Distinctive features of political power. Cheat sheet: Political power essence and features

The subject of political science is not all power, but only power in the public sense, that is, political power as the most complex form of power, which always implies other forms of power, includes them and at the same time differs from them in a certain way.

As a political science category, the concept of political power is used in the broad and narrow sense of the word. In the first (broad) sense, political power is a kind of socially significant power complex, structured not only by state power, which acts as its core, but also by the power of all other institutional subjects of politics (political parties, mass socio-political movements, independent media etc.).

In a narrow sense, the concept of “political power” is most often interpreted as a synonym for the concept of “state power”, as power that differs from all others, including political ones (the power of non-state institutional “actors” of politics) in a number of ways essential features, giving it a universal character, “making” it unlike all other powers existing in society (economic, social, spiritual, religious, etc.).

System-forming characteristics state power

Universality is a characteristic of state power, as opposed to all other forms and types of power, which are “private” in nature, that is, limited to certain spheres of public life (economic, social, religious, etc.). State power acts as a general power, whose “functional field” (the space over which it extends its influence) is society as a whole. At the same time, it is also “inclusive power,” that is, power that penetrates all areas and types of human activity as a force that gives them a standardized, legal character.

Publicity is fully inherent in political power only in the form of state power, which, alone of all political powers, acts on behalf of the entire society, as an organized force authorized by this society, designed to ensure normal environment habitat of society (settlement and order based on law). And although the activities of all other institutional subjects of politics are also public, this publicity is still not universal, but selective (partial).

Supremacy as a feature of state power arises from publicity and the power it provides. In the person of state power, we are dealing with universal power, power over any power, which is the final authority, whose decisions are binding on all other authorities and power centers operating in society. If necessary, it can limit the influence of these centers or eliminate them altogether.

The monopoly on the legal (provided for and stipulated by law) use of force within the entire society, the territory over which the sovereignty of state power extends under democratic power is realized exclusively through the law and is identified with the court as a body functionally intended for it. As for the means of physical suppression, their use is also legitimate and is used only as a last resort to ensure order.

Monocentrism. Unlike all other authorities (economic, social, informational, spiritual, etc.), which are polycentric and dispersed, that is, scattered among many subjects - their carriers (independent owners, firms and corporations, print and electronic media, social and cultural foundations, etc.), this government has a single decision-making center. In the legislative sphere (at the macrosystem level - the system of higher authorities), this center personifies the parliament; in the sphere executive branch- government, in the judicial system - Supreme Court etc.

Variety of resources. Without falling into exaggeration, it can be argued that state power is in fact the supreme owner and manager of everything that is located on the territory under its control - starting with natural resources and ending with socio-demographic (human) ones. Accumulating in one’s hands all types of “capital” (economic, cultural-informational, symbolic, capital physical strength etc.), this power appears as the owner of a certain “mega-capital”. This gives her the opportunity to achieve her goals by different means(using different “capitals” - depending on the specific situation).

Basic functions

The process of political domination involves the implementation of a wide variety of functions, among which the initial function is the function of political domination.

In everyday language, the concept of “domination” is most often associated with such negative phenomena of human life as exploitation, oppression, suppression. In political discourse, this concept is ethically neutral and is used to denote the process of institutionalization of power, that is, its consolidation in society as an organized force (in the form of a hierarchical system of power institutions and institutions), functionally intended to exercise general leadership and control of the social organism.

The institutionalization of power in the form of political domination means the structuring in society of relations of command and subordination, order and execution, the organizational division of managerial labor and the privileges usually associated with it, on the one hand, and executive activity, on the other.

Thanks to these processes, power relations acquire a stable, orderly character. A hierarchy of positions and ranks (statuses) arises, the holders of which have the right to make decisions, give orders and expect obedience.

All other functions are organically connected with the function of political domination:

Modeling one’s own activities at all levels (floors) of the power hierarchy: from the top (central authorities) to the bottom (local authorities)

Analysis of the political and social situation and specific situations(the effectiveness of power directly depends on the degree of knowledge of the object of power and the dynamics of its development. You cannot govern without knowing the society in which you live);

Definition of its strategy and private tactical tasks (power only then appears at the level of the ruling force when it has at its disposal verified and calculated targeted programs activities - general and selective);

Supervision and suppression (“repressive” function) deviating from legal norms behavior (the government must not only produce legal social orders and regulations, but also be able to enforce them);

Appropriation and disposal of necessary resources (material and spiritual, volitional and coercive, intellectual and symbolic, solidarity and support of supporters, etc.);

Distribution of policy resources: awards and rewards, preferences and privileges, social positions and statuses, confidence measures, agreements, exchange of concessions and advantages, etc.;

Transformations of the political space, social, economic, legal, cultural, moral environment of power ( external environment) in her interests and the interests of her policies.

Concepts such as “legality” and “legitimacy” are also organically connected with state (more broadly, with political) power. Although the etymology of these concepts is similar (in French the words “legal” and “legitime” are translated as legal), in terms of content they are not synonymous. The concept of legality emphasizes the legal aspects of power and acts as an integral component of political domination, that is, the consolidation (institutionalization) of power regulated by law and its functioning in the form of a hierarchical system of state bodies and institutions, with clearly defined relations of order and execution.

The main thing in the concept of “legitimacy” is the nature (“tone”) of the attitude towards power on the part of the population subject to it. If the population (people) accepts and positively evaluates the government, recognizes its right to govern and agrees to obey it, then such power is legitimate. If this is not the case, and the people do not trust the authorities, although they submit to them for the time being within the framework of the instinct of self-preservation (primarily due to the fear of mass repression), then such a government appears as illegitimate.

Depending on the motivation for obedience, there are three classical types of legitimacy identified by Max Weber.

Traditional legitimacy is acquired through customs, the habit of obeying authority, and faith in the inviolability of ancient orders. Within its framework, power appears sacred, since it is supported by the authority of patriarchal institutions and rulers dating back centuries, as well as religious norms. Traditional legitimacy is characteristic of monarchies and is very durable. Therefore, M. Weber believed that the preservation of a hereditary monarch, who reinforces the authority of the state with centuries-old traditions of reverence for power, is useful for the stability of democracy.

Charismatic legitimacy is based on belief in the exceptional qualities, the miraculous gift of a leader, who is often deified, endowed with supernatural abilities, and turned into an idol. This type of legitimacy is entirely based on the emotional, personal relationship between the leader and the masses and is often characterized by fanatical devotion and trust of the people. Charismatic legitimacy is characteristic of sharp turns in history, when the authority of the leader personifies both the power itself and its values, and the entire system of government institutions, contributing to their recognition and acceptance by the population.

Rational-legal legitimacy has as its primary source a conscious interest that encourages people to obey the decisions of a government formed according to generally accepted rules, that is, on the basis of democratic procedures. In this case, the government is elected and acts on the basis of a popularly accepted constitution and represents the highest manifestation of the people's will. Therefore, this type of legitimacy is often called “democratic legitimacy.” This is precisely the legitimacy of political (state) power in countries that embody Western civilization.

Along with these classical types, there are other types of legitimacy, and, therefore, ways of legitimizing political power. Including:

Ideological legitimacy, which is nothing more than the process of substantiating and justifying power with the help of the “official” ideology that it introduces into mass consciousness.

Ontological legitimacy, which presupposes the correspondence of power to the objective order introduced into human and social reality in continuation of the order established by extraterrestrial cosmic intelligence.

Technocratic legitimacy, which comes from the requirement for the authorities to be professional and competent. For those who exercise power or hope to achieve it, politics takes on the character of a craft, a specialized occupation, which necessarily presupposes the presence of special knowledge and experience.

Legitimacy and effectiveness of government

Organically connected with the problems of the legitimacy of political power the most important question about its effectiveness (effectiveness). To what extent does the government fulfill its functions and meet the expectations of citizens in ensuring normal conditions for life.

The formula that reflects the interdependence between legitimacy and the effectiveness of power is the following rule: the legitimacy of power is most often directly proportional to its effectiveness, that is, the more efficiency, the more legitimacy. And vice versa. An initially legitimate government that fails to cope with the tasks assigned to it, over time loses the trust of citizens and turns into illegitimate in their eyes.

The outstanding English taxonomist B. Russell defined power as the production of intentional results. The essence of this formula is that A has more power than B, in the case when the first achieves many intended results, and the second remains in the zone of good intentions, i.e. the effectiveness of power (and therefore its legitimacy) according to this formula is predetermined by the politician’s ability to be true to his word.

The ability of power to produce intentional results that meet the social expectations of citizens is directly related to the transformation of initially illegitimate power into legitimate power. It is no secret that many authoritarian regimes, initially suffering from a lack of legitimacy, then acquire it thanks to successful internal (economic and social) policies, strengthening public order and improving the well-being of the people.

The government in post-socialist Russia is formed according to democratic procedures (and formally has rational-legal, democratic legitimacy), but in fact its legitimacy is nothing more than a phantom. Having created a “market Eldorado” for the minority (the renewed ruling nomenklatura and business elite), this government essentially threw the majority to the brink of biological survival. Even according to official data, in today's Russia the average income per capita does not reach even 10 thousand rubles. per month, and in 25 regions the salary ranges from 3-4 to 6 thousand rubles. This is no longer a poverty level. It's about about real poverty.

The actual illegitimacy of power in today's Russia is also manifested in its inability to produce law and order, which is so necessary for the normal functioning of society. Criminality has become an intensely competing power force with the state, which, relying on the so-called “fist law”, increasingly subjugates all spheres of social life, imposing on it the norms and values of “prisoner” life built according to the laws of the camp zone. And pushing aside their civilized state-legal and moral-ethical counterparts.

According to various sources, today in Russia there are from 8 to 12 thousand organized criminal groups. Moreover, since 1992, the number of criminal elements has increased at least three times. At the same time, crime became nationalized and became firmly entwined with political and power structures.

Along with criminalization, corruption has acquired the same character of a national disaster for the country, which Russian President V.V. Putin in one of his Addresses to the Federal Assembly Russian Federation called the system of “status rent”. Corruption sharply reduces the efficiency of the economy, devouring what was created by the honest labor of fellow citizens, increasing poverty and social inequality, widens the gap between society and government, turns politics into the sphere of dividing national wealth, corrupts the moral foundations of society, and damages the country’s prestige on the world stage. According to available estimates, direct budget losses from corruption alone amount to about $40 billion a year in today's Russia.

It is quite obvious that this kind of phenomenon, reflecting a deep crisis in the technocratic legitimacy of power in Russia, threatens the very possibility of building a democratic society in the country and rule of law. That is why it is so urgent and necessary to bring the political will of the Russian authorities into line with this threat. It is necessary to declare, as Roosevelt once did, that the ideals of the Republic (in this case, market reforms and democratization of Russia) cannot forever tolerate either undeserved poverty or self-sufficient wealth. That the state is restored as a "special organization of force", a socially authorized guardian of law and order, whose main functions will be to ensure the freedom of everyone and guarantee the sustainability of social life, being responsible for the safety of all.

Power- there is the ability and opportunity of some to model the behavior of others, i.e. force someone to do something against their will through any means ranging from persuasion to violence.

- the ability of a social subject (individual, group, layer) to impose and carry out their will with the help of legal and norms and a special institution -.

Power is necessary condition sustainable development society in all its spheres.

Power is distinguished: political, economic, spiritual family, etc. Economic power is based on the right and ability of the owner of any resources to influence the production of goods and services, spiritual power is based on the ability of holders of knowledge, ideology, information to influence changes in people’s consciousness.

Political power is power (the authority to impose will) transferred by a community to a social institution.

Political power can be divided into state, regional, local, party, corporate, clan, etc. State power is ensured government institutions(parliament, government, court, law enforcement agencies, etc.), as well as the legal framework. Other types of political power are provided by relevant organizations, legislation, charters and instructions, traditions and customs, and public opinion.

Structural elements of power

Considering power as the ability and ability of some to model the behavior of others, we should find out where this ability comes from? Why, in the course of social interaction, are people divided into those who dominate and those who are dominated? In order to answer these questions, you need to know what power is based on, i.e. what are its grounds (sources). There are countless of them. And, nevertheless, among them there are those that are classified as universal, present in one or another proportion (or form) in any power relationship.

In this regard, it is necessary to refer to the adopted political science classifications of bases (sources) of power, and understand what type of power is generated by such of them as force or the threat of force, wealth, knowledge, law, charisma, prestige, authority, etc.

Particular attention should be paid to the argumentation (evidence) of the position that power relations are not only relations of dependence, but also interdependence. That, with the exception of forms of direct violence, there is no absolute power in nature. All power is relative. And it is built not only on the dependence of the ruled on the rulers, but also on the rulers on the ruled. Although the extent of this dependence is different for them.

himself close attention It also requires clarification of the essence of differences in approaches to the interpretation of power and power relations among political scientists representing different political science schools (functionalists, taxonomists, behaviorists). And also what lies behind the definitions of power as a characteristic of an individual, as a resource, as a construct (interpersonal, causal, philosophical), etc.

The main features of political (state) power

Political power is a kind of power complex, including both state power, which plays the role of “first violin” in it, and the power of all other institutional subjects of politics in the person of political parties, mass socio-political organizations and movements, independent media, etc.

It is also necessary to take into account that state power, as the most socialized form and core of political power, differs from all other authorities (including political ones) in a number of ways: significant features giving it a universal character. In this regard, one must be prepared to reveal the content of such concepts-signs of this power as universality, publicity, supremacy, monocentrism, diversity of resources, monopoly on the legitimate (i.e., provided for and stipulated by law) use of force, etc.

Such concepts as "political dominance", "legality" and "legitimacy". The first of these concepts is used to denote the process of institutionalization of power, i.e. its consolidation in society as an organized force (in the form of a hierarchical system of power institutions and institutions), functionally intended to carry out general leadership and management of the social organism.

As for the concepts of “legality” and “legitimacy”, although the etymology of these concepts is similar (in French the words “legal” and “legitime” are translated as legal), in terms of content they are not synonymous concepts. First concept (legality) emphasizes the legal aspects of power and acts as an integral component of political domination, i.e. consolidation (institutionalization) of power regulated by law and its functioning in the form of a hierarchical system of state bodies and institutions. With clearly defined steps of order and execution.

Legitimacy of political power

- a political property of a public authority, meaning recognition by the majority of citizens of the correctness and legality of its formation and functioning. Any power that is based on popular consensus is legitimate.

Power and power relations

Many people, including some political scientists, believe that the struggle to acquire, distribute, retain, and use power constitutes essence of politics. This point of view was held, for example, by the German sociologist M. Weber. One way or another, the doctrine of power has become one of the most important in political science.

Power in general is the ability of one subject to impose its will on other subjects.

Power is not just the relationship of someone to someone, it is always asymmetrical relationship, i.e. unequal, dependent, allowing one individual to influence and change the behavior of another.

Foundations of power in the very general view perform unmet needs some and the possibility of their satisfaction from others on certain conditions.

Power is a necessary attribute of any organization, any human group. Without power there is no organization and no order. In every joint activities people are those who command and those who obey them; those who make decisions and those who carry them out. Power is characterized by the activities of those who control.

Sources of power:

authority- power as the force of habit, tradition, internalized cultural values;
strength- “naked power”, in whose arsenal there is nothing but violence and suppression;
wealth- stimulating, rewarding power, which includes negative sanctions for uncomfortable behavior;
knowledge— the power of competence, professionalism, the so-called “expert power”;
charisma— leader’s power, built on the deification of the leader, endowing him with supernatural abilities;
prestige- identifying (identifying) power, etc.

The need for power

The social nature of people's lives turns power into a social phenomenon. Power is expressed in the ability of united people to achieve their agreed goals, affirm generally accepted values and interact. In undeveloped communities, power is dissolved; it belongs to everyone together and to no one individually. But already here public power takes on the character of the community’s right to influence behavior individuals. However, the inevitable difference of interests in any society disrupts political communication, cooperation, and coherence. This leads to the disintegration of this form of power due to its low efficiency, and ultimately to the loss of the ability to achieve agreed goals. In this case, the real prospect is the collapse of this community.

To prevent this from happening, public power is transferred to elected or appointed people - rulers. Rulers receive from the community powers (full power, public authority) to manage social relations, that is, to change the activity of subjects in accordance with the law. The need for management is explained by the fact that people in relationships with each other are very often guided not by reason, but by passions, which leads to the loss of the goal of the community. Therefore, the ruler must have a force that would keep people within the framework of an organized community, would exclude extreme manifestations of selfishness and aggression in public relations ensuring everyone's survival.

Power is one of the fundamental principles of society and politics. It exists wherever there are stable associations of people in the family, production teams, various kinds of organizations and institutions, throughout the state - in the latter case we are dealing with the supreme, political power.

There is a distinction between political and non-political power. Non-political power is power in associations of people, organizations and movements that are not directly associated with the state and have no direct relation to it. Non-political power plays a huge role in the management of civil society. The areas of its manifestation are related to the urgent needs of people: primarily in the field of everyday life, spiritual communication, and economics. It is especially active at the local level and in small social systems(family, religious community, residential complex). It also occupies an important place in the production process, in trade, economic and other relations related to the economy.

Political power is the right, ability and opportunity to defend and implement certain political views, guidelines and goals, and to use the state machine to implement them. To exercise political power, all those elements that are inherent in power as a social phenomenon are necessary.

Political power is power exercised through the state and in state system, in the system of political parties, organizations and movements. It is somehow connected with the state and government regulation, but is not necessarily a government authority.

Political power is exercised through the apparatus - the state and government bodies. Subjects of political power are specific. Considering the problem of power in a broad sense, it is necessary to highlight the issue of the division of power among different subjects, forms and methods of its implementation, etc. The traditional subjects of power are the state, political parties, other associations Borovik V. S. Fundamentals of political science and sociology. M., 2004. P. 68..

It should be noted that political and state power, while largely coinciding, are at the same time not identical. Every state power is a political power, but not every political power is a state power.

Structurally, the main components of power are subject, object, means (resources).

As society developed, resources changed. In primitive societies, power rested on the authority of the ruler. The change in relations between people led to a change in the resources of power, which became wealth and strength. In industrial societies, the predominant resources of power are organization: bureaucracy, parties, movements.

It should be noted that power resources may be different, but there is no single universal power resource.

Due to the diversity of power resources, there are several classifications. Thus, A. Etzioni divides power resources into utilitarian (material and social benefits associated with the everyday needs of people), coercive (various penalties), normative (rules of law, traditions, value orientations).

In turn, O. Toffler identified three main resources of power - strength, wealth, knowledge. In his opinion, in modern society the decisive resource is knowledge. Power and wealth lose their influence. He called the power that strength gives a person the power of “inferior quality”, the power acquired and maintained with the help of money - the power of “average quality”, and the power that information and knowledge bring - the power of “ top quality" Power. Essays on modern political philosophy of the West. M., 1989. P. 127..

In accordance with the most important spheres of life, power resources can be divided into economic (wealth), social (the ability to change status in social stratification), information (knowledge and information), coercive or force (various means of physical coercion, weapons).

State and political authorities have different fields for exercising their powers. Firstly, the field of action of state power is the state itself and its bodies. The power of the state extends to civil society only in terms of establishing the implementation of political power; the field of action of political power, on the contrary, is predominantly civil society. Secondly, the difference between these types of power lies in the methods they use to achieve their goals. Subjects of political power cannot directly use the method of state power influence (coercion), which is inherent exclusively to subjects of state power. Thirdly, they differ in the scope of their powers. Only subjects of state power have the right to issue normative acts of a generally binding nature.

When determining the essence of political power as the initial principle, its instrumental interpretation should be recognized as the most legitimate, revealing the attitude towards it as a certain means that a person uses in certain situations to achieve his own goals. In principle, power can also be considered as the goal of individual (group) activity. But in this case, special, as yet missing, evidence is needed that such a desire is present, if not in all, then in most people. It is in this sense that power can be recognized as a functionally necessary phenomenon in society, which is generated by relationships social dependence and exchange of activities (P. Blau, H. Kelly, R. Emerson) and serves as a type of asymmetric connection between subjects (D. Cartwright, R. Dahl, E. Kaplan).

Considering that in political sphere the main subject of power is the group; political power can be defined as a system of institutionally (normatively) enshrined social relations, which have developed on the basis of the real dominance of one or another group in its use of state prerogatives to distribute various public resources in the interests and at the will of its members.

Power is classified primarily by subjects. In this case, within the framework of political power, state power occupies a special place. State power is sometimes defined as public power. It is characterized by the presence of a special apparatus representing the entire society, as well as a special material base- state property, sources of income in the form of taxes.

State power is defined as sovereign. The sovereignty of state power means its independence both from the power of other states and from the power of various public associations, parties and similar corporations within the country.

State (public) power is characterized by a system of special tools for implementing its (state) will. Laws are such instruments of state power. It is laws that ensure the ability of government to make its orders binding. At the same time, laws limit the state itself. This function of laws is historical character and is related to the development civil society.

The power of civil society is corporate power, that is, the power of corporations - various types of associations ( public organizations, groups, parties). Despite the corporate nature of the power of civil society, and largely because of this, it provides protection for individual citizens from the leviathan-state.

Political power, like any other power, means the ability and right of some to exercise their will in relation to others, to command and control others. But at the same time, unlike other forms of power, it has its own specifics. Her distinctive features are:

supremacy, the binding nature of its decisions for the whole society and, accordingly, for all other types of power. It can limit the influence of other forms of power, placing them within reasonable limits, or eliminate them altogether;

universality, i.e. publicity. This means that political power acts on the basis of law on behalf of the whole society;

legality b in the use of force and other means of power within the country;

monocentricity , those. the existence of a national center (system of government bodies) for decision-making;

the widest range of means used to gain, retain and exercise power.

Political power as one of the most important manifestations of power is characterized by the real ability of a given class, group, or individual to carry out its will, expressed in politics. The concept of political power is broader than the concept of state power. It is known that political activity carried out not only within the state, but also in other components socio-political system: within the framework of parties, trade unions, international organizations etc.

Political power arises in a society where people are divided by different interests and unequal status. In primitive society, power is limited by tribal ties. Political power is determined by spatial, territorial boundaries. It ensures order based on the belonging of a person, a group to a given territory, a social category, and commitment to an idea. With non-political power, there are no strict distinctions between managers and governed. Political power is always exercised by a minority, an elite. This type of power arises on the basis of the combination of the process of concentration of the will of the multitude and the functioning of structures (institutions, organizations, institutions), the relationship of two components: people who concentrate power, and organizations through which power is concentrated and implemented.

Power different types differs in a number of interrelated and intersecting characteristics:

1) (institutional organized in the form of various institutions with structures of managerial and subordinate levels, a hierarchy of command-subordination relations) and non-institutional (unformalized, without clearly defined management and executive links) - power in political associations, leadership in informal groups, etc. types;
2) (according to the area of functioning, political and non-political authorities are distinguished, which, basically, are all somehow connected with the politics of origin, general organizational principles and functions (economic, legal, ideological and other authorities, authorities in family and personal relationships, in clans, corporations, etc.);
3) (by area and scope of prerogatives, state, associative (party, group, local administration power, etc.), state power in foreign policy relations, international power are distinguished world organizations, unions, blocs of countries and integrated state communities;
4) by subject of power - parliamentary, governmental, judicial, personal (monarchical - royal, tsarist, etc., presidential), collective (party, collegial power of leading groups, clan, popular, class, power of the so-called ruling forces etc.);
5) according to the structure of the ruling subject - individual, one-man (monarchical, autocratic, dictatorial, directorial, etc.) and polyarchic, formed by a group - an oligarchy (a type of group autocracy);
6) according to the methods used, power differs as domination, violence, coercion of other types, persuasion, authority (the most developed, prestigious and legitimate form of power, attracting with its moral standards, service to society, encouraging one to follow its ideas and principles), charismatic power, emotionally rich , strong-willed, intuitive, but truly reflecting mass public moods and demands;
7) according to the socio-political nature and structural organization of the bearer of power - monarchical, republican;
8) by mode of government - democratic, authoritarian, despotic, totalitarian, bureaucratic, etc.;
9) by social type- feudal, bourgeois, etc. power is organized and functions in society at several interconnected and interacting levels

Not least important in the understanding of power as a phenomenon associated with processes occurring in the life of society is the following concept: How legitimacy.

Legitimacy is a socio-cultural characteristic of power, based on recognition of the rights of the holder of power. This is the ability of power to create conditions for execution.

Max Weber made a great contribution to the theory of legitimation of domination. Depending on the motives of submission, he identified three main types of legitimacy of power.

1) Traditional authority. Authority can acquire legitimacy through tradition. M. Weber characterizes such power as traditional power. In this case, one obeys because “it has always been this way.” Traditional domination takes place in patriarchal societies, organized like the family, where obedience to the father, the head of the clan, is natural reaction to the political order.
2) Charismatic power. The authority of the bearer of charismatic power is the authority of some unusual personal gift - charisma. M. Weber notes that charisma should be called a personality quality that is recognized as extraordinary. Thanks to this quality, she is assessed by others as gifted with supernatural or, at least, specifically special powers and properties that are inaccessible to other people. Such a person is considered as if sent by God. IN Russian history we can easily find examples of charismatic authority. This is the authority of such Bolshevik leaders as Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, etc.
3) Rational - legal power. The source of its legitimacy lies in the fact that it is based on generally accepted legal order. People who have such power arrive at their position based on a legalized procedure. For example, as a result of elections. The legitimacy of power in this case rests not on habit, but on recognition of the reasonableness and rationality of the existing political order.

Political power is always of a social nature, manifested through the functioning of special structures, and involves the use of coercive power, moral influence, and reliance on traditions and feelings. Man throughout history has tried to make society more organized and rational.

Machiavelli views power as the real ability of a government to command its subjects. At the same time, the goal of politics is to strengthen power by any means. The instrument of power is law. However, power relies not only on laws, but also on the army. M. Weber’s power is not far from violence either. He understands power as a relationship of domination of people over people, based on justified violence.

Quite often the concept of “power” is identified with the concepts of “strength”, “domination”, “authority”, “right”. Neither in domestic nor in foreign literature is there any single, generally accepted definition of political power. IN modern concepts power, the main question is about the sources, or foundations, of power. There are four main approaches to solving this issue:

1. Marxist the concept defines power as the organized domination of one class over other social classes.

2. Elite concept. Power arises as a result of the division of society into the elite and the masses. Therefore, power here represents the relationship between the dominant minority and the subordinate majority.

3. Structural and organizational power concept. Political power is secondary to society as a whole. It only gives shape to society, organizing it, its structural elements.

4. Behavioral power concept. Power arises as a result of the interaction of individuals in the process of their political behavior. Power itself and the desire for it is a dominant feature of the human psyche.

Political power- this is a concept that denotes the real ability of a certain class, another social group or the majority of a given society, as well as the organizations and individuals representing them, to carry out their will in relation to other groups, individuals, to achieve common interests and goals by violent and non-violent means. When we talk about political power, we first of all understand that it is power over people, a way of realizing common interests and achieving common goals.

In addition, political power has a number of signs:

1. Power is a component of the social system as a whole. It originates and establishes itself in society, since it is necessary in social relations between different social groups. It establishes the priority of the interests and values of certain social groups, classes or the majority of the population as common and obligatory for all segments of the population.

2. Political power, as a social relationship, contains a contradiction between the subject and the object of power. The ruling subject has the appropriate status, influence, and authority. At the same time, power becomes increasingly an action and attitude based on the possession and distribution of knowledge. Therefore, in order to have political power, its subject must constantly strive to obtain reliable and timely information, otherwise he may turn into an object of political relations.

3. Power is an opportunity, so it cannot be appropriated. Having seized power, transferring it from one hand to another does not mean anything other than taking possession or transferring a certain set of means or the right to impose one’s will on others.

4. Political power and its exercise contain the stamp of volitional action. Therefore, when analyzing political power, it should be borne in mind that behind the volitional actions of people there are always objective relationships that determine the observed interactions of individuals and groups; behind the subjective-volitional relationships there are objective relationships, needs and interests.

5. Political power is associated with coercion, but it cannot be identified with it. Political power presupposes the conscious, voluntary participation of the masses in making apolitical decisions.

6. Political power exists and functions in various forms: state, party, regional, international, etc. State power relies on a special coercive apparatus and has a monopoly right to make laws and approve others regulations, mandatory for everyone. This is what distinguishes it from other types of power.

Political power is called upon to carry out the will of the ruling class or social group through policies and legal norms. This power as a concept is much broader than the concept of state power. It is carried out not only by state institutions.

What essential features does it have? political power?

Firstly, sovereignty. It cannot be divided between subjects occupying different political positions. Even in cases where a multi-party parliament and a coalition government operate in a country, they exercise power on the basis of an agreement, a compromise, but from one political position.

Secondly, political power has (should have) legitimacy(legality). Decrees, directives, orders are executed precisely because the governed trust the authorities. Governments cannot hope to survive and operate effectively by relying solely on violence. Voluntary consent is required, sealed by respect for the rule of law as a sign of civilized power. In our time, legitimacy is an obligatory sign of civilized power and its recognition by civil society.

Finally, thirdly, political power is inherent will And ability of coercion.

Thanks to these features, political power consistently implements government programs and laws. Taken together, these features make political power strong and capable.

Political power- every organized will of one group of people in relation to another, which carries outsubmissionin the name ofcommon goals.