Politics, its role in the life of society. The structure of the political sphere. Political system of society

Political system

Target: to form students’ understanding of the structure of the political system.

Lesson type: combined.

H o d u r o k a

I. Repetition.

Answer the self-test questions, p. 228.

II. Learning new material.

1. Structure and functions of the political system.

2. The state in the political system.

3. Political regime.

4. Democratic changes in Russia.

– a set of political organizations, socio-political responsibilities, forms of interactions and relationships between them, in which political power is exercised.

Functions of the political system

1. Definition of tasks, ways of development of society.

2. Organization of the company’s activities to achieve its goals.

3. Distribution of material and spiritual resources.

4. Coordination of various interests and subjects of the political process.

5. Development and implementation of various norms of behavior in society.

6. Ensuring stability and security of society.

7. Political socialization of the individual, introducing people to political life.

8. Monitoring the implementation of political and other norms of behavior, suppression of attempts to violate them.

Political system of society- an extensive set of various political institutions, socio-political communities, forms, norms and principles of interactions and relationships between them, in which political power is exercised.

Signs of the political system of society:

– within its framework, a mechanism is being formed and improved political power;

– claims a monopoly of legitimate physical violence;

– determined by the social, economic and spiritual structure of society;

- has relative independence.

Basic elements of the political system of society

1. Political principles and legal norms:

– regulate political relations, giving them order, defining what is permitted and what is not permitted in the functioning of a given political system;

– legitimize political foundations;

– determine the style and methods of work of government bodies and other institutions of political organization;

– contribute to the formation of a mechanism for the distribution and consolidation of appropriate roles between members of society).

2. Political institutions:

– represent political institutions with an organized structure, centralized management, and executive apparatus;

– include the forms and essence of political functions, relationships, types of management.

3. Political consciousness:

– reflects social reality;

– perceives events, assessing them according to the degree of significance and compliance with interests, legislation, political norms, traditions, ideals;

– predicts possible prospects for social and political changes in society.

4. Political culture:

– plays the role of a stabilizing and destabilizing factor in the political system;

– carries out the continuity of political traditions, customs, social historical experience.

Basis for the classification of political systems

1) type of formation and nature of the socio-economic structure:

– slave-owning;

– feudal;

– bourgeois;

– communist.

2) character political regime:

– totalitarian.

3) social basis:

– military;

– civil;

– national democratic;

– bourgeois-democratic.

4) development civil society.

The functions of the political system of society are varied:

1) determination of goals, objectives, ways of development of society;

2) organization of the company’s activities to achieve its goals;

3) distribution of material and spiritual resources;

4) coordination of the diverse interests of the subjects of the political process;

5) development and implementation of various norms of behavior into society;

6) ensuring stability and security of society;

7) political socialization of the individual, introducing people to political life;

8) control over the implementation of political and other norms of behavior, suppression of attempts to violate them.

The basis for the classification of political systems is, as a rule, the political regime, the nature and method of interaction between government, the individual and society. According to this criterion, all political systems can be divided into totalitarian, authoritarian and democratic.

In a broad sense state, in the narrow sense,

Political science identifies four main elements of the political system, also called subsystems:

1) institutional;

2) communicative;

3) regulatory;

4) cultural and ideological.

The institutional subsystem includes political organizations (institutions), among which the state occupies a special place. Among non-state organizations, political parties and socio-political movements play a major role in the political life of society.

All political institutions can be divided into three groups. The first group - strictly political - includes organizations whose immediate purpose of existence is the exercise of power or influence on it (the state, political parties and socio-political movements).

The second group - non-proprietary-political - includes organizations that carry out their activities in the economic, social, cultural spheres life of society (trade unions, religious and cooperative organizations, etc.). They do not set themselves independent political goals and do not participate in the struggle for power. But their goals cannot be achieved outside the political system, therefore such organizations must participate in the political life of society, defending their corporate interests, ensuring that they are taken into account and implemented in politics.

Finally, the third group includes organizations that have only a minor political aspect in their activities. They arise and function to realize the personal interests and inclinations of some layer of people (interest clubs, sports societies). They acquire a political connotation as objects of influence from the state and other proper political institutions. They themselves are not active subjects of political relations.

Subjects of politics

The main institution of the political system of society is the state. Its special place in the political system is predetermined by the following factors:

1) the state has the widest social basis, expresses the interests of the main part of the population;

2) the state is the only political organization that has a special apparatus of control and coercion that extends its power to all members of society;

3) the state has a wide range of means of influencing its citizens, while the capabilities of political parties and other organizations are limited;

4) the state establishes legal basis functioning of the entire political system, adopts laws defining the procedure for the creation and activities of other political organizations, establishes direct bans on the work of certain public organizations;

5) the state has enormous material resources to ensure the implementation of its policies;

6) the state plays an integrating (unifying) role within the political system, being the “core” of the entire political life of society, since it is around state power A political struggle is unfolding.

The political system of society is an integral, ordered set of political institutions, political roles, relationships, processes, principles of political organization of society, subordinate to the code of political, social, legal, ideological, cultural norms, historical traditions and guidelines of the political regime.

The political system of society - the one that governs society - must be viable so as not to enter into long-term crisis states, with the stability of the functioning of all links and systems.

Individuals, social communities, political, social institutions the function of political socialization and attracting people to participate in the political life of society is characteristic of all modern political systems. It promotes a widespread spirit of participation in politics among all people of society.

The political system, since it is an instrument for the exercise of power, as well as the expression, protection and implementation of common interests that are binding on the majority of citizens, acts as a dominant factor in relation to other systems of society.

Economic sphere, social structures, cultural factors and others - they all rely on the political system, which ensures their organization, legitimacy, and secures precisely these structures as leading, dominant ones in society. In this sense, we can talk about the primacy of politics in relation to (other systems of the social organism.

The central institution of the political system is the state. The main content of politics is concentrated in its activities. The term “state” itself is usually used in two meanings. In a broad sense the state is understood as a community of people, represented and organized by the highest authority and living in a certain territory. In modern science state, in the narrow sense, is understood as an organization, a system of institutions that have supreme power in a certain territory.

Subjects of politics- individuals, social groups, layers, organizations, masses, society participating in the process of implementing state power.

Sample questions

POLICY

1. Politics, its role in the life of society. The structure of the political sphere. Political system of society.

2. Power, its origin and types.

3. Origin of the state. Theories of the origin of the state.

4. The state, its characteristics and functions.

5. Form of state. Form of government.

6. Form of government.

7. Political and legal regime.

8. Democracy and its forms.

9. Institutions of direct democracy. Elections and referendums.

10. State apparatus.

11. Civil society and the rule of law.

12. Political ideology and its structure.

13. Political culture and its types.

The word "politics" comes from Greek word Politika, which means “state affairs”, “the art of government”.

The political superstructure did not always exist. Among the reasons for its occurrence is the polarization of society, leading to the emergence of social contradictions and conflicts that need to be resolved, as well as the increased level of complexity and importance of managing society, which required the formation of special authorities separated from the people. The most important prerequisite for politics was the emergence of political and state power. Primitive societies were non-political.

Modern science offers various definitions politics. Among them are the following:

1. Politics are the relations between states, classes, social groups, nations, arising from the seizure, exercise and retention of political power in society, as well as relations between states in the international arena.

2. Politics is an activity government agencies, political parties, public associations in the sphere of relations between social groups (classes, nations), states, aimed at integrating their efforts with the aim of strengthening political power or conquering it.

3. Politics is the sphere of activity of groups, parties, individuals, the state, associated with the implementation of generally significant interests with the help of political power.

The political system of a society is understood as a set of various political institutions, socio-political communities, forms of interactions and relationships between them, in which political power is exercised.

The functions of the political system of society are varied:

1) determination of goals, objectives, ways of development of society;

2) organization of the company’s activities to achieve its goals;

3) distribution of material and spiritual resources;

4) coordination of the diverse interests of the subjects of the political process;

5) development and implementation of various norms of behavior into society;

6) ensuring stability and security of society;

7) political socialization of the individual, introducing people to political life;

8) control over the implementation of political and other norms of behavior, suppression of attempts to violate them.

Political science identifies four main elements of a political system, also called subsystems:

1) institutional;

2) communicative;

3) regulatory;

4) cultural-ideological.

The second group - non-proprietary-political - includes organizations operating in the economic, social, cultural spheres of society (trade unions, religious and cooperative organizations, etc.). They do not set themselves independent political goals and do not participate in the struggle for power. But their goals cannot be achieved outside the political system, therefore such organizations must participate in the political life of society, defending their corporate interests, ensuring that they are taken into account and implemented in politics.

The main institution of the political system of society is the state. Its special place in the political system is predetermined by the following factors:

1) the state has the broadest social basis and expresses the interests of the bulk of the population;

2) the state is the only political organization that has a special apparatus of control and coercion that extends its power to all members of society;

3) the state has a wide range of means of influencing its citizens, while the capabilities of political parties and other organizations are limited;

4) the state establishes the legal basis for the functioning of the entire political system, adopts laws defining the procedure for the creation and activities of other political organizations, and establishes direct bans on the work of certain public organizations;

5) the state has enormous material resources to ensure the implementation of its policies;

6) the state plays an integrating (unifying) role within the political system, being the “core” of the entire political life of society, since it is around state power that the political struggle unfolds.

The communicative subsystem of the political system of society is a set of relationships and forms of interaction that develop between classes, social groups, nations, and individuals regarding their participation in the exercise of power, the development and implementation of policy. Political relations are the result of numerous and varied connections between political subjects in the process political activity. People and political institutions are motivated to join them by their own political interests and needs.

There are primary and secondary (derived) political relations. The first include various shapes interactions between social groups (classes, nations, estates, etc.), as well as within them, the second - relations between states, parties, and other political institutions that reflect in their activities the interests of certain social strata or the entire society.

Political relations are built on the basis certain rules(norm). Political norms and traditions that define and regulate the political life of society constitute the normative subsystem of the political system of society. Most important role legal norms (constitutions, laws, other legal acts) play a role in it. The activities of parties and other public organizations are regulated by their statutory and program norms. In many countries (especially England and its former colonies), along with written political norms great value have unwritten customs and traditions.

Another group of political norms is represented by ethical and moral norms, which enshrine the ideas of the whole society or its individual layers about good and evil, truth, and justice. Modern society came closer to realizing the need to return to politics such moral guidelines as honor, conscience, nobility.

The cultural-ideological subsystem of a political system is a set of political ideas, views, perceptions, and feelings of participants in political life that are different in content. The political consciousness of the subjects of the political process operates at two levels – theoretical (political ideology) and empirical (political psychology). To forms of manifestation political ideology include views, slogans, ideas, concepts, theories, and political psychology includes feelings, emotions, moods, prejudices, traditions. They have equal rights in the political life of society.

In the ideological subsystem, a special place is occupied by political culture, understood as a complex of typical for a given society, ingrained patterns (stereotypes) of behavior, value orientations, political ideas. Political culture is the experience of political activity passed on from generation to generation, which combines knowledge, beliefs and behavior patterns of individuals and social groups.

In modern political science, the functions of the political system are distinguished by for various reasons. One of the most authoritative classifications of the functions of the political system belongs to Almond,

In his work “The Policy of Developing Regions” (1971), he points out such “input” functions of this system as:

1) political socialization, i.e. involving members of society in political activities;
2) political recruitment - a form of selecting people to fill various structures systems;
3) articulation (expression) of interests, i.e. putting forward demands on those who develop solutions;
4) aggregation of interests - coordination and generalization of demands, turning them into a certain position, giving it the appearance of a political platform;
5) political communication;
6) various types interactions, incl. informational.

Almond considers the “output” functions of the political system to be:

1) rule-making, i.e. developing rules and laws governing behavior;
2) application of rules and procedures for their implementation;
3) monitoring compliance with the rules;
4) interpretation of laws and suppression of actions aimed at their violation.

Another version of the classification of the functions of the political system was presented by Almond together with Powell. They identified a number of functions, each of which satisfies a specific need of the system, and in its totality ensures “preservation of the system through its change.” According to these authors, the current model of the political system is maintained through the function of political socialization, i.e. the process of a person acquiring political knowledge and values, beliefs, and feelings inherent in the society in which he lives. People's adherence to the standards of political behavior accepted in a given society and a loyal attitude to the institutions of power support the existing model of the political system.

The viability of the system is determined by its ability to adapt to the external and internal environment. This function can be carried out through the preparation and selection of subjects of power (leaders, elites) capable of finding the most effective ways and methods of solving pressing problems and offer them to the community.

The response function is no less important. With its help, the political system responds to impulses and signals coming from outside or from within the system. Highly developed abilities to quickly and accurately respond to any influence allow the system to adapt to changing conditions.

The political system influences society through management and coordination of the behavior of individuals and groups. The managerial actions of such a system constitute the meaning of its regulatory function. It is implemented through the introduction of norms and rules on the basis of which people and their groups interact, as well as through the application of punishment against rule violators.

Analysis of the functioning of the political system as one of the components of a broader societal system of action involves characterizing its internal structure, not only from the standpoint of systemic ideas, but taking into account the peculiarities of the world of politics.

1. The institutional subsystem consists of political institutions, each of which, in turn, is relatively independent system. It includes the state, parties, socio-economic and public organizations, as well as the relationships between them.

The church and funds play a special role in the institutional subsystem mass media, which1 can significantly influence

formation public opinion, and with its help - to put pressure on the government, on political leaders, in other words, to stimulate or inhibit “input” system flows such as “demands” and “support”.

2. The normative subsystem consists of political and legal norms, principles, views and traditions aimed at regulating the activities of the political system as a whole and its structural elements. The central place in this subsystem is occupied by the rules of law, which serve as the main regulator of public relations, ensure the routine functioning of not only government bodies, but also public associations, and also establish the rules for the participation of citizens in political activities.
3. The functional subsystem is determined by the forms of political activity, methods of exercising power, and the predominance of violent or non-violent methods of control among them. It is characterized by a set of real functions performed by various political institutions or civil associations. This subsystem is the basis of the political regime, which ensures the preservation of existing power.

At the same time, the regime has a certain independence in relation to the constitutional structure of public administration, reflected in the institutional subsystem. The ruling elite can go beyond the formally established legal order, modify the mechanisms of power, and the activity of opposition forces can limit the influence of constitutional institutions or create alternative quasi-institutional structures.

4. The communication subsystem includes various forms and principles of interaction both within the political system (i.e. between its subsystems) and with other countries. At the internal level, it is determined by the relations between the legislative and executive branches of government, state institutions and other subjects of political interactions (parties, social, ethnic or religious communities, people as individual actors), emerging in connection with their participation in the exercise of power.
5. The cultural-ideological subsystem is formed from ideas, views, and feelings of participants in social life that differ in content. It is largely determined by the degree of differentiation of the ideological and political spectrum of society, the predominance of humanistic or non-humanistic trends in it. In addition, such a subsystem is closely related to the characteristics of mass political culture, the role of traditional stereotypes or rational attitudes in the sphere of behavior in it. social political information

The main functional blocks of the political system and their elements do not exist in isolation from each other - in reality, they are always in constant interaction. The factor that connects all the structural elements of this system into a single whole is the political relations of actors regarding public power. One vector of political interactions is aimed at strengthening the institutions existing in society and the existing social order, and the other can be destructive for the existing political system, expressing the interests of forces seeking to change it or even eliminate it.

Real political systems modern world very diverse. Their formation and functioning, in other words, the political life in each country is influenced by many factors: historical traditions, culture, economic development, maturity of civil society, geographical location etc. Of particular theoretical and practical interest is the identification of universal characteristics that determine the general trends in the life activity of the systems under consideration.

Talking about the political sphere public life, we usually imagine a set of certain phenomena, objects and characters, which are associated with the concept of “politics”. These are parties, the state, political norms, institutions (such as suffrage or the monarchy), symbols (flag, coat of arms, anthem), values of political culture, etc. All these structural elements of policy do not exist separately, independently of each other, but constitute system - a set, all parts of which are interconnected in such a way that a change in at least one part leads to changes in the entire system. The elements of the political system are ordered, interdependent and form a certain systemic integrity.

The political system can name an ordered set of norms, institutions, organizations, ideas, as well as relationships and interactions between them, during which political power is exercised.

A complex of state and non-state institutions that carry out political functions, that is, activities related to the functioning of state power.

The concept of a political system is more capacious than the concept of “ public administration", since it covers all persons and all institutions involved in political process, as well as informal and non-governmental factors and phenomena that influence the mechanism for identifying and posing problems, the development and implementation of solutions in the field of state-power relations. In its broadest interpretation, the concept of “political system” includes everything that is related to politics.

The political system is characterized:

, traditions and customs.

The political system carries out the following functions:

conversion, that is, the transformation of public demands into political decisions;
adaptation, that is, adaptation of the political system to the changing conditions of social life;
mobilization of human and material resources (cash, voters, etc.) to achieve political goals.

protective function - protection of the socio-political system, its initial basic values and principles;
foreign policy - establishing and developing mutually beneficial relations with other states;
consolidating - coordination of collective interests and demands of various social groups;
distributive - creation and distribution of material and spiritual values;

Classification of political systems

There are various classifications political systems.

Under political culture understand component spiritual culture of humanity, which includes the totality of political knowledge, values and behavior patterns, as well as political language, symbols and traditions of statehood.

All elements of the political system, being in constant interaction, contribute to the performance of important social functions:

definition promising directions social development;
optimization of society's movement towards its goals;
resource allocation;
coordination of interests of various subjects; involving citizens in active participation in politics;
development of norms and rules of conduct for members of society;
control over the implementation of norms, laws and regulations;
ensuring stability and security in society.

The political system includes the following institutions:

and him;
socio-political movements;
pressure groups, or .

State

In relation to the political system, parties are divided into systemic and non-systemic. System form part of a given political system and act according to those rules, guided by its laws. A systemic party fights for power using legal methods, that is, accepted in a given system, in elections. Non-system parties do not recognize this political system and fight to change or eliminate it, usually by force. They are usually illegal or semi-legal.

The role of the party in the political system determined by its authority and the trust of voters. It is the parties that formulate the one that the state implements when a given party becomes ruling. In democratic systems, as a rule, there is a rotation of parties: from the ruling ones they move to the opposition ones, and from the opposition ones back to the ruling ones. Political systems are classified according to the number of parties as follows: one-party - authoritarian or totalitarian: two-party; multi-party (the latter predominate). The Russian political system is multi-party.

Socio-political movements

Socio-political movements occupy an insignificant place in political systems. In terms of their goals, the movements are similar to political parties, but they do not have a charter or formal membership. In Russia socio-political movements are not allowed to participate in elections: they cannot nominate their candidates for parliament; an organization that sets itself political goals, but does not have 50 thousand members, is transferred to public organizations.

Pressure groups or interest groups

Pressure groups or interest groups - trade unions, industrialists' organizations, large monopolies(especially transnational ones), the church, the media and other institutions are organizations that do not have the goal of gaining power. Their goal is to put pressure on the government so that it satisfies their specific interest - for example, lowering taxes.

All of the listed structural elements, state and non-state institutions, act, as a rule, in accordance with certain political norms and traditions, which were developed as a result of extensive experience. , let's say, should be an election, not a parody. For example, it is normal for each ballot to have at least two candidates. Among the political traditions one can note the holding of rallies, demonstrations with political slogans, meetings of candidates and deputies with voters.

Means of political influence

State power is only the power of the state, but the power of the entire political system. Political power functions through the whole complex institutions and seems quite impersonal.

Means of political influence- is a set of political institutions, relationships and ideas that personifies a certain. The mechanism of such influence is the system of government, or the system of political authorities.

The functions of the system of political authorities represent reactions to incoming this system influence of subjects: requirements and support.

Requirements problems that government officials most often encounter are related to:

with the distribution of benefits (for example, requirements regarding wages and working hours, improving transport performance);
ensuring public safety;
improving sanitary conditions, educational conditions, healthcare, etc.;
processes in the field of communication and information (information about policy goals and decisions made by rulers, demonstration of available resources, etc.).

Support communities strengthen the positions of officials and the system of government itself. It is grouped in the following areas:

material support (payment of taxes and other taxes, provision of services to the system, such as volunteer work or military service);
compliance with laws and directives;
participation in political life (voting, demonstrations and other forms);
attention to official information, loyalty, respect for official symbols and ceremonies.

The reaction of the government system to the influence of various subjects is grouped into three main functions:

rule-making (development of laws that actually determine legal forms behavior separate groups and people in society);
putting laws into effect;
control over compliance with laws.

More detailed list functions of the government system may look like this. The distribution function is expressed in the organization of the creation and distribution of material and spiritual values, honors, and status positions in accordance with the “table of ranks” in a given political system. The foreign policy function implies the establishment and development of mutually beneficial relations with foreign organizations. Program-strategic functions mean defining goals, objectives, ways of developing society, and developing specific programs for its activities. The mobilization function implies the attraction and organization of human, material and other resources to perform various social tasks. The function of political socialization is the ideological integration of social groups and individuals into the political community, the formation of collective political consciousness. The protective function is the protection of this form of political relations in the community, its original basic values and principles, ensuring external and internal security.

Thus, responding to the influence of various political actors, the system of government brings about changes in the community and at the same time maintains stability in it. The ability to quickly and adequately respond to demands, achieve set goals, and maintain political relations within the framework of recognized norms ensures the effectiveness of the system of government.