Sociology / Unit 9 Soc 1485 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Traditional Authority
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The idea
Traditional authority is legitimized by long-standing custom, obeyed because a position has always been obeyed that way.
In practice
A hereditary monarch commands deference through inherited succession rather than through any law or personal charisma.
Where people slip
Traditional authority rests on custom's weight, not on force; a ruler can hold it while lacking real means to compel obedience.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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