In this enormously influential book, Jurgen Habermas examines thedeep tensions and crisis tendencies which underlie the developmentof contemporary Western societies and develops a powerful analysisof the legitimation problems faced by modern states.Habermas argues that Western societies have succeeded to someextent in stabilizing the economic fluctuations associated withcapitalism, but this has created a new range of crisis tendencieswhich are expressed in other spheres. States intervene in economiclife and attempt to regulate markets, but they find themselvesconfronted by increasing and often conflicting demands. Asindividuals become increasingly disillusioned, the state is facedwith the possibility of a mass withdrawal of loyalty or support - a'legitimation crisis'.Widely recognized as a classic of contemporary social andpolitical analysis, Legitimation Crisis sheds light on arange of issues which are central to current debates, from thedecline of class conflict and the disillusionment with establishedpolitical institutions to the crisis of the welfare state. Itremains essential reading for students of sociology, politics andthe social sciences generally.
