Legitimacy handles Political Tensions

The Source of Tension

Politics both generates and reveals tensions because it emerges from conflicts of interest between the various groups within society.

You will recall that the rationale for governing was identified as serving the people i.e. governance exists to ensure personal and social needs are met—otherwise why have it? (The way might and self-interest seem to take precedence is a separate issue.)

Recently, work related to meeting of needs has been studied in the context of societal institutions (PH'5Q4). Society is bounded and all members are automatically members of those institutions that constitute a liberal-democratic society e.g. the economy, the healthcare system, the education system, the legal system. The government (part of the governing-political system) has a special role to play in overseeing, regulating, coordinating and prioritizing amongst societal institutions.

In examining the evolution of institutions, it was apparent that vested interests and the ruling classes exerted considerable control over outcomes. When widely recognized needs and solutions to those needs are neglected, tensions arise in society and there is a pressure for change. At the extreme, the government appears to be illegitimate.

Examples Closed: 

Dictators often commence with the support of the citizens. However, if the economy and security situation deteriorates through neglect and corruption, then tensions arise and legitimacy is lost.

The Myanmar military overthrew the elected government in 2021. Although it claims legitimacy, the fact that it is in a shooting war with its own citizens vitiates that claim.

Enabling Change via Participation

This framework is about how people, including politicians, handle socio-political tensions within society by introducing changes. It is only through the effectiveness of these processes that a government can maintain its legitimacy.

Change and participation are naturally interconnected for a legitimate government:

  • Without a desire for positive change, why should anyone participate in politics?
  • Without participation, how could change in society ever occur in a way that a citizenry would deem legitimate?

Simple observation as well as analysis reveals thatClosed some change in society always seems to be needed. Tensions based on struggles over social goods are inevitable in society. A united and sovereign society is likely to find a political solution rather than descending into violent rebellion.

Valuing the Social Order

Political life must be handled thoughtfully to ensure that society can thrive and adjust, that injustices are given attention, and that reforms are introduced in a positive way.

Diagram of the structural hierarchy of political life in society shown vertically.

Positive elements to be fostered are:

  • establishing each person and every group as an important part of society;
  • dealing with genuine discontent and injustice through constructive action and change.

Negative elements to be prevented are:

  • turmoil/violence that break down political institutions and mutual goodwill;
  • ordinary tolerance or contempt for politicians turning into total distrust.

People can lose a sense of what is right, what is good, and what each must do to sustain their society. If breakdown occurs through the abuse of power, life becomes exceedingly difficult.

Just because a political-social order has been stable for a long period does not mean that its foundations may not have been progressively eroded.

ClosedExplanation of the Diagram  

In conventionalist ethical choice, Continuity v Change is the aspiration-constraint.Change is resisted because we each aspire to continuity as part of maintaining our own identity. Identity-maintenance is particularly evident in relation to a society's culture.

So Continuity v Change also serves in political life as a basis for the dualities of each grouping in the Framework of Political Activities. Change is the challenge: we stick with continuity for an easy life if our life is easy, but life may not be easy for many.

The task in this section is to discover and name Centres and Channels in the vertical tree: G1-G7.

Originally posted: August-2009; Last updated: 15-Oct-2023