Key Idea: Legitimacy is being accepted as rightful — the belief that an actor should hold power. It is not the same as power (force): an actor can have one without the other. It comes from many sources, and it can be won and lost.
📚 The micros at a glance
What each micro adds
- 1.5.1–1.5.2 What / sources — Legitimacy = accepted as rightful. Sources: elections, performance, tradition, legality, ideology, recognition.
- 1.5.3 Domestic legitimacy — A government's legitimacy at home rests on consent, performance and fair process.
- 1.5.4–1.5.5 International legitimacy & recognition — Recognition by other states and bodies (the UN) legitimises a government internationally.
- 1.5.6 Legitimation & loss — Legitimacy is built (legitimation) and lost (de-legitimation) — power ≠ legitimacy.
⚖️ The debates that come up
- Power = force
- Legitimacy = acceptance
- Judge: an actor can have one without the other
- Force alone is fragile
- Repressive states survive a while
- Judge: lasting rule needs legitimacy
- Actors claim legitimacy
- Audiences grant it
- Judge: it flows both ways
With reference to a source and one example you have studied, explain how a government gains legitimacy.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Important: Confusing power with legitimacy. Examiners reward students who separate them — <strong>power is the ability to force outcomes; legitimacy is being accepted as rightful</strong> — and who show legitimacy comes from many sources and can be won and lost.
Answer in your head first, then tap to reveal.
What is legitimacy? Being accepted as rightful — the belief that an actor should hold power and that its use of power is acceptable.
What are the sources of legitimacy? Elections and consent, performance (delivering welfare/order), tradition, legality, ideology, and recognition by others.
How is power different from legitimacy? Power is the ability to force outcomes; legitimacy is being accepted as rightful. An actor can hold power by force while having lost its legitimacy.
How is legitimacy lost? Through failure to deliver, abuse of power (repression, rigged elections), corruption, or opponents and other states stripping recognition (de-legitimation).
Why does international recognition matter? Recognition by other states and bodies like the UN legitimises a government internationally, letting it act, trade and be treated as a sovereign equal.
Exam tips
- Legitimacy = accepted as rightful (NOT the same as power).
- Sources: elections, performance, tradition, legality, recognition.
- It is won (legitimation) and lost (de-legitimation).
- Force alone is fragile — lasting rule needs legitimacy.