Max Weber (1864 – 1920)
Weber’s political philosophy appeared towards the end of the Enlightenment, a time of Social Radicalism that called for a revolt between the two main classes; the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. British Empiricism was at a standstill and the rise of the German state secured a more conservative way of thinking.
Following on from Karl Marx’s (1818 – 1883) political philosophy, Weber’s beliefs were wholly Kantian. He believed “The essence of politics is struggle" (Kilcullen, 1996, [Online]). He describes how power is obtained through political struggle; therefore there is value in conflict. Kant describes an “internal struggle against wicked desires” (Robinson and Groves, 1998), whereby we perform a duty in order to become virtuous. 