has lingered and become a journalistic cliche ́, so that almost any political
scandal, especially if it involves the theft of documents or the leaking and/or
concealment of confidential information, has ‘-gate’ tagged to the end of it. A
notorious example was the ‘Irangate’ scandal towards the end of Ronald
Reagan’s presidency.
Weber
Max Weber (1864–1920) was a German academic and politician and one of the
three or four founding fathers of sociology. In contrast toDurkheimand
Marxhe argued for a sociological position in which the inner feelings and self-
perceptions of the actors themselves were part of the explanation of human
behaviour. His most famous sociological work isThe Protestant Ethic and the
Spirit of Capitalism(1904–05), in which he argued for a natural affinity between
certain views of how heavenly salvation was to be earned and the technical
requirements ofcapitalisteconomic development. As far as politics is con-
cerned he is important for two major doctrines. The most important is
probably his theory ofbureaucracy, which has been widely copied and
developed, and still inspires most social science research on this vital phenom-
enon. But he was also the creator of a developmental theory of political change
which suggested a move from charismatic authority (seecharisma), via
traditional authority to rational-legal authority, which has informed much of
subsequent studies in social andpolitical development.
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic was the official name for the German political system
formed in the aftermath of the First World War in 1919, and lasting until the
coming to power ofHitlerwith his ‘Third Reich’ in 1933. It was quite
unstable, attempting to operate a competitive party-based democracy in a
country which had not only no tradition of such politics, but was also deeply
divided by internal social and politicalcleavages, especially between the
communists and the fascists. The period, though short-lived, has remained
one of great importance and fascination to social scientists, historians, and
indeed novelists, because it was the breeding ground for Nazi politics, and
because it represents one of the best cases for theories of revolutionary activity
and democratic stability.
Welfare State
Welfare state is a term that came into general use during the Second World War
coalition government in Britain, largely as a result of the influential Beveridge
Report of 1942. This set up a plan for a comprehensive set of services, financed
Welfare State