Zwangsmacht

Zwangsmacht, literally coercive power, is a term used in political sociology and state theory to denote the aspect of power that compels behavior through threat or actual use of force. It describes how commands, sanctions, or violence are employed to ensure compliance with laws or rulers. The concept emphasizes that compliance is not necessarily voluntary; obedience can be secured by coercion as a practical necessity for maintaining order, especially where voluntary compliance is incomplete.

Zwangsmacht is often associated with the state’s capacity to monopolize legitimate force, a core idea in discussions of state authority. It encompasses the institutions and practices that can impose sanctions or apply force in a controlled manner, such as police, judiciary, and military systems. The extent and visibility of Zwangsmacht vary across regimes; some rely more on coercion, others on legitimacy and consent.

Scholars distinguish coercive power from forms of authority grounded in legitimacy. Max Weber identified traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal authority as sources of legitimate domination; coercive power can operate within these frameworks but is not identical to legitimacy. The balance between coercion and legitimacy is a central question in debates about democracy, state capacity, and civil rights.

Because of its potential for abuse, the use of Zwangsmacht is constrained by legal norms, oversight, and civil rights protections in modern states. In practice, the concept is used to analyze how states deter crime, enforce laws, and respond to internal threats, and how coercive power interacts with legitimacy and administrative capacity.