Legitimacy is the key to tranquility

Legitimacy is a specific property of political power. It is a form of support and recognition of its legitimacy, the exercise of government by the state or its individual structures.

The origins of the concept of "legitimacy" originate from the Latin word "legality". But these two concepts are not synonymous. Political power is not always based on laws and law, but the support of this or that part of the population is always present. This is not legality and not legal, based on the law, the type of government. Power at the same time can be legal, but not legitimate, or legitimate, but not legal. The ideal option is when the power is legal and legitimate.

The possibility of legitimization was discussed a lot in the history of political thought. Some scholars believe that power can be one at the expense of common values and ideals that allow citizens to express its support.

At the same time, other scientists argue that there is no such common values in a segmented society, so legitimate power is impossible.

Supporters of contractual theories believe that legitimacy is a concept that is based on the citizens' agreement on goals and values.

E. Burke distinguished in this concept of theoretical and practical aspects, and analyzed it only in relation to any regime. He believed that the habit and positive experience of citizens can contribute to building a model of power that could satisfy all the interests of citizens and get their full support.

At present, it is considered that legitimacy is the support of power, which comes from three subjects: the population, the government and foreign policy structures. They are its sources. Concerning the population, legitimacy is the support of broad sections of the population. This, in fact, is the cherished goal of all political regimes, the achievement of which is capable of ensuring the stability and stability of power. Legitimacy and legality of power are not connected here. The positive attitude of the population towards it can be formed against the backdrop of any problem that is at the center of public attention. But negativism can be formed in conditions of poor governance of the state and its low efficiency.

Often, legitimacy is initiated and formed by the government, political structures that encourage the mass consciousness to give positive assessments to the existing regime. The more effective the elitist structures support people's belief in the optimality of the current state of affairs, the higher this indicator is in relation to the authorities.

The same role can be played by external political centers: international organizations, friendly countries. This type of conquest of legitimacy is often used in pre-election races. This is an unstable phenomenon, it can vary its intensity. Due to a decrease in intensity, a crisis of legitimacy may occur. This phenomenon is often associated with the destabilization of power, that is, its inability to realize its functions, the use of violence, military conflicts, the lack of flexibility of the political regime, and violation of constitutional rights.