The sociologist Max Weber described three bases of authority: traditional, charismatic, and rational (legal). The first has fallen away, its accompanying social structures superseded by industrialization, urbanization, and feminization of the workforce, while the oft-seen link with despotism has delegitimized the second.
社会学家马克斯·韦伯描述了威权的三大基础：传统、魅力和理性（法律）。第一个基础已经不复存在，其相应的社会结构已被工业化、城市化和工作人口女性化取代，而时常可见的与独裁的联系让第二个基础失去了合法性。