Rational Design Of Rational State

Max Weber has the significant position in the history of state theory and hasan important contribution to the state theory. But in the academic flied Weber’sthought of the state is ignored, that is not fair for him. This paper will research thepath of Weber’s state exploration and construct Weber’s view of the state throughanalyzing his writings, giving him the deserving position in the history of state theory.Weber changed the path of state research; we call the change “Weberinflection point”. Traditional state research follows "political system" path sinceAristotles, the study of what is good government or country, the countrys producebased on false imagination. Weber sought to the origin of state from the path ofsocial action-subjective meaning, he believed state is the product of peoplessubjective sense. The state as a kind of value creation, the essence of it lies in thedomination. Weber sought the source of legitimacy in real political life, started thestate research path of legitimacy source, and thus created the new state typologywhich is different in "regime classification".Weber is also a theoretical contributor to modern state theory andstate-building theory. He carried on the rational design of modern state; put forwardthe ideal type of modern state, namely rational state. Rational state is the product ofnational modernization; its main characteristic is the operation of state power iscontinuous, conventional, and predictable. Rational state achieves theinstitutionalization and legalization in the state building progress, including severalmain elements: the legal monopoly of power, legitimacy source of legal principles,the formal law, the rational bureaucracy and tax caused by the capitalist economicdevelopment support. Weber also noticed the contradictions in the rational statethat rational expansion, especially the expansion of the rational bureaucracy thatwould infringe on peoples political freedom and hinder the development of thecountry. Therefore, at the top of the rational state institutions, Weber argued thatthrough mass elected political leaders to grasp the highest power in the state, leadingthe development direction of politics. Democracy is just the meanings of election the political leader in the rational state.In the theoretical perspective, Weber’s view of the state is significant. Italso has the important practical significance for China state-building, rational state isalso the goal that China state building should achieve.