Political culture is an integral part of national culture. This is, first of all, a value-normative system that society adheres to. It includes: the watered experience of humanity gained in the course of historical development. This experience influences the formation of people's political consciousness and is expressed in their orientations and attitudes that determine political behavior.

Functions of political culture:

Cognitive function is the formation in citizens of the necessary general political knowledge, views, beliefs and political competence.

Integrative - achieving agreement on the basis of generally accepted values ​​within the framework of the existing political system. system and the political system chosen by society.

3. The communicative function allows you to establish a connection between the participants in the watering process both “horizontally” and “vertically”.

The normative and regulatory function is to form and consolidate in the public consciousness the necessary political values, attitudes, goals, motives and norms of behavior.

Educational function - makes it possible to form a personality, a citizen.

The structure of political culture includes 3 components: Cognitive - includes political knowledge, education and elements of political thinking. Moral - concerns political feelings, traditions, values, ideals. Behavioral - attitudes, types, forms, styles, patterns of political behavior.

Levels of political culture:

Worldview level - where a person’s ideas about politics are combined with an individual picture of worldview; a person defines himself in the world of politics.

The civil level is where a person develops an attitude towards power and how to exercise it.

Political level - all a person’s value ideas are formed, an attitude towards all political phenomena is developed. At this level, the role of politics in human life is determined.

Types of political culture: There are three ideal types of political culture: patriarchal, subservient and participatory culture.

Patriarchal is characterized by an orientation toward local, national values ​​and can manifest itself in the form of local patriotism, nepotism, corruption, and mafia. A member of such a society is passive in politics and does not perform specific political roles (for example, voter). This type of culture is typical for young independent states.

Subjective presupposes a passive and detached attitude of the individual to the political system. He is tradition-oriented, although politically conscious. Submitting to power, an individual expects various benefits from it (social benefits, guarantees, etc.) and fears its dictates. It was this political culture that dominated the USSR, starting in the 20s and 30s.

Civil is distinguished by political activity, involvement and rationality. Citizens strive to actively influence political culture and direct its activities using legal means of influence (elections, demonstrations, etc.).

The political culture of a society cannot be absolutely homogeneous. The diversity of interests of different communities gives rise to models of political subculture that differ from each other. Among the most significant in political science, there are five types of subcultures: regional, socioeconomic, ethnolinguistic, religious, age.

The main ways of forming political culture. The condition for the formation of people's political culture is their involvement in the political process and interaction with political reality. Various spheres of public life interact with the political system; all of them, to one degree or another, participate in the formation of political culture and determine the main directions of this process. They are: targeted educational, spiritual and ideological activities of the state, political parties, public organizations and movements, churches, media, the impact of business, science, educational institutions, families, labor collectives, clubs and interest organizations.

Political culture depends to a large extent on the level of historical development; it changes in the course of any significant political events or other, quite significant and important, circumstances (but does not always keep up with them). For a more convenient study and classification of political culture over large areas of historical periods, political “epochs,” and social formations, the concept of a type of political culture is introduced. The type of political culture is used to record common features of political consciousness and behavior among people living at the cross-section of one historical era, belonging to similar strata of society and having similar clichés of behavior and reactions to events occurring in the political sphere. Considering the fact that there are quite a lot of criteria by which various types of political culture are built (these are historical eras, and various forms of attitude towards politics, and the nature of political activity, and the social layers and groups that make up politics, differences between regions and ideological positions ), then the types of political culture themselves, accordingly, should have a fairly significant number.

There are different approaches to classifying types of political cultures. For example, the Marxist approach, according to which political cultures existing in the same type of society have significant similarities, thus this approach distinguishes three types of political culture: slave, feudal and bourgeois society.

The most developed classification of political cultures based on this approach was carried out by the Polish scientist Jerzy Wiatr. In his opinion, a slave-owning and feudal society corresponds to a type of traditional political culture characterized by recognition of the sacred nature of power and tradition as a regulator of political relations. Within this type of political culture, the scientist identifies tribal, theocratic and despotic varieties, which can be combined with each other in various ways. In bourgeois society, Vyatr identifies two main types of political culture: democratic and autocratic. The first is characterized by high activity of citizens and their broad political rights. The second type of political culture, as the ideal of the state, recognizes strong and uncontrolled power that limits the democratic rights and freedoms of citizens.

In modern political science, the typology proposed by G. Almond and S. Verba is widely used for the analysis and comparison of political cultures. They identify three main types of political culture, without strictly tying them to a specific time or social group, but focusing on values, patterns of behavior, ways of organizing power:

patriarchal political culture, its main feature is the lack of interest in the political system in society;

subject political culture, characterized by a strong orientation towards the political system, but weak participation in its functioning;

activist political culture, with traits of interest in the political system and active participation in it;

Patriarchal, or parish, political culture is inherent in social communities whose political interests do not go beyond the boundaries of their community, village or district. Its distinctive feature is the complete lack of interest among community members in political institutions and central authorities. Both local leaders and subjects have no feeling for the central government, their attitude towards it is not determined by any norms. In modern reality, the closest equivalent to such a political culture may be the relations existing in African tribes.

In modern society, two main types of political culture dominate and interact: subservient and activist, or political culture of participation.

The advantage of the first type of political culture is its ability to be a factor in the effective and rapid mobilization of huge masses of people, directing their energy to carry out socially necessary or, as it may later turn out, far-fetched transformations. The bearer of the expediency of these transformations is not the individual - a direct participant in the events, thanks to whose energy they are carried out, but history, which subsequently gives an assessment of the usefulness and necessity of the work done.

Since the socio-political initiative and the person acting in politics find themselves separated from each other in such a situation, it is possible to move a large mass of people in this case only with a very high level of discipline, orderliness, and organization in the functioning of the political mechanism. A necessary component of this type of ordering of social connections is the strict, ever-increasing centralization of management, the localization of the process of making political decisions in an increasingly narrowing circle of trusted, dedicated persons.

Initiative as a political quality is leaving society and is being replaced by discipline, diligence, work to implement next instructions and fulfillment of plans. Since the need for a source of instructions and plans exists and deepens, purely authoritarian methods of political leadership are growing, and the need for a visible embodiment of the power and authority of political power - in a political cult - is growing. Therefore, it is inevitably reproduced again and again around the personality of the highest political leader, almost regardless of the abilities and qualities of the real person occupying this post.

A political cult is a visible embodiment of the presence in society of a subservient political culture; with its long-term existence, it has a destructive effect on the actual cultural foundations of the political process and its regulation: initiative, responsibility, confidence, accumulation and use of historical and political experience, determination. There is a gradual exhaustion, degradation of initiative at the personal, microsocial level, and the rooting of a difficult disease of eternal expectation of benefits from above.

In an activist political culture, the main source of political action becomes a person, and the most important criterion for assessing a political organization is its ability to initiate active political action.

Activist political culture is more complex in its content, structure and forms of expression than the type that precedes it. To replace simple diligence with qualified and constructive initiative in politics, a different level of knowledge and ideas about the political process is required, and there is an urgent need for real, practical knowledge with the help of which one can influence the mechanism of political power, participate in political decision-making, and possess skills in organizing political processes.

Changing the types of political culture, no matter how urgent the need, requires some time. The features of the transition are a variety of political orientations in the absence of a definite and obvious dominance of at least one of them, a rapid change in political preferences, an outbreak of extremism with its tendency to use extreme forms, means of political influence, such as hunger strikes, strikes, etc. In turn, the authorities in this period they go to use criminal and administrative measures, where political ones can be used, etc.

Of decisive importance for determining the type of political culture is the combination between those elements of political relations that are associated with the past, present and future of politics. The optimal state is when the elements of political culture are associated with all these aspects of existence. Those. Through tradition, various components of historical experience, political culture is connected with the past, with the help of norms, institutions, values, methods of political action, it actively influences current political practice, and through goals and political orientations it is able to influence future political events and processes.

National typologies of political culture determine the following circumstances:

• 1. a special combination of values, characteristic of a given people, expressed in the dominance of some values, in the debasement and non-actualization of others;
• 2. the influence of the religion professed by a given people;
• 3. features of the historical experience that the national community has.

At the same time, the interaction of three main characteristics is of decisive importance for determining the specific appearance, type of political culture (and culture in general):

• 1. its orientation toward domination or subordination to the environment;
• 2. time orientation of political actions;
• 3. the importance attached to action, establishing and maintaining horizontal or vertical connections between people in a community.

The whole variety of national typologies of political culture varies within three main types:

• 1. liberal democratic;
• 2. authoritarian;
• 3. totalitarian.

Both in domestic and foreign political science literature there has long been a tradition of studying and comparative analysis of various national types of political culture. Using the results obtained helps to better understand the roots of many political events, anticipate many political processes, and develop a mechanism for influencing political behavior.

Thus, it is noted that the political culture of the British is distinguished by a peculiar hierarchy of political values:

• 1. government mercy;
• 2. freedom;
• 3. rejection of equality;
• 4. personal integrity;
• 5. diffusion of leadership, power;
• 6. limits of government power;
• 7. welfare;
• 8. external defense;
• 9. evolution and assimilation.

In American political culture, the combination of two types of rules of behavior is of great importance: norms-goals that aim a person to achieve success and consider intense competition as a condition of social and personal dynamics, and norms-frameworks that ensure the stability of social organization and consolidate the results of competition.

The political culture of the French is characterized by:

• 1. weakness of the tradition of restraint and tolerance;
• 2. a tendency to ideologize political interests;
• 3. a developed sense of belonging to a single nation;
• 4. strong republican tradition;
• 5. respect for the rights of minorities and opposition.

There are other types of typologization of political culture. For example, W. Rosembaum developed Almond's concept. In his classification there are two types: fragmented and integrated, and between these two types there are many intermediate variations. A fragmented type of political culture is characterized mainly by a lack of agreement in the sphere of the political structure of society. This type predominates in most African and Latin American countries, partly in northern Ireland and Canada. It is based on noticeable social, sociocultural, confessional, national-ethnic and other fragmentation of society. This creates conditions for ideological intransigence and uncompromising between conflicting groups, prevents the development of certain generally accepted rules of the political game, etc. The integrated type is distinguished by a relatively high degree of consensus on fundamental issues of the political structure, the predominance of civil procedures in resolving disputes and conflicts, a low level of political violence, and a high degree of various forms of pluralism (which must be distinguished from fragmentation).

D. Eleizar proposed his typology of political culture. It is based on three main types: moralistic, individualistic and traditional. W. Blum recognized only the liberal and collectivist type of political culture. The listed types of typology allow us to conclude that there are many fairly developed concepts of types of political culture. Each researcher focused on something special, and by studying all the main types in detail, one can get a holistic idea of ​​the typologization of political culture, and therefore better understand its structure and essence.

Types of Political Cultures

Political scientists identify several basic models of political culture. There are fragmented and integrated political cultures. The first is characterized by the presence of heterogeneous political orientations and activities, the absence of procedures for resolving conflicts, as well as trust between individual layers of society (an example of this type is modern Russia); the second is characterized by a low level of political violence, loyalty to the regime, and the absence of opposing subcultures. Excessive fragmentation of political culture is the cause of social instability.

American political scientists G. Almond and S. Verba identified three basic types of political culture:

Patriarchal or parochial culture is characterized by a complete lack of interest among the population in politics, blind submission to authority, and a fusion of political orientations with religious and social ones;

Subject culture presupposes weak individual participation in political life, recognition of the special authority of power, and a respectful or negative attitude towards it;

Activist culture (culture of participation) differs from all other types by the active participation of citizens in politics, regardless of positive or negative attitude towards the political system.

History is dominated by mixed political cultures, representing different combinations of basic types: patriarchal-submissive, subject-activist and patriarchal-activist. Almond and Verba argue that a democratic system is characterized by a civil culture in which certain patriarchal and subservient orientations balance the activity of the individual, thereby ensuring the stability of democracy (political scientists cite the United States and Great Britain as examples). Civil culture will combine political activity and absenteeism (in Western democratic systems there is a decline in the electoral activity of voters), law-abidingness and protest against certain government actions, loyalty to the government and its criticism.

There are other typologies of political cultures. Thus, depending on the type of political system, they speak of totalitarian, authoritarian and democratic cultures. The following features dominate in a totalitarian culture:

A dichotomous perception of the world, which manifests itself in the opposition of “us” and “strangers”. Other classes, nations, races and ideological opponents act as “strangers”. “Aliens” are perceived as enemies;

Lack of tolerance (tolerance) to other opinions, lifestyles;

Denial of compromise and reliance on forceful resolution of conflicts;

Sacralization (deification) of leaders, creation of their cults. In the mass consciousness, leaders lose the properties of living people and acquire symbolic features, becoming bearers of charisma;

The dominance in the public consciousness of myths, for example, about a communist or racial paradise;

Fanatical service to ideas, a sense of unity with power.

Characteristic features of a democratic political culture:

Tolerance of dissent, recognition of the right of dissidents to defend their point of view;

Tendency to seek compromise as the main means of resolving conflicts;

Agreement (consensus) regarding basic liberal values: the autonomy of the individual, the inalienability of his rights.

Basic concepts: political culture, subculture, socialization; statism, paternalism, political myth, political symbol, tolerance, fragmented political culture; patriarchal culture, subject culture, participation culture, citizenship culture, totalitarian culture.

CONTROL QUESTIONS

1. What determines the importance of political culture in the functioning of the political system of society?

2. How is political culture related to the culture of society?

3. Under the influence of what factors is the political culture of a society formed?

4. Why does political culture change slowly, unlike other phenomena of social life?

5. What role do traditions play in the functioning of society?

6. Remember examples from the history of Russia when tradition rejected innovation, and reforms turned into counter-reforms?

7. What explains the presence of political subcultures in society?

8. Explain the main typological models of political culture.

9. What traditional features are characteristic of the political culture of Russia?

10. What factors had a significant influence on the formation of political culture in Russia?

11. How does the fragmentary nature of modern political culture in Russia manifest itself?

LIST OF REFERENCES USED

1. Introduction to political science: dictionary-reference book / Ed. V.P. Pugacheva. M.: Aspect Press. 1996.

2. Zerkin D.P. Fundamentals of Political Science. Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix publishing house. 1999.

3. Legoyda V.R. Civil religion of the USA: some symbols and rituals // Polity.1999-2000. No. 4.

4. General and applied political science. Textbook / Ed. IN AND. Zhukova, B.I. Krasnova. M.: MGSU: publishing house "Soyuz". 1997.

5. Oleynikov Yu. Natural factor of the historical existence of Russia // Free Thought. 1999. No. 2.

6. Political science: Textbook for universities / Under. ed. M.A. Vasilika. M.: Lawyer. 1999.

7. Rukavishnikov V.O. Political culture of post-Soviet Russia // Socio-political journal. 1999. No. 1.

8. Tavadov G.T. Political science: textbook. M.: FAIR PRESS. 2000.

In political science there are numerous typologizations of political culture. The first in-depth study of the types of political culture was carried out by G. Almond and S. Verba.

From 1958 to 1962 they undertook a large-scale comparative study of the political cultures of Great Britain, West Germany, Italy, Mexico and the United States. In this study, they were interested in “patterns of political orientations regarding political objects among members of nations.” The results obtained during the study and the concept formulated on their basis were presented in the work “Civic Culture”. It distinguished three types of political culture: patriarchal, subservient and activist.

The patriarchal type (“parish”, “community”, “provincial”, “parochial” cultures) is characterized by orientation of citizens towards local values ​​- community, clan, clan, village, tribe, etc. Thus, an individual with a patriarchal culture is oriented on specific individuals - leaders, shamans. Members of the community completely lack knowledge about the political system; political orientations are not separated from economic and religious ones. Therefore, individuals with a patriarchal culture have no expectations associated with the political system itself.

The submissive type of culture is characterized by a passive attitude of citizens towards the political system. Here the individual is already oriented towards the political system, associates his expectations with it, but at the same time fears sanctions from it. Ideas about the possibilities of influencing the production process

there are no solutions, the individual does not consider himself as the creator of the political process.

The activist type, or political culture of participation, is characterized by the active inclusion of individuals in political life. Citizens skillfully articulate their interests and, through elections, interest groups, and parties, influence the policy-making process. At the same time, they demonstrate loyalty to the political system, law-abidingness and respect for decisions made.

The differences between the designated types of political cultures are clearly visible from Table. 14.2.

Table 14.2

Types of political cultures as combinations of orientations to objects

Source: Almond S., Verba 5. The Civic culture. Political attitudes and democracy in five nations. Princeton, 1963. P. 17.

However, in real political life, Almond notes, the political culture of any society is a combination, a “mixture” of several types of political cultures. He paid special attention to three types of such combinations. A democratic industrial political system is characterized by the following combination: 60% representatives of an activist culture, 30% - a subject culture, 10% - a patriarchal one; for the authoritarian industrial - 5% - activist, 85% - subject and 10% - patriarchal; for an authoritarian transitional system, respectively - 10.60 and 30%; for democratic pre-industrial - 5.40 and 55%. These proportions, of course, are quite arbitrary and can vary, but they express the nature of the relationship between different types of political cultures in different societies.

The democratic industrial political system, but Almond, corresponds to a civil political culture, which is mixed. The author of the concept of civil culture claims that it is based on the ancient tradition of “mixed government,” whose representatives were Aristotle, Polybius, and Cicero. This type of culture presupposes, firstly, the presence of three fragments of political culture in society (patriarchal, subject and activist), and secondly, the presence of qualities of subjects and “parishioners” even among active participants. Almond and Verba emphasized that patriarchal and subservient orientations balance the activity and political participation of the individual, thereby ensuring the stability and stability of the democratic political system. Thus, the “ideal citizen” must simultaneously: strive to influence the government and at the same time maintain loyalty to it; be potentially active, but not constantly active.

The main features of civil political culture are: consensus regarding the legitimacy of political institutions; tolerance towards other values ​​and interests; competence. Of course, these are features of the normative model of political culture. Along with them, Almond offers a more detailed list of features of civil political culture:

• ? knowledge about the political system, what democracy is and how it functions in a particular country;
• ? the individual’s sense of his political significance and the ability to influence state policy through his participation;
• ? recognition of the obligation to participate in public affairs;
• ? a sense of political freedom, expressed in the free discussion of any political issues;
• ? readiness to cooperate with others in political actions;
• ? pride in the democratic structure of one's country;
• ? trust in public and state institutions;
• ? interest in politics, understanding of its content and goals.

Despite some idealization of the concept of civil culture, many political scientists recognize that it is civil culture that is the solid foundation of democratic political regimes. Historical experience shows that the “transplantation” of democratic models into countries of non-Western civilization most often ends in failure: either a direct return to authoritarianism, or a gradual “hybridization” of the regime. That is why one of the most important conditions for a successful transition to democracy is the formation of a civil political culture. Naturally, direct copying of the political culture of Western countries is impossible. In each country, the emerging civil political culture will be complemented by its own specific national features, which embody the historical and political experience of previous generations.

The typology of political culture proposed by G. Almond has been repeatedly criticized. It was criticized, firstly, for its extremely abstract nature; secondly, for America-centrism, since behind the term “civil culture” a very specific culture was visible - American culture; thirdly, for the fact that the entire Western culture in the proposed concept looked very monotonous, while there were serious differences between the political cultures of Western countries, fourthly, for the “static” nature of political orientations.

A more modified typology of political culture was proposed by Dutch researchers F. Huynx and F. Hickspurs in the mid-1990s. (see Table 14.3) They proceeded from the fact that when typologizing political culture, it is necessary to take into account such indicators as: individuals’ interest in politics (or political interest); attitudes towards the political system (pro- or anti-system orientations); political trust in government institutions and officials; orientation regarding the “output” of the system; assessing the possibilities of personal participation in political life and influencing politics, i.e. political activity.

Table 14.3

Types of political culture according to Huynx and Hickspurs

The type of political culture is determined by the diversity of political systems, differences in the level of socio-economic, political and cultural development of societies and their historical traditions. From all the existing diversity, political science distinguishes two main models of political culture - totalitarian-authoritarian and liberal-democratic.

Totalitarian-authoritarian model of political culture puts the collectivist qualities of a citizen at the forefront over his individual qualities. This model has the following characteristic features: political consciousness and values ​​of society are formed centrally, by the state, state interests are more important than the interests of individuals and social groups(core values: order, loyalty, political trust, support for government policies, common ideology, political unity ); political informing of society is dosed and single-channel, monopolistically regulated by the authorities, political censorship is actively practiced; political language is standardized and sparse(it is characterized by categoricalness, and often limitedness, stereotypes, the corresponding symbolism is of limited variety, monotonous and rarely updated); the political culture of society is being formed “top-down” on a non-alternative basis; the level of political culture of most of society is low, political and cultural progress is slow-moving.

Liberal democratic model of political culture is focused on ensuring the political rights and freedoms of citizens, regulating the life of society exclusively through legal regulation. This model has the following characteristic features: political consciousness and values ​​of society are formed in a decentralized (multi-channel) manner, from a variety of sources; the level of priority of state interests depends on the degree of their coincidence with the interests of society, its social groups, citizens(core values: human rights, freedom, pluralism in ideology, politics, economics, democracy, law and order, privacy and private property, priority of public opinion, civil society, ecology, etc.); political informing of society is multi-channel and alternative, political censorship is minimal, applied mainly to information of a radical and extremist nature; There is freedom of speech and press, but its level depends on the financial capabilities of the sources of political information and their access to the media(primarily for television), as well as the size of the audience and circulation of publications; the political language is extensive and non-standard, continuously improved and enriched, political symbols are multivariate, developing in the mode of modernization; political behavior is diverse; the political culture of society is at a sufficient level, it is characterized by certain progress.

Along with the levels and models in political culture, there are two main like, which differ in the features and specificity of interaction with the external political-cultural environment and with other political-cultural formations, as well as in their internal content.

Closed type, which is distinguished by political isolation, focus on its own political values ​​and norms, development in the regime of political and cultural autonomy, commitment to its own ethnic, religious, ideological, historical, social traditions, and insensitivity to other systems of political norms and orientation.

Open type, It is distinguished by its sensitivity to foreign cultural experience, highly dynamic political life, diversity of the political process and a high level of socio-political mobility, has rich political customs and traditions, adjusted in accordance with changing realities, and develops in a mode of constant self-reform.

According to the orientation of society towards certain regulatory mechanisms within the political system there are market And bureaucratic types of political culture. Market political culture there is a culture that views political processes through the prism of purchase and sale relations, the achievement of profit as the highest goal of political activity. Politics is a type of business, the politician himself is either a “product” or a “businessman”. Political decisions are the result of a “trade deal.” Bureaucratic (statist) political culture - This is a culture that connects the solution of political problems with the operation of mechanisms of state regulation and control over the political process. It is aimed at limiting and prohibiting competition. The interests of the state are recognized as prevailing over private interests. Rationality is perceived as organization and bureaucratic management.

One of the common approaches to the classification of political culture is the approach proposed by G. Almond and S. Verba, according to which three so-called pure types of political culture are distinguished.

Patriarchal, which exists in a society with an undeveloped culture, and also in which the process of formation of a political system is underway. People who are carriers of this cultural type lack political activity, legibility, interest in political values, norms and institutions; political naivety and apoliticality are common; their political views are “dissolved” in religious and social stereotypes and traditions.

Submissive, the essence of which is the preference of its bearers to obey the authorities, not to try to influence the authorities using the political methods at their disposal, not to have an active civic position, to strive for self-distance from any mechanisms of the political system and active participation in political life.

Activist, which is distinguished by a clear orientation of the citizen towards an effective personal role in the political life of society, towards acquiring sufficient personal status in the political system.

According to the concept of G. Almond and S. Verba, ideal types of political orientation in their pure form do not occur in practice; they coexist and do not displace each other. Therefore, scientists introduced the concept of “civil culture” as a mixed political culture. This culture is characteristic of a democratic political system. The “ideal” citizen, according to G. Almond and S. Verba, should put pressure on the authorities and at the same time remain loyal to it, be active, but not constantly be active. It is the citizenship of political culture, in their opinion, that is the solid basis of democratic political regimes.

In the context of the concept of political culture, G. Almond explained the different effectiveness of similar political institutions operating in different countries and identified four types of political systems:

• - Anglo-American political systems characterized by a homogeneous and secularized political culture;
• - continental western european systems with a fragmented political culture consisting of mixed political subcultures;
• - pre-industrial and partially industrial political systems with differentiated political cultures;
• - totalitarian political systems with a homogeneous political culture, “the homogeneity in which is artificial.”

In political science, there are other classifications of types of political cultures. So, in particular, along with the types of political culture in the universal political and cultural space, political subcultures. This concept denotes systems of political orientations and patterns of behavior characteristic of social groups and communities that differ in this quality from other social entities and the nation as a whole. Political subcultures are generated by socio-economic, socio-ethnic, institutional, socio-territorial and cultural status stratification of society. Among the most important and pronounced of them are the following.

Western political subculture, which has the following characteristic features: a predominantly “participatory” model of political participation is used, the main element of politics is the individual, stable traditions of political democracy, the individual is already “fed up” with politics, Western religions form an open type of participation in politics, oriented towards change, easily assimilating new elements , the predominance of modernism in general and political culture, national interests, the increasing role of political leaders due to the spread of the media and the decreasing role and importance of political associations, the presence of a large “middle class” and a political mentality corresponding to its interests.

Political subculture of the East, which has the following characteristic features: a predominantly “subject” political culture is used, the most essential element of politics is community (clan, ethnic, professional, family, etc.), stable traditions of authoritarian rule, the individual is not involved in politics, Eastern religions form a “cautious ” attitude towards politics aimed at recreating relations and institutions according to traditional models; in special conditions, this adherence to traditions becomes fanatical, the stability of general and political culture, the primary role of the national-ethnic factor, the increasing role of political leaders due to the increasing role of pariahs and movements in politics, a sharp “gap” between the elites and the masses and the corresponding political mentality.

According to the degree of consistency of interaction between political subcultures in a particular country W. Rosenbaum identified two types of political culture: integrated(homogeneous) and fragmentary(heterogeneous). The integrated type of political culture is characterized by the presence of a relatively high degree of socio-political agreement on fundamental issues of the political structure, the predominance of civil procedures in resolving disputes and conflicts, a low level of political violence and a high degree of diversity in political life. Fragmented political culture reflects the split of society, the strong polarization of its constituent social groups, the marginalization of society, charisma, i.e., an orientation not towards political associations and their programs, but towards specific politicians who, in the eyes of society (social groups, individual citizens) have exceptional talents, virtues and "valor".

Thus, today there are quite a lot of different approaches to the typology and classification of political cultures.

Test questions and assignments

• 1. Describe the concept of political culture and give its general characteristics.
• 2. What is the internal structure of political culture?
• 3. How do political culture and morality, political culture and legal consciousness relate to each other?
• 4. What are the problems of forming political culture in modern Russia?
• 5. What is the political culture of student youth in modern Russia?