Max Weber’s cultural pessimism and his charismatic leader in the Weimar Republic: a reformulation of Wolfgang Mommsen's thesis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1677-2954.2024.e102067Keywords:
Max Weber, Cultural pessimism, Charismatic authority, Weimar Republic, Wolfgang Mommsen, Political responsibilityAbstract
This article examines the connections between Max Weber’s cultural pessimism and his defense of a strong President in the Weimar Republic, offering a reformulation of Wolfgang Mommsen’s thesis, which argues for a continuity between Weber’s and Carl Schmitt’s justifications for the concentration of power in the political leader. By analyzing the genealogy of Weberian categories and their influence on the institutional design of the Weimar Constitution, we argue that Weber’s defense of charismatic authority was shaped by a broader existential diagnosis of the possibilities for attributing meaning to life in the face of a process of bureaucratization and rationalization perceived as inevitable. Finally, we explore the tragic dimension of Weber’s thought, particularly in Politics as a Vocation, highlighting his reflections on the unintended consequences of political action and the ethical responsibility of leaders in the face of historical contingencies.
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