“The Profession and Vocation of Politics”
Power is an ultimate constituent of politics: “If one says that a question is a ‘political’ question, or that a minister or official is a ‘political’ official, or that a decision is determined ‘politically’, what is meant in each case is that interests in the distribution, preservation or transfer of power play a divisive role in answering that question, determining this decision or defining the sphere of activity of the official question.” Weber gathers that political charters spin around power, otherwise politics would not be viable. The power that is innate among the political leaders edicts their grade and stimulus in the society since power is a seminal factor in the resource allotment.
When does politics transmute into a clear-cut vocation?: “Devotion to the charisma of the prophet or the war-lord or the exceptional demagogue in the ekklesia or in parliament means that the leader is personally regarded as someone who is inwardly ‘called’ to the task of leading men, and that the led submit to him, not because of custom or statute, but because they believe in him.” The vocational quality of politics renders the politician a rousing figure whose stimulus rises above the conformist laws that are defining in the case of sheer ‘professional’ politicians. The subjects bid unrestricted consecration to the vocational politician because they effusively trust his personality.'
Weber proposes germane models of ‘vocational leadership’: “ Leadership has emerged throughout the world and in all historical periods, the most important embodiments of it in the past being the magician and prophet on the one hand, and the chose war-lord, gang-leader or condottiere on the other.” ‘Magicians and prophets’ exemplify the vocational leadership that connotes psychic inspiration on the followers. Comparatively, the ‘war –lord, gang-leader and condottiere’ embody a vocational leadership that implants undesirable ideologies that embolden the followers to recognize the ‘war-lords and gang leaders’ as supernatural leaders to whom they should unreservedly dedicate.
“The Nation State and Economic Policy”
“Social Stratification” oversees the dissemination of land among people from distinctive social rankings: “As usual throughout eastern Germany, official records refer, alongside the ‘rural parish’ (Langgemeinde), to a second form of communal unit unknown in southern Germany, the ‘estate district’ (Gutsbezirk).Correspondingly, the estates of the nobility stand out in the landscape in visible contrast of the villagers of the peasants.” Arable land is a vibrant economic reserve whose dispersal cements the citizens’ ranks. The nobility have an edge over the orthodox peasants in the rationing of land.
Nationality endorses ‘social stratification’ extensively: “within this population with its double social stratification, there exists a third opposition, that between the nationalities…the density of the Polish population (Polentum) increases the nearer you get to the border. However, as any language map will show, it also increases as the quality of soil deteriorates.” Accordingly, the Polish primarily dwell in the expanses whose soil eminence is meagre; hence, their economic forte is lacking. Accordingly, economics of state overlaps with social ranking and political vigor.
