Seminar Paper - Bureaucracy; Max Weber
Marx, Nietzsche, Weber and Freud were described as the ‘big four’ skeptics of the 19th century who based their thinking around Kantian ideas. They were great skeptics and strongly rejected the idea that things exist as we see them; instead we are under false consciousness. Emphasising the Kantian idea of ‘mind over matter.'
Though all similar in that thought, all approach the idea of ‘no absolute or absolute truth’ differently; Marx insists that class interest is the reason for what each person believes to be the truth. Nietzsche believed that we should never be obedient and what with think is true should be based on instinct; obedience is to keep us in place. Weber believes that truth is simply rationalisation which creates ease of bureaucratic agenda.
The enlightenment of the 18th century clouded faith in culture and caused pessimism among the people. Nietzsche believed that God was dead and the future will be filled with violence. Marx believed the people were adamant for Bonapartism which caused stagnation of society. Weber believed society was disillusioned and Freud believed we are in pursuit of our desires.
The Paris commune was seen as evidence of an uprising of a dictatorship of the proletariat, but after its sudden fall, a conservative approach was taken on by society, emphasising traditions and religion but most importantly for the French and Germans, the military grew strong, causing heightened racism, imperialism, social stagnation and anti-Semitism up until the First World War. It was at this time Prussia evolved into the German, bureaucratic state.
Prussian bureaucracy (government by many administrators or officials) had many great benefits at the time. New jobs were created which improved social status and formed a new class; the middle class, dismissing Marx’s’ ideas of polarisation and showing there were many things he did not consider, such as loaning money to the proletariat so that they became part of the middle class and owning shares in large companies similar to his ideas of common ownership and ownership of capitalism. This form of government pushed imperialism to its peak with Africa being possessed. It also meant state intervention in economics, leading to strict regulation which outlined a ruling class ideology; values of the bourgeoisie were spread downwards by passing on culture - the opera was adapted to attract the middle class in the form of theatre. Though German social democracy was at its peak and introduced the foundations of a welfare state. At this time Max Weber began his analysis of bureaucracy.
Max Weber was a German socialist who believed in Kantian philosophy; that objects in themselves have no absolute reality, and held a non-teleological view of existence; that things happen at random and we are not headed toward a final purpose.
His analysis suggests that bureaucracy is characterised by a hierarchical division of labour directed by explicit rules, impersonally applied, staffed by professionals, who do not in any sense own the 'means of administration' and live off a salary, not from income directly from the performance of their job. He attacked Prussian bureaucracy to be an objective and neutral servant of society, and emphasized that every bureaucracy has interests of its own, feeding off of 'Credentialism'(the preoccupation evident in modern societies with formal educational qualifications). He believed that credentials, a fixed salary and stability of staffing are required “for the efficient functioning of an administrative machine.”
For weber, there are ideal types of sociological organisation; socialism, nationalism, liberalism etc. and that behind them is a method and hypothesis and successive approximation of truth. He then compared this to social reality and came to the conclusion that there is no absolute knowledge but it is possible to be honest and have reason to able the belief. This is known as agnosticism.
He furthered his ideas of sociological ideals with his analysis of what he what he believed to be four types of fundamental social action;
1. Instrumental – the belief that our actions are rational in order to achieve goodness; going to university will generally get you a good job.
2. Value – the idea of doing something because it is accepted to be good practice, and is again an example of rationalisation.
3. Affectual – Something we do for emotional reasons.
4. Traditional – this is something we do because society has always done it.
He also outlined that bureaucracy manifests impersonal application of general rules; to Weber this is the most important feature of bureaucracy. It underlies the fact that bureaucrats do not own their equipment or their job, and receive a salary because these things ensure reliable rule-following. And so categorises legitimate authority into three types of domination;
1. Tradition Authority - Figures who have always commanded respect over the ages so we continue the tradition, also linked to patriarchy.
2. Charismatic - These are figures we follow or obey because they have a dynamic way of presenting their arguments and opinions. Although on many occasions, this type of authority merges with the traditional kind. (Weber emphasises the rationality of bureaucracy in charisma and traditional authority. Charismatic behaviour is whichever method is well-adapted as a means to one's ends and can be irrational and rational. But value rationality is used to rationalise those goals. Weber usually sees rationality as a form of efficiency).
3. Legal Rational/Bureaucratic - Figures who are above us in rank and only command respect if they themselves follow the rules they preach.
Weber sees bureaucracy as a supremely efficient way of conducting administration, hence why it is used within capitalism and in institutions. It allows institutions to out-perform competitors and continues to spread because of its survival value for social institutions. But views it as a ‘distasteful triumph’ and identified negative impacts bureaucracy may have on society.
He believed that there will be cultural exhaustion through the rationalisation of religion, that the principle of formal equality will eventually rob each individual of nobility and any artistic genius, the prevalence of the central principles of the renaissance and enlightenment would be destroyed; Nobody would be able to live outside of the state and we will eventually lose sense of creativity. There would be a sense of de-skilling and rationalisation of the production line.
Weber views bureaucracy in a similar way that Marx views Capitalism. Its spread is inevitable and will affect all areas of life. Though Marx insists capitalism can be overthrown for the good of the people, Weber believes and accepts bureaucracy is inescapable.
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