on their belief and legitimization. Thus the leader depends on “personal devotion…and enjoys loyalty and authority by virtue of a mission believed to be embodied in him” (Weber 1117).
Furthermore, charismatic domination works by internalizing its ideas and “manifests its revolutionary power from within” (Weber 1117). By internalizing these ideas, people are basically responsible for validating and legitimizing the charismatic leader’s existence and power. Therefore, the followers as a group form a collective power by setting and maintaining the custom.
The charismatic leader’s power as a result, is influenced by his followers’ and their recognition of his charisma. He serves to extend their beliefs and further maintains “the sacredness of tradition…and solely for the sake of glorifying genuine prophetic and heroic ethos” (Weber 1115). The charismatic leader is thus represented by individual power in that he is subject to his followers’ beliefs. Charismatic domination stems from “collective excitement produced by extraordinary events and from surrender to heroism of any kind” (Weber 1121). Thus, if events were to change, then the people’s interests and collective power would change directions and cause the downfall of the leader. For “when the tide that lifted a charismatically led group out of everyday life flows back into the channels…at least the ‘pure’ form of charismatic domination will wane” (Weber 1121). Consequently, the leader’s individual power is futile without the collective power.
Contrary to charismatic leadership, bureaucracy is characterized by rules, office-like hierarchy, and democratic elections. It is much more stable due to the presence of established laws instead of a figurehead whose power is dependent on the people. Bureaucracy also relies on “technical means…as does every economic reorganization, ‘from without’” (Weber 1116) or implementing changes thru external mediums which classifies it as a rational organization. Due to its fixed and rigid nature and “system of rational rules, bureaucracy is oriented toward the satisfaction of calculable needs with ordinary everyday means” (Weber 1111).
However, what makes collective and individual power so indistinguishable in bureaucracy is the fact that the levels of power between what would normally consist of a ‘ruled’ and ‘ruler’ classes are not as discrete in bureaucracy. Weber writes:
The political ‘master’ always finds himself, vis–vis the trained official, in the
position of a dilettante facing the expert. This holds whether the ‘master,’ whom
the bureaucracy serves, is the ‘people’ equipped with the weapons of legislative
initiative, referendum, and the rig