ABSTRACT
[I]t seems beyond a doubt that rulers cannot maintain their authority unless they are legitimated, and that they are legitimated by belief-systems … Where the claim of the ruler to authority is out of kilter with the prevalent belief-systems of the society, he must either “change his plea,” that is, make himself acceptable in terms of that belief-system, or else de-legitimize himself and fall. The belief-systems are stronger than the ruling authorities because it is by their virtue that the rulers rule.
