The formation of political power is relevant not only to politics; it changes society as a whole. With the formation of specialist political systems able to base themselves on permanently superior physical force, a certain systemization and specification of purpose – and thus also a more complex dependence on decision-making for the application of power – can be achieved, but not a complete monopolization of power in the hands of the 'state'. This does not just mean that one must reckon with power being exercised against politically legitimized decisions which are put under social pressure, if not quite threatened with violence, because of attempts to influence decisions over power. A further and perhaps greater problem concerns the volume of societal power which arises and remains outside any connection with the political system – primarily and especially power within the family ('despotism' in the strict sense) and the power of the priests, then power in the economy (mainly the recently much discussed power of property-owners) and also, not least, nowadays, power exercised in the education system which is used as a means of allocating status.

XREF: Connects to theories of state power in Lukes, Foucault, and Gramsci on the diffusion of power beyond the state. SEED: Could seed an essay on how modern states still fail to control power in education, family, or economy.

Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, loc. 767