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Difficulty: MediumLegitimacy: Meaning, Determinants, and Maintenance

A government that lacks popular consent attempts to secure citizen compliance by relying heavily on armed forces and security apparatuses rather than constitutional mechanisms. Which of the following best describes the status of this regime's governance?

  1. It exercises coercive power without possessing political legitimacy.Answer
  2. B
    It sustains legal-rational authority through statutory enforcement.
  3. C
    It transforms traditional political customs into state authority.
  4. D
    It maintains political legitimacy through institutional charismatic appeal.

Answer

It exercises coercive power without possessing political legitimacy.
Political legitimacy exists when citizens recognize the moral or legal right of a government to rule and voluntarily obey its laws. When a government bypasses constitutional consent and depends on state security forces to compel obedience, it relies on coercive power rather than political legitimacy or recognized authority.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Define political legitimacy
Legitimacy is the recognition and voluntary acceptance of a government's right to rule by its citizens.
Establishing the defining characteristic of legitimacy distinguishes it from brute force.
2
Analyze the scenario
The regime lacks popular consent and uses security forces to compel obedience.
Using force to compel compliance without consent signifies power (coercion) rather than legitimate authority.
3
Select the option reflecting coercion over legitimacy
The statement describing the exercise of coercive power without political legitimacy is correct.
Power is the capacity to enforce obedience, whereas authority and legitimacy require valid entitlement and citizen recognition.

Key Concept

Difference between Coercive Power and Political Legitimacy
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Topics

Legitimacy: Meaning, Determinants, and Maintenance

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