This historical sociology of authority seeks to explain how the contemporary problems of mistrust and the loss of legitimacy of many institutions are informed by the previous attempts to solve the problem of authority. It argues that the key pioneers of the social sciences (Marx, Durkheim, Simmel, Tonnies and especially Weber) regarded this question as one of the principal challenges facing society.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 410-437) and index.

Introduction: Always in question -- Thersites and the personification of anti-authority -- Socrates and the quest for authority -- Rome and the founding of authority -- Augustus : a role model for authority through the ages -- Medieval authority and the investiture contest -- Medieval claim-making and the sociology of tradition -- Reformation and the emergence of the problem of order -- Hobbes and the problem of order -- The rationalisation of authority -- The limits of the authority of the rational -- Taming public opinion and the quest for authority -- Nineteenth century authority on the defensive -- Authority transformed into sociology's cause -- The rise of negative theories of authority -- By-passing authority through the rationalisation of persuasion -- In the shadow of authoritarianism -- Conclusion: Final thoughts.