Towards a social-scientific concept of legitimacy. -- Power and its need of legitimation. -- The normative structure of legitimacy. -- The social construction of legitimacy. -- Dimensions of state legitimacy. -- Crisis tendencies of political systems. -- Modes of non-legitimate power. -- Legitimacy in political science and political philosophy. -- Legitimacy within the state. -- Legitimacy beyond the state.

1. Political stability
2. Genreral will
3. Legitimacy of governments