Anneke van Baalen, HIDDEN MASCULINITY, Max Weber's historical sociology of bureaucracy. 1994
Chapter 7 The city: new fraternities of patriarchs
120
7. The breach with the patriciate: democracy and dictatorship; the establishment of formal-
rational law and administration
This third revolution was the establishment of 'democracy'. Ever since Greek Antiquity city
'democracy' means the domination of an armed burgher estate, which has defeated the
nobility and the 'Geschlechter' who have broken the power of the patrimonial lords. In most
cases 'democracy' was established through the revolutionary dictatorship of a 'tyrant', a
'people's tribune' or 'capitano del popolo'; according to Weber these revolutionary
dictatorships stimulated a process of rationalization.
In the burgher communes of law rational forms of law and of administration had already
been created. Commerce needed a trial procedure 'which excluded irrational, magic means
of evidence and in particular the test by duel'
43
; it also needed new contractual forms;
rationalization of the courts furthered rationalization of the city administration.
Democratic revolutions reinforced this process. The medieval Italian city dictators in
particular governed by means of 'a rational administration with (increasingly) appointed
officials'.
44
They were supported intellectually and administrative-technically by university-
educated men: jurists - judges, notaries and advocates -, doctors and apothecaries.
45
According to Weber opposition against the patriciate originated in conflicts of interest which
developed between patriciate and the strata excluded from the city government once the
self-esteem of the latter, 'based on growing wealth and education, and their economic
dispensability for administrative work, had risen to a point where they could no longer
tolerate the idea of being excluded from power'
46
.
The revolutionaries who usurped the power of the city were 'burghers' in the strict, economic
sense of the word: members of the guilds of entrepreneurs and handicraft workers. Again
their form of organization was the 'coniuratio', the 'sworn confraternity'.
47
In Italy they were
designated by the term 'popolo'. This term, however, only indicated that they were neither
nobles nor members of the patriciate; it did not indicate that they were poor.
The handicraft guilds had been only marginally influential politically;
48
political power was
monopolized by the richest guilds, those of merchants, bankers, great entrepreneurs and
university-educated men.
49
The handicraft guilds only played a political role in the North; in
the South their aid was only enlisted when there was a need to fight the lords. They
organized the military struggle and instituted military service. The proletariat - designated by
Weber as 'handicraft boys'
50
- was wholly excluded from city democracy.
In Italy the 'popolo' created a 'state within the state', with its own officials, finances and
military administration. Weber calls this state 'the first deliberately nonlegitimate and
revolutionary political association'.
51
The Italian 'burghers' had revolted because in the Italian
cities the domination of the nobility was far stronger than in the other parts of Western
43
ES. p. 1254, WG p. 752.
44
ES p. 1318, WG p. 785.
45
ES p. 1306, WG p. 779.
46
ES p. 1281, WG p. 765.
47
ES p. 1301, WG p. 766.
48
ES p. 1301, WG p. 766.
49
ES p. 1305, WG p. 778.
50
See Sullerot I Ch. 2,5 on the enormous amounts of women working in medieval trade and industry.
51
ES p. 1302, WG p. 776.
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