The Mytilenian Debate

In Thucydides’ account of the Mytilenian debate, the citizens of Athens are discussing whether they should put to death all Mytilenian men and enslave all women and children. Mytilene, a former Athenian ally, had revolted against Athenian oppression but lost in a fight against the Athenian army. In a previous debate, the Athenians already decided

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Definitions of Legitimacy

Max Weber: Max Weber describes legitimacy in terms of the citizens’ willingness to obey the commands of the rulers (“Legitimitätsglaube”). Weber defines three sources of legitimacy: (1) Tradition – the system has been there for a long time and is not questioned, (2) charisma of the leader and (3) legality (trust in the justness of

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