In this enormously influential book, Jurgen Habermas examines the deep tensions and crisis tendencies which underlie the development of contemporary Western societies and develops a powerful analysis of the legitimation problems faced by modern states. In this enormously influential book, Jurgen Habermas examines the deep tensions and crisis tendencies which underlie the development of contemporary Western societies and develops a powerful analysis of the legitimation problems faced by modern states. Translator s Introduction.Preface.Part I: A Social Scientific Concept of Crisis:.1. System and Life = World.2. Some Constituents of Social Systems.3. Illustration of Social Principles of Organization.4. System Crisis Elucidated Through the Example of the. Liberal Capitalist Crisis Cycle.Part II: Crisis Tendencies in Advanced Capitalism:.1. A Descriptive Model of Advanced Capitalism.2. Problems Resulting from Advanced Capitalist Growth.3. A Classification of Possible Crisis Tendencies.4. Theorems of Economic Crisis.5. Theorems of Rationality Crisis.6. Theorems of Legitimation Crisis.7. Theorems of Motivation Crisis.8. A Backward Glance.Part III: On the Logic of Legitimation Problems:.1. Max Weber s Concept of Legitimation.2. The Relation of Practical Questions to Truth.3. The Model of the Suppression of Generalizable Interests.4. The End of the Individual?.5. Complexity and Democracy.6. Partiality for Reason.Notes.Index.