Political system of society: concept, structure, functions. Structure of the political system Purpose and functions of the political system

The concept of “political system” is voluminous in content. A political system can be defined as a set of political institutions, social structures, norms and values, and their interactions, in which political power is realized and political influence is exercised.

A political system is a set of state, political and public organizations, forms and interactions between them, through which the implementation of generally significant interests is carried out using political power.

Theory of the political system.

Topic 5. The political system of society and the problem of power.

1. The theory of the political system.

2. Structure and functions of the political system.

3. Types of political system.

4. Soviet-type political system.

The need to create a holistic understanding of the processes in the political sphere, its relationships with the outside world led to development of a systems approach in political science.

The term “political system” was introduced into political science in the 50-60s. XX century American political scientist D. Easton, who created the theory of the political system. Then this theory was developed in the works of G. Almond, W. Mitchell, K. Deutsch. etc. This was due to the need to consider politics as a system. This concept was intended to reflect 2 points: 1) the integrity of politics as an independent sphere of society, representing a set of interacting elements (state parties, leaders, law...); 2) the nature of the connection between politics and the external environment (economics,..). The concept of a political system can help identify the factors that ensure the stability and development of society, and reveal the mechanism for coordinating the interests of various groups.

Therefore, the political system includes not only political institutions involved in politics (state, parties, leaders, etc.), but also economic, social, cultural institutions, traditions and values, norms that have political significance and influence the political process. The purpose of all these political and social institutions is to distribute resources (economic, monetary, material, technological, etc.) and encourage the population to accept this distribution as mandatory for everyone.

Previously, politics was reduced to the activities of state structures, identifying them as the main subjects of power relations. Up to a certain point, this explanation reflected reality. However, the processes of development of civil society, the emergence of a free individual with his rights and freedoms led to the fact that the citizen began not only to obey, but also to influence the state through political organizations. Power has ceased to be a monopoly (prerogative) of the state, and power relations have become complex, because Non-governmental organizations began to participate in them. The complexity of power relations led to a revision of the then dominant institutional and behavioral approaches to explaining politics. Politics had to solve a more complex problem: the search for universal patterns and mechanisms that would provide society with stability and survival in an unfavorable external environment.



Systems theory originated in biology in the 1920s.

The concept of “system” was introduced into scientific circulation by a German biologist L. von Bertalanffy(1901-1972). He studied the cell as a “set of interdependent elements,” that is, as a system connected with the external environment. These elements are so interconnected that if you change even one element of the system, then all the others, the whole set, will change. The system develops due to the fact that it responds to signals from the outside and to the requirements of its internal elements.

The concept of “system” was transferred to society for consideration T. Parsons. He political system considers as specific element of the social system. That. Talcott, Parsons views society as a social system consisting of four subsystems that interact - economic, political, social and spiritual. Each of the subsystems performs its functions, responds to demands that come from within or from the outside, and together they ensure the functioning of society as a whole. Defining collective goals, mobilizing resources to achieve them, making decisions constitute the functions political subsystem. Social subsystem ensures the maintenance of an established way of life, conveys to new members of society norms, traditions, customs, values ​​(which constitute the motivational structure of the individual.) And, finally, the integration of society, the establishment and preservation of ties of solidarity between its elements is carried out spiritual subsystem.

However, T. Parsons’ model is too abstract to explain all processes in the political sphere; it does not include cases of conflicts and tensions. Nevertheless, Parsons' theoretical model has had a significant influence on research in sociology and political science.

Theory of the political system by D. Easton. (systemic analysis)

Systems theory introduced into political science by an American political scientist D. Easton, who defined politics as “the volitional distribution of values.” ( Easton's main contribution to political science is the application of methods system analysis for the study of political systems, as well as the study of problems of political socialization). Hence, politic system, according to D. Eastonues set of political interactions in a given society . Its main purpose consists of the distribution of resources and values. The systematic approach made it possible to more clearly define the place of politics in the life of society and identify the mechanism of social changes in it.

So with one side,politics stands as an independent sphere, the main purpose of which – resource allocation , and on the other hand, policy There is part of society, it must respond to impulses entering the system, prevent conflicts arising over the distribution of values ​​between individuals and groups. That. a political system can exist with the ability to respond to impulses coming from the external environment and adapt to external operating conditions.

The mechanism of functioning of the political system.

The exchange of resources and interaction of the political system with the external environment is carried out according to the principle "entrance" And "exit».


"Entrance"- these are the ways

influence of the external environment on the political system.

"Exit"- this is a response, (reverse impact) of the system on the external environment, appearing in the form of decisions developed by the political system and its institutions.

D. Easton distinguishes 2 input types: requirement and support . Requirement can be defined as an appeal to authorities regarding the distribution of values ​​and resources in society. For example, workers’ demands for an increase in the minimum wage. or teachers' demands for increased funding for education. Demands tend to weaken the political system. They are a consequence of the inattention of power structures to the changing interests and needs of social groups.

Support, on the contrary, means strengthening the entire system, and is an expression of a devoted, benevolent attitude towards the regime. Forms of manifestation of support can be considered the correct payment of taxes, fulfillment of military duty, respect for government institutions, and devotion to the ruling leadership.

As a result, the impact on "entrance" cause a reaction to "exit" On "exit"appear political decisions And political action. They come in the form of new laws, policy statements, court decisions, subsidies, etc.

(Consequently, the political system and the external environment are deeply interconnected).

In turn, decisions and actions influence the environment, resulting in new requirements. " Entrance and exit"systems constantly influence each other. This continuous cycle is called "feedback loop" . In political life Feedback is of fundamental importance to check the correctness of decisions made, correcting them, eliminating errors, organizing support. Feedback is also important for possible reorientation, departure from a given direction and selection of new goals and ways to achieve them.

Politic system, ignoring feedback, is ineffective because it fails to gauge the level of support, mobilize resources, and organize collective action in accordance with public goals. Eventually it turns out political crisis And loss of political stability.

That. the political process shows how social demands arise, how they turn into generally significant problems, and then into the subject of action by political institutions aimed at shaping public policy and the desired solution to problems. A systems approach helps to understand the mechanism for the formation of new political strategies, the role and interaction of various elements of the system in the political process.

However, D. Easton focused on interaction with the external environment And ignored internal structure of the hollow system which helps maintain balance in society.

Theory of the political system by G. Almond. (functional analysis P.S.)

An American political scientist proposed a different approach to the analysis of political interactions G. Almond.(specialist in general theoretical and comparative political science). He assumed that the ability of a political system to carry out transformations and maintain stability depends on the functions and roles of political institutions. Almond conducted comparative analysis different political systems, with the aim of identifying the main functions that contributed to effective social development. Comparative analysis of P.S. implied a transition from the study of formal institutions to the consideration of specific manifestations of political behavior. Based on this, G. Almond and G. Powell determined political system How a set of roles and their interactions carried out not only by government institutions, but also by all structures of society. The political system must perform three groups of functions: Functions of interaction with the external environment ;

· Interconnection functions within the political sphere;

· Functions that ensure system preservation and adaptation.

Communicative theory of the political system by K. Deutsch.

The transition of developed countries to information technology, the introduction of computer technology, allowed us to consider the political system How mechanical model. He was the first to liken the political system cybernetic machine American political scientist K. Deutsch(b. 1912). He viewed the political system in the context of a “communication approach,” in which politics was understood as a process of managing and coordinating the efforts of people to achieve set goals. Of particular importance in political communication is the exchange of information between managers and governed in order to achieve agreement. Therefore, the formulation of goals is carried out by the political system on the basis of information about the situation of society and its relationship to these goals. The functioning of a political system depends on the quality and volume of information coming from the external environment and information about its own movement. Political decisions are made based on two streams of information.

Model K. Deutsch draws attention to the importance of information in life half and

social systems , but omits the value of other variables: gender will, ideology, which can also influence the selection of information.

The political system consists of subsystems that are interconnected and ensure the functioning of public authority. Changing one leads to a change in the functioning of the entire system.

Institutional subsystem includes the state, political parties, public organizations and movements, pressure groups, media, church, etc. The central place is given to the state, which represents the entire society. It has sovereignty within state borders and independence beyond them. (By concentrating the majority of resources in its hands and having a monopoly on legal violence, the state has great opportunities to influence various aspects of public life). The maturity of this subsystem determines the degree of specialization of the roles and functions of its structures. Thanks to specialization, this subsystem can quickly and effectively respond to new needs and requirements of the population.

Regulatory includes legal, political, moral norms, values, traditions, customs. Through them, the political system has a regulatory impact on the activities of institutions and citizens.

Functional – these are methods of political activity, means and methods of exercising power (consent, coercion, violence, authority, etc.). The predominance of certain methods (coercion or coordination) determines the nature of the relationship between government and civil society, methods of integration and achieving integrity..

Communicative includes all forms of political interaction between government, society, and individual (press conferences, meetings with the population, television appearances, etc.). Communication system characterizes the openness of power, its ability to enter into dialogue, strive for agreement, respond to the needs of various groups, and exchange information with society.

Cultural – includes a value system, religion, mentality (a set of ideas about society, image, character and way of thinking). The higher the degree of cultural homogeneity, the higher the efficiency of the activities of half of the institutions.

Functions of the political system.

By interacting with each other, the subsystems ensure the life activity of the PS and contribute to the effective implementation of its functions in society. One of the most complete classifications of functions by P.S. given by G. Almond and D. Powell.

. Function of political socialization.

1. Regulatory function. It is expressed in the regulation of the behavior of groups, individuals, communities on the basis of the introduction of political and legal norms, compliance with which is ensured by the executive and judicial authorities.

2. Extraction function. Its essence lies in the ability of the system to draw resources from the external and internal environment for its functioning. Any system needs materials, financial resources, and political support.

3. Distribution (distributive)function. P.S. distributes received resources, statuses, privileges social institutions, individuals and groups to ensure integration within society. Thus, education, administration, and the army require centralized financing. These resources are drawn from the external environment, for example, from the economic sphere, through taxes.

4. Reaction function. It is expressed in the ability of the political system to be receptive to (impulses) the demands of various groups of the population. The quick response of the system determines its effectiveness.

5. Function of political socialization. It means the process of a person’s assimilation of half of values, ideals, knowledge, feelings, experience, allowing him to fulfill various political roles.

Structure refers to the structure and internal organization of a system , acting as a unity of stable relationships between its elements. The structure of the political system is not something static; it is subject to gradual changes.

In the structure of a political system, scientists often identify such subsystems as institutional (a set of institutions and organizations), regulatory (political and legal norms, customs, traditions, symbols), communicative (forms of interaction between government, society and the individual), functional (means and methods of implementing authorities, forms of political activity, political processes), cultural or ideological (value system, mentality).

A widely held point of view is that there are four groups of elements of the political system:

1) political organization; 2) political relations; 3) political and legal norms; 4) political culture and political consciousness.

Political organization is the most active dynamic part of the political system. Any type of political activity is carried out in organized forms - through joint actions, subordinated to a single goal and regulated by certain rules and norms adopted in a given society. It is thanks to organization that the transition of ideas into material form occurs. Kamenskaya G.V., Rodionov A.N. Political systems of our time - M., 2004. p. - 70. .

A political organization includes the state, political parties, socio-political and economic organizations, the media, the church and the relations between them. As a result of their interaction, power is exercised in society.

Elements of organization such as the state, political parties and public organizations will be discussed in detail in subsequent topics. Let us note just a few important points.

The central place in this subsystem is occupied by the state. By concentrating the majority of resources in its hands and having a monopoly on legal violence, the state has the greatest opportunities to influence various aspects of public life. It is the state that is the official representative of the entire society; on its behalf, government decisions are made that are binding on all citizens. The state ensures the political organization of society, giving the political system integrity and stability. In relation to society, the state acts as an instrument of leadership and management. The nature and scope of government power varies across different types of political systems.

The state and political parties are strictly political institutions, that is, they directly and directly exercise power or strive for it. Adjacent to them are various kinds of public associations and organizations and mass movements that are not strictly political institutions. In relation to the legal-public sphere, political institutions can be divided into official, formal and “shadow”, informal. The latter include unofficial lobby groups, secret organizations, and illegal extremist organizations. The main purpose of political institutions is to represent the interests of various sectors of society.

The media and the church play a special role in the political life of society. They can be considered as mechanisms that provide society with stability and at the same time the opportunity for development.

In terms of mass impact, efficiency, and the ability to provide a platform for different points of view, the media stand out among other social institutions. The media include the press, radio, television, film and sound recording, and video recording. To this list should be added the Internet, which over the past ten years has become one of the most effective means of receiving and transmitting information. The media have different capabilities and power of influence on the audience. The most widespread and powerful influence is exerted by radio and television.

The media not only transmit information about politics to the population, but also determine its content, concentrate public attention on certain problems, or, on the contrary, block the flow of information that is undesirable for the political authorities. Performing the function of political socialization and formation of public opinion, the media influence the political behavior of large social communities.

In modern conditions, the appearance of the media is influenced by various factors. It is important who their founder is (state, political parties, mass movements, individuals); what is their social purpose and what audience are they intended for?

Political elites (both ruling and opposition) compete for control of the media. Historically, humanity is familiar with three forms of relationships between the media and the state.

1) The state owns the media and completely determines their policies. 2) The state does not own the media, but influences their policies. 3) The media reflect the pluralism of political and social relations.

In the first case we are talking about a totalitarian political regime, in which the media are a means of total control over all spheres of society. The main purpose of the media in a totalitarian state is to conduct propaganda, that is, to ensure the dominance of a certain point of view throughout society by any means.

In the second case we are talking about authoritarian regimes, in which the government seeks to prevent the penetration of alternative points of view on leading television channels, to ban opposition print media, and to protect access to mass-market newspapers and publications.

The third type is typical for democratic countries, where the media reflect alternative positions on problems of socio-political development. Freedom of speech and expression are among the fundamental rights enshrined in legislation and guaranteed by the state. Government structures and politicians are forced to agree that the media need a certain freedom and independence, otherwise they may lose the trust of the population Anokhin M.G. Political systems: adaptation, dynamics, stability. - M., 1996. p. - 101. .

At the same time, the statement that information flows in democracies are completely uncontrollable by the state and other institutions does not correspond to reality. There are partial restrictions on the activities of the press, regulated by private sets of laws. A number of countries have supervisory boards (for example, the Board of Trustees of the BBC in England) that monitor the activities of the media and monitor compliance with the law. The concept of “self-censorship” arose as a derivative of three forms of regulation of media activities: legislation, professional codes of journalistic activity, and ethical standards shared in society. Government and business retain wide opportunities to influence and put pressure on the media (for example, by refusing to place advertisements).

Thus, the media are an important part of the political system and have a serious influence on the political life of society.

A noticeable (dominant in a number of states) role in the political life of society is played by the church - a special type of religious organization that unites believers on the basis of common religious views and rituals.

Over the course of many centuries, religion and politics, one way or another, have come into contact and continue to come into contact with each other. This is explained by the essential characteristics of both religion and politics.

Religion relies on fairly large masses of followers and is a form of social consciousness that sometimes dominates all other forms. This opens up wide opportunities for manipulating public sentiment and behavior. Politics is also inevitably connected with huge masses of the population. Consequently, these two phenomena of social life will inevitably intersect.

Traditional channels of interaction between politics and the church have emerged. Firstly, religion invades political life by influencing the behavior of its adherents and using their religious feelings. Secondly, the connections between religion and politics are determined by the actions and interests of the church apparatus and the leaders of various religious organizations. Thirdly, politicians of various shades actively use religion in the sphere of domestic and foreign policy in order to give mass religious movements a favorable direction (for example, to expand the electoral base). Fourthly, due to certain circumstances, believers themselves turn to religion to justify their interests A.V. Makeev. Political science. - M., 2000. p. - 153. .

The consequences of the interaction between religion and politics can be very different. For example, an Islamic slogan such as jihad (holy war) can unite both supporters of progressive forces and reactionaries.

Religious movements and organizations often acted and act on a peacekeeping mission, participating in the resolution of international and local conflicts.

Politicians often seek the support of the church. Examples can be found both in foreign and domestic practice. Clerical support was provided to R. Reagan during the presidential elections of 1980. The Orthodox Church in modern Russia expresses support for the existing political regime.

In recent years, the desire of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church to actively influence political life in the country has noticeably increased. This is manifested in the participation of clergy in political campaigns at the federal and local levels.

The political system includespolitical relations . This component consists of interactions between social groups, individuals, and political institutions regarding the structure and management of society. Political relations are mobile and dynamic, taking various forms.

According to the nature of the relationship between the subjects, political relations can manifest themselves in the form of coercion, competition and cooperation, conflict and consensus. According to their social orientation, they distinguish between: relations aimed at preserving and strengthening existing political conditions and relations aimed at changing them.

There are several groups of subjects of political relations:

1) relations between classes, nations and states; 2) vertical relationships that develop in the process of exercising power between rulers and subordinates, between central and local authorities; 3) relations between political organizations and institutions.

Political and legal norms are an essential element of the political system. They exist and operate in the form of constitutions, legislative acts, charters and programs of parties and political organizations, political procedures, norms, traditions, and customs. The normative-legal subsystem regulates the activities of political institutions and the nature of political relations, giving them orderliness and a focus on stability. Through political and legal norms, certain political foundations receive official recognition and consolidation.

By enshrining prohibitions and restrictions in norms, the forces dominating in a given political system have a significant impact on the nature of political relations. The actual implementation of legal norms in political practice depends on the type of political regime. Under totalitarianism, legal norms are completely ignored by the state (or figures personifying political power), an authoritarian regime requires their partial observance, and in democratic countries, society and the state strictly monitor compliance with legal norms in politics.

Political culture and political consciousness are subjective elements of the political system.

A.I. Soloviev defines political culture as a set of forms and patterns of behavior of people in the public sphere that are typical for a particular country (or group of countries), embodying their value ideas about the meaning and goals of the development of the political world and reinforcing the norms and traditions of the relationship between the state and society that are well-established in society. Developing according to its own laws, it is capable of influencing the forms of organization of political power, the structure of its institutions, and the nature of interstate relations. The success of transformations and the implementation of decisions taken by power structures will depend on the type of political culture.

If political culture serves to characterize the political system as a whole, then political consciousness reflects the internal state of individual subjects (individuals, social groups, strata, masses, society). Unlike political culture, political consciousness is a more mobile spiritual formation. It denotes the entire set of ideas about the world of politics of the subject, which mediate his relations with political structures.

Formed under the influence of a specific social and political reality, the ideas, value orientations and attitudes of political participants, their emotions and stereotypes have a significant impact on their political behavior, the level of support or rejection of the political system, and ultimately on its stability or variability.

The vital activity of the political system is manifested in the process performing specific functions. A function is understood as any action that contributes to the preservation and development of a given state and interaction with the environment. Actions leading to the destruction of the political system and its destabilization are considered dysfunction.

The functions of the political system are diverse, unstable and change taking into account specific historical conditions. They are interconnected, complement each other, but at the same time relatively independent.

Let us highlight a number of main functions of the political system:

  • 1) goal setting (defining the goals and objectives of the political, economic, social and cultural development of society);
  • 2) developing programs for the life of society to achieve the goals;
  • 3) mobilization of material and human resources;
  • 4) distributive function (distribution of goods, services and statuses in society);
  • 5) regulatory function (implemented by introducing norms and rules on the basis of which individuals and groups interact, as well as through the application of administrative and other measures against rule violators);
  • 6) the function of society integration (associated with the familiarization of citizens with political values, legal norms, adherence to socially accepted standards of political behavior, and loyalty to government institutions);
  • 7) response function (the political system responds to impulses, signals coming from outside or inside, which allows the system to adapt to changing conditions, ensure the safety and dynamism of society) Anokhin M.G. Political systems: adaptation, dynamics, stability. - M., 1996. p. - 110. .

The political system of society has its own functions, Among which researchers highlight:

  • 1) determination of goals, objectives and ways of development of society;
  • 2) organization of the company’s activities to fulfill the adopted goals and programs;
  • 3) political socialization (involving members of society in political activities);
  • 4) formation of political consciousness, involvement of members of society in political participation and activity;
  • 5) ensuring internal and external security and stability of the political system;
  • 6) control over the implementation of laws and regulations; suppression of actions that violate political norms;
  • 7) development of rules and laws of behavior of people and groups in society;
  • 8) coordination of various interests of the state and social communities;
  • 9) distribution of material and spiritual values.

The effectiveness of the functioning of a political system depends on the complete implementation of its functions, which are capable of developing, reproducing, expanding or losing their significance. If such changes do not occur, then political activity becomes formalized and dogmatized, which ultimately leads to stagnation in the political system itself. In conditions of crisis or war, the functions of the political system, as a rule, are not fully realized.

In modern democratic countries, political systems strive to maintain balance in society. For these purposes, elements in the system are moved and adjusted to each other. Direct and reverse connections between the political system and its social environment are also established, which allows it to improve and prevent social explosions.

Politic system- is a set of state, party and public bodies and organizations participating in the political life of the country. It is a complex formation that ensures the existence of society as a single organism, centrally controlled by political power.

Depending on the time and place, the concept of a political system has different content, since the importance of the components of the political system changes according to the type of political regime.

In addition, the political system is defined as the interactions through which material and spiritual values ​​are authoritatively distributed in society. Any system has the following characteristics:

  • * consists of many parts;
  • * parts make up a whole;
  • * the system has boundaries.

The systems approach in political science was first applied by D. Easton. He divided the main components of his model into “input” factors (demand and support) and “output” factors associated with the first feedback path. He divides requirements into external, coming from the environment, and internal, coming from the system itself. Requirements are just the “raw material” from which the final product, called solutions, is formed. Another type of incoming impulse is support. It comes in different forms: material, military service, compliance with laws and directives of state authorities, respect for state symbols.

The structure of the political system consists of institutional, normative, functional and communicative subsystems.

Institutional subsystem- this is the state, political parties, socio-political movements, trade unions, organizations, church, media.

Regulatory subsystem includes rules of law, political traditions, political morality and ethics.

Functional subsystem- these are the forms and directions of political activity, ways and methods of exercising power (political regime).

Communication system represent: political culture, political consciousness (ideology and political psychology), political relations.

First of all, the political system exercises supreme power, the decisions of which are binding on the entire society. The concept of power is the main characteristic of a political system, in contrast, for example, to an economic system, for which the main thing is the concept of property.

The main functions of the political system are the following:

  • 1. Determining the goals and objectives of society, developing activity programs in accordance with the interests of the country's citizens.
  • 2. Mobilization of resources and organization of the activities of the society to achieve its goals and objectives.
  • 3. Strengthening the unity of society.
  • 4. Distribution of values ​​in accordance with the interests of the entire society and individual social groups, nations, and each person.
  • 5. Conflict resolution.

In addition, political systems perform two basic sets of functions - “input” functions and “output” functions.

TO "input" functions relate:

  • 1. Political socialization and recruitment.
  • 2. Articulation of interests, i.e. the presence of interest groups as a link between citizens and the state.
  • 3. Aggregation of interests, i.e. turning demands into public policy alternatives.
  • 4. Political communication.

Output functions:

  • 1. Development of norms and laws.
  • 2. Application of standards.
  • 3. Monitoring compliance with standards.

Conditions for political stability.

Basic conditions and factors of political stability:

  • - effective functioning of the political system, all its subsystems, successful resolution by society of pressing problems of development and ensuring progress;
  • - agreement of the main or leading social groups and political organizations expressing their interests on the main issues of social development;
  • - the necessary level of trust in the activities of government institutions on the part of society, their ability to sufficiently express the interests of the majority;
  • - high efficiency and legitimacy of the political regime, legality of the authorities;
  • - the presence of a legal system that creates the necessary conditions for the rational and natural functioning of a given society;
  • - ensuring fundamental human rights and freedoms, finding an optimum between those participating in politics and absentees;
  • - reasonable distribution of powers between central and local authorities, optimization of the number of political subsystems, the level of their autonomy;
  • - leadership of the country in accordance with the basic traditions, norms of morality, ethics and religion, finding their optimal interaction. Finding the optimal interaction between law, morality and political culture of society;
  • - preventing sharp social differentiation of society;
  • - absence (prevention and effective resolution) of acute social, national-ethnic and religious conflicts;
  • - the effectiveness of the dominant flow of political communication initiated by the leadership of the country (society);
  • - the ability of leaders of government structures and social movements to use international experience, international and regional stabilization factors in the interests of national development, social progress and political stability of society;
  • - the presence of common elements of political culture between “managers” and “managed”.

The conditions and factors discussed above in their totality represent an ideal model of political stability. It is clear that in real life the degree of their presence and implementation varies. However, in all cases, the key conditions for political stability are the legitimacy, legality and effectiveness of the existing regime, the political system of society; the presence of the necessary social base of support for government institutions; agreement of leading socio-political forces regarding the main goals and objectives of the country's development; consolidation of society on the basis of a generally recognized goal; timely resolution and prevention of acute conflicts; the significance and effectiveness of the dominant flow of political communication initiated by power structures.

POLITICAL STABILITY -- the ability of the state system to function for a long time without significant changes, ensuring planned development, continuity of power, a favorable investment climate and economic growth.

Probably the first state to come to understand stability as the highest good for its subjects was ancient China, which adopted the ideas of Confucius as its state doctrine. “God forbid you live in an era of change!” - is still one of the favorite wishes of the Chinese, along with the traditional wishes for all earthlings of happiness, health and success.

However, in its modern sense, recognition of the value of political stability as part of the general ideology of humanism was entrenched in political discourse after the Second World War, becoming a kind of response of humanity to its horrors and destruction.

Political stability is one of the important conditions for uniform economic growth and attracting investment, both domestic and foreign, which makes its achievement and preservation extremely desirable not only for developing, but also for developed countries.

Achieving political stability, especially in developing and reforming systems, is quite difficult, because the degree of involvement of the state bureaucratic apparatus in social processes in such countries is usually too great, which, on the one hand, slows down the necessary changes in the system in order to improve its functioning , and on the other hand, it leads to the fact that even a slight deviation from the taken political course requires a radical reorganization of the entire existing order of things.

Political stability reaches its minimum during revolutions, whose innovative effect is often greatly exaggerated, but the destructive consequences are obvious. Speaking on May 10, 1907 at a debate on the land issue in the State Duma, Prime Minister of the Russian Empire P. Stolypin said: “Opponents of statehood would like to choose the path of radicalism, the path of liberation from the historical past of Russia, liberation from cultural traditions. They need great upheavals - we need Great Russia!

Stolypin's words have not lost their relevance today. It is believed that the most important step towards achieving political stability is the presence of a constitution, as well as a sophisticated mechanism for amending it, which ensures a more or less stable legal field within the country. The minimum of political parties in the state also contributes to the uniform - in the case of a two-party system - sinusoidal movement of the system, thus creating the necessary conditions for stability.

Political stability cannot be linked to the political structure of the state, be it democracy or tyranny. Stability is primarily a guarantee that certain rules, no matter how bad they may be, will not be rewritten during the game.

There is an opinion that political stability impossible in a democratic state, that it is achieved only with a long stay in power of a single political force and with a significant restriction of civil liberties. However, practice shows that such schemes are utopian. Systems based on a one-party system and no alternative to power do not meet the requirements of a constantly changing environment; they are ineffective and prone to stagnation.

Having no other mechanisms for smoothing out political and other contradictions, except for the mechanism of suppression and limitation, they are doomed to collapse. True stability does not contradict development, but rather promotes it.

The political system, like the economic, legal, spiritual, as well as social-class systems, is a subsystem of society. If the essential feature of the economic system is property, the legal one is legal norms as regulators of social life, the spiritual one is the formation of values, the reproduction of personal employment adequate to these values, then the essential feature of the political system is the formation and exercise of political and state power. It is power relations that characterize a political system.

Unlike other systems, the features of the political system are that:

  • - firstly, it has a monopoly on power throughout society;
  • - secondly, it determines the strategy of social development in general and economic, social, cultural and foreign policy in particular;
  • - thirdly, it determines and represents the interests of dominant social groups or the entire society at the state level;
  • - fourthly, it ensures political and administrative-state management of social processes;
  • - fifthly, contributes to the stabilization or destabilization of general life;
  • - sixthly, it forms the legal system and functions within its framework or goes beyond the legal field.

Some political scientists identify and evaluate the concept of “political system” with the political regime of this system, others - with political organizations, while others significantly expand the scope and content of the concept of “political system”, including in its structure elements that cannot be considered strictly political.

In general, a political system is a set of institutions that form and distribute state power and manage social processes, and also represent the interests of certain social groups within the framework of the corresponding type of political culture.

The political system has its own structure. For the most part, in the domestic literature the structure of the political system includes: political relations, political institutions (organizations), political and legal norms, political consciousness and political culture.

In our opinion, a number of structural levels can be distinguished in the structure of the political system:

  • - institutional (organizational-normative), which reveals the nature of the functioning of the main institutions of the political system;
  • - procedural - the nature of group and mass subjects of politics;
  • - interactionist - the nature of interactions at the interpersonal, group and institutional levels.

In order to highlight the structural elements of the political system at the institutional level, it is necessary, first of all, to answer the following questions: how state, regional and local power is exercised, what are the mechanisms for the formation of this power, the quality of the mental and active-practical components of the political system.

In answering them, we will highlight the following structural elements: the state, regional and local authorities, the party system, the electoral system, and political culture.

The interactionist level of the structure of a political system includes a set of various forms of interaction (cooperation, consensus, competition, conflict).

From the perspective of this approach, we can distinguish the content component of political activity. The structure of the political system we propose allows us to group various political phenomena and processes into a single integral system, to reveal its structural and functional nature at both the macro and micro levels, i.e. at institutional, interpersonal and group levels.

The political system in society performs a number of functions: power-political, national integration, stabilization of socio-political life, socio-political modernization, management, legal.

Power-political function. Its essence boils down to the mechanism for the formation, use and support of power in accordance with the level of political culture and the interests of the subjects of the political process.

The mechanism for the distribution of power in a political system depends on the type of political regime, the content of the forms of interaction between subjects of the political process, as well as on the degree of civilization of other systems of society, the geopolitical situation, and global development trends.

From the point of view of the mechanism of power formation, a political system can be characterized by:

  • 1) a balance of fierce competition and constructive cooperation in obtaining and using power;
  • 2) an imbalance in the distribution of power between official state factors and hidden interests;
  • 3) underdeveloped forms of competition and cooperation;
  • 4) the lack of equal conditions for realizing the interests of group political subjects under the acquired power;
  • 5) permanent violent struggle for power.

So, the political system of developed societies operates on the basis of a balance of fierce competition and constructive cooperation in the distribution of power or with a predominance of consensus mechanisms over counterbalance mechanisms. The political systems of other societies are characterized by underdeveloped forms of competition and cooperation or destructive struggles for power.

Function of national integration. A political system to ensure the integration of tribes into nationalities, and nationalities into nations. At the same time, the political system carries out national integration within the framework of the empire-state and the nation-state. Within the empire-state, the political system ensures national integration through coercion and violence, granting certain privileges to the people of the mother country and depriving the people of the colonies of the right to express their ethnic identity.

Within the framework of the nation state, the political system achieves national integration in several ways:

  • 1) forcibly unites ethnically related territories (as was the case in Germany during the time of Bismarck) around the central government;
  • 2) creates a new political nation of the ethnically diverse population of the former colony through consolidation on the principles of citizenship;
  • 3) forms a nation on the basis of an indigenous ethnic group, depriving non-indigenous ethnic groups of civil rights;
  • 4) forms a nation on the basis of an indigenous ethnic group and tries to annex the territories of a neighboring state where ethnic “relatives” live.

National integration today is possible only if political factors take into account the specifics of diverse interests (religious, social, ideological) and create an appropriate mechanism for consolidating socio-political forces, overcoming particularism and clanism.

The function of stabilizing socio-political life. The stabilization activity of the political system lies in its ability to find out the causes of various conflicts (class, group, interethnic, interparty, interstate), prevent their deepening, find a way out of conflict situations by reaching compromises, and restoring consensus.

The pattern of a political system, according to D. Easton, is the desire for balance, that is, ensuring the balance of subsystems. Such balance can be achieved either through strict control of social life through political institutions, or through the coordination of social interests.

Another pattern of the political system is the pattern of the pendulum. The essence of this pattern is that a system, taken out of optimal equilibrium towards the dominance of authoritarianism or democracy, certainly first turns into its opposite and the amplitude of fluctuations over time is supposedly equivalent. If, for example, the period of dictatorship lasted for several generations, then the transition to a state of democracy will last the same amount of time. So, the transition from one political system to another is always accompanied by destabilizing processes.

For the stability of a political system, the following conditions are necessary:

  • - the presence of mechanisms for achieving and maintaining a constant balance in socio-political life;
  • - timely anticipation and displacement of elements in the political system that disrupt its normal functioning;
  • - constant updating of the internal structures of the system;
  • - connection of internal political elements with world political life;
  • - strengthening the universal and global adaptability of the system.

Function of socio-political modernization. Its essence boils down to the fact that the political system reforms all aspects of social life. If the political elite does not have the appropriate reformist potential, then the transition from one system to another is accompanied by protracted cataclysms, stagnation processes, and the constant reproduction of old structures, ways of thinking and behavior. The choice of the path to modernize social life, the search for special (specifically for this nation) development options depends on the extent to which the institutions of the political system demonstrate the ability to self-renew and decisively break with outdated traditions.

Legal function. The political system forms the law and functions within its framework. The law-making function of the political system depends not only on the legislative body of the state, but also on the ability of all subjects of the political process (parties, public organizations, pressure groups) to reach agreement on the development of such legal norms, which contributes to the stabilization of society and the harmonization of the interests of social groups.

If the subjects of the political process neglect the law and prefer group interests, disintegration and disorganization prevail in society, and there is a temptation to stabilize social relations in totalitarian ways. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the activities of a particular political organization through the prism of its ability to streamline its activities within the framework of legal norms and put forward law-making initiatives. Without the high law-making ability of the subjects of the political process, the political system ceases to operate within the legal framework and becomes a means of bureaucratic arbitrariness and lawlessness.

An important aspect of studying a political system is its typology. From the point of view of the formational approach, the political system can be classified as slave, feudal, bourgeois, communist and post-communist. Based on cultural classification, it is divided into Western, Eastern Orthodox, Latin American, Chinese, Japanese, Muslim, Hindu, African. According to the theory of three stages, there is a political system of agrarian, industrial and post-industrial society.

This typology is based on determining the type of political system based on an analysis of the type of society and culture in their genetic and structural-functional dimensions. The point is that with the help of this analysis it is possible to trace not only the current state of social development, but its history, on the basis of which political systems arise and function.

An approach is also possible based on an analysis of the types of political systems according to the method and scale of their influence on society, as well as the nature of the implementation of their own main functions. According to this approach, three types of political systems are distinguished: administrative-command, competitive, and socio-conciliatory.

The administrative-command system is characterized by the fact that the unification of social structures occurs not due to the natural process of struggle and cooperation of socio-political forces, but due to bureaucratic centralization, denial of political pluralism and administration in solving all political problems:

  • - autonomous decision-making centers are being eliminated;
  • - the exclusive role of a political leader is expressed in the cult of his personality;
  • - a person’s civil status is leveled, his rights and freedoms are limited;
  • - political demagoguery about protecting the interests of the people is spreading significantly;
  • - outright violence prevails;
  • - a bureaucracy reigns (theocratic, royal, military or party-state), built on the principles of a feudal hierarchy with corresponding benefits and privileges.

The command political system has gone through a historical path from the rule of the Egyptian pharaohs, the tyrants of Greece, the emperors of Rome, absolute monarchs to modern totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. Historical practice has shown that, although at certain stages of social development these political systems managed to achieve some success, in the end they became a brake on social progress.

A competitive political system is characterized by political pluralism, the influence of social forces on state power, fierce competition of political forces for power, the presence of various centers for making political decisions, and constitutional guarantees of individual rights and freedoms. Such a system was established in conditions of free competition. Although it still exists in many countries (SELA, Italy, Greece), it is gradually beginning to evolve towards a socio-conciliatory political system.

A socio-conciliatory political system has the following features:

  • - priority of solving social problems over political tasks,
  • - replacing political competition with political cooperation,
  • - distribution of power through collegiality and consensus,
  • - consideration by the majority of the needs of the minority,
  • - dispersion-decentralization, not concentration of power,
  • - the predominance of decisions of direct democracy over representative democracy,
  • - the desire of power structures to establish social peace and social justice.

This system was established primarily in Switzerland, Iceland, partly in Sweden, Germany, Holland, Austria and other countries.

Political systems can be typologized by their political regimes and political cultures. In this aspect, one can accept the terms “political system of a totalitarian regime” or “Anglo-American political system”.

Political system of society– a set of relations between political subjects, organized on a single normative and value basis, related to the exercise of power (government) and the management of society.

Forms of political systems:

· Democracy

· Theocracy

The following components of the political system are identified, which determine what elements it consists of and how they are interconnected:

· organizational (institutional) component - the political organization of society, including the state, political parties and movements, public organizations and associations, labor collectives, pressure groups, trade unions, churches, and the media.

· cultural component - political consciousness, characterizing the psychological and ideological aspects of political power

And the political system (political culture, political ideas/ideologies).

· normative component - socio-political and legal norms regulating the political life of society and the process of exercising political power, traditions and customs, moral norms.

· communicative component - information connections and political relations that develop between elements of the system regarding political power, as well as between the political system and society.

· functional component - political practice, consisting of forms and directions of political activity; methods of exercising power.

The following functions of the political system are distinguished:

· Providing political power for a certain social group or for the majority of members of a given society

· Management of various spheres of people’s life in the interests of certain social groups or the majority of the population

· Mobilize the funds and resources needed to achieve these goals and objectives

· Identification and representation of the interests of various subjects of political relations

· Satisfying the interests of various subjects of political relations through the distribution of material and spiritual values ​​in accordance with certain ideals of a particular society

· Integration of society, creation of necessary conditions for the interaction of various elements of its structure

· Political socialization (through which the political consciousness of the individual is formed and he is included in the work of specific political mechanisms, due to which the political system is reproduced by training more and more new members of society and introducing them to political participation and activity).

· Legitimation of political power (that is, achieving a certain degree of compliance with real political life with official political and legal norms).


8.Political regimes, their classification.

Political regimes– a set of means and methods of exercising political power, reflecting the degree of democracy in the relationship between the state and the individual and society.

Character gender. mode is determined:

the interests of political groups on which the regime relies, the democratic means and methods of power, the role of violence and coercion in the state. Managing the ruler’s compliance with laws and the attitude of the authorities to human rights and freedoms at the gender level. Participation and gender. The culture of citizens by the possibilities of free competition between the ruling and opposition elites

Signs of a democratic regime:

The source of power is the people; the presence of a “middle class” - social. The basis of democracy; state The device is based on the principle of “separation of powers”; everything that is not prohibited by law is permitted; floor. Pluralism, favorable conditions for the development of civil society

Signs of a totalitarian regime:

Comprehensive state control over society; the dominance of administrative-command methods of managing society; the head of state and government is a leader who is not accountable to citizens; the principle “everything that is not permitted by law is prohibited”; power manipulates public consciousness and behavior

Unlimited power of one person or state. Organ; methods of coercion, the desire for total control over society; closed methods of selection and promotion of government officials. Persons; system of prohibitions; state structures manipulate the consciousness and behavior of citizens

Oligarchy- the power of the few, a form of state. Management, with cat. The company is managed by a small group of representatives of financial capital.

Polity- state A government that combines the principles of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy.

The problem of society, its organization and functioning has always occupied an important place in the research of scientists.

At a certain stage in the development of society, private property, classes and social groups appear, political ideas and theories are formed, and the need to lead society arises. This is how the political system of society is formed and historically develops.

Political system of society- a set of institutions ordered on the basis of law and other social norms (state bodies, political parties, movements, public organizations), within the framework of which the political life of society takes place and political power is exercised.

The term “political system of society” owes its origin to the widespread development in the 60s of the twentieth century. systems method of research (the general theory of systems by L. von Bertalanffy) and the development on its basis of the theory of the social system (primarily in the works of T. Parsons, I. Merton, M. Levy, etc.). This topic came to the center of attention of Soviet social scientists and scientists from socialist countries later: from the second half of the 60s to the end of the 70s. If we look deeper into the history of science, one of the founders of the systematic approach to politics was the outstanding ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, and the English philosopher and thinker T. Hobbes is considered the author of the first scientific definition of politics and attempts at its practical application to the analysis of political reality.

The political system of modern society is characterized by extreme complexity, diversity of structural elements, functional characteristics and relationships. It provides one of its subsystems along with the economic, social, political and spiritual-ideological. There are many definitions of the political system of society.

In the domestic literature, a definition based on the functional approach has become widespread. The author of one of the first definitions, F.M. Burlatsky, understands a political system as “a relatively closed system that ensures the integration of all elements of society and its very existence as a whole, a social organism centrally controlled by political power, the core of which is the state, expressing the interests of the economically dominant classes.” . This definition focuses on two points: , which are of great importance for revealing and understanding the political system: firstly , its intended purpose (integration as the main function) and, secondly , the class essence of the system, which is identified by indicating the nature of state power.

In Western political science, there are several directions in the interpretation of the political system of society - the American school, the French and the German.



American school(D. Easton, D. Deutsch, G. Almond) gives a broad interpretation of the political system of society, understanding it as a whole the way people behave when this system carries out an authoritarian (powerful) distribution of values.

French school(M. Duverger) identifies political system with a political regime. Here the concept of the political system of society is narrowed, only one of its sides is taken.

German school(M. Weber, K. von Boime ) consider the political system as a state and its structure. But we cannot agree with this, because... The state is one of the elements of the political system.

In addition to these directions, there are many other models of the political system that characterize the political system as a political process, political behavior within the framework of certain communities - trade unions, firms, clubs, cities.

The most rational are two definitions of a political system:

1 political system of society - a system of institutions (state institutions, political parties, public organizations), within the framework of which the political life of society takes place and power is exercised;

2 political system of a society - a set of political institutions and relations of a particular society.

As life develops and becomes more complex, caused by socio-economic, scientific, technical, and international factors, the political system also changes. The political system transforms and adapts to changes in society. At the same time, it influences the environment, a governing and regulating social force.

Like any orderly system for ensuring the life of society, the political system has an internal organization and structure.

The political system structurally consists of 4 elements:

1) political institutions;

2) the relationship between them;

3) political norms, consciousness, culture;

4) political activity, political process.

So, The political system is divided into subsystems: institutional, normative-cultural, functional and substantial. Considered in unity and integrity, they constitute a complex of interacting institutions and relationships, reflected in consciousness, culture and realized in practical political activity.

Structure of the political system determined either on the basis of a systems approach or from a structural-functional approach.

Subsystems in the structure of the political system of society: institutional, regulatory, functional, communicative, political-ideological, normative-cultural.

1. Institutional subsystem- the “framework” of the political system of society, which includes government bodies, political parties, social movements, public organizations, the media, etc. A regulatory and legal framework is created for the functioning of the entire political system, and the forms of its influence on other social systems are determined. This is a combination of political views, ideas, ideas, and feelings of participants in the political life of society that are different in content. She plays a key role in the political system.

2. Regulatory subsystem- legal and moral norms, traditions, customs, prevailing political views in society that affect the political system.

3. Functional subsystem- these are the forms and directions of political activity, methods of exercising power. This is expressed generally in the concept of “political regime”.

4. Communication subsystem covers all forms of interaction between various elements of the political system (classes, social groups, nations, individuals) regarding their participation in the organization, implementation and development of political power in connection with the development and implementation of certain policies, as well as between the political systems of different countries.

5. Political-ideological subsystem- a set of political views, ideas, theories and concepts, ideas of participants in the political life of society on the basis of which various socio-political institutions arise, form and develop. This subsystem plays a significant role in determining political goals and ways to achieve them.

Normative-cultural subsystem- an integrating factor of the political system, a complex of ingrained patterns (stereotypes) of political ideas and value orientations of political behavior typical for a given society; political norms and traditions that determine and regulate the political life of society.

Each of the subsystems has its own structure and is relatively independent. Under specific conditions in each state, these subsystems function in specific forms.

Among political institutions, influencing the political process and political impact on society, it should be highlighted state and political parties. Adjacent to them are non-political institutions public associations and organizations, professional and creative unions and etc. The main purpose of political institutions is to represent the fundamental interests of various sectors of society. The desire to organize and realize one's political interests and goals is the main thing in the activities of political institutions.

The central institution of power in society is state. It is the state that is the official representative of the entire society; on its behalf, government decisions that are binding on society are made. The state ensures the political organization of society, and in this capacity it occupies a special place in the political system, giving it a kind of integrity and stability.

Have a significant impact on society political parties, representing the interests of a part of the people and aiming to realize them by conquering state power or participating in its implementation, as well as political movements that do not aim to gain state power, but to have influence over those who exercise it.

The political system also includes political relations. They represent varieties of social relations that reflect the connections that arise regarding political power, its conquest, organization and use. In the process of functioning of society, political relations are mobile and dynamic. They determine the content and nature of the functioning of a given political system.

An essential element of the political system are political norms and principles. They form the normative basis of social life. Norms regulate the activities of the political system and the nature of political relations, giving them orderliness and a focus on stability. The substantive orientation of political norms and principles depends on the goals of social development, the level of development of civil society, the type of political regime, historical and cultural characteristics of the political system. Through political norms and principles, certain social interests and political foundations receive official recognition and consolidation. With the help of these principles and norms, political-power cultures solve the problem of ensuring social dynamics within the framework of the rule of law, bring their goals to the attention of society, and determine the model of behavior of participants in political life.

The elements of the political system include political consciousness and political culture. Reflection of political relations and interests, people's assessment of political phenomena are expressed in the form of certain concepts, ideas, views and theories, which in their totality form political consciousness.

The political system of society arose to solve certain problems. Their solution finds expression in the functions of the political system.

Functions of the political system:

1. Political leadership of society- management of public affairs, goal setting - defining goals, objectives and ways of development of society; organization of the company’s activities to achieve goals and programs

2. Integrative function aimed at consolidating society as a single whole; coordination of the diverse interests of social communities and the state. This function is objectively determined by the existence of multidirectional, sometimes antagonistic in their manifestations, political processes, behind which there are different political forces, the struggle of which is fraught with grave consequences for society.

3. Regulatory function- creation of a special subsystem of socio-political norms, adherence to which is recognized as the standard of socially acceptable behavior.

4. Mobilization function- ensures maximum use of society's resources.

5. Distributive function is aimed at the distribution of resources, material and spiritual values ​​between members of society.

6. Legitimization function ensures the achievement of the necessary degree of compliance with real political life with official (generally accepted) legal and political norms. Interacting with the external environment, the political system performs the following functions:

7) Function of political communication- provides a connection between the elements of the political system, as well as between the system and the environment;

8) Control function- monitoring compliance with laws and regulations, suppression of actions that violate political norms; control of conflicts of interests of various social groups in order to preserve the unity and integrity of society.

9) Worldview function contributes to the development of a vision of political reality, the formation of citizenship, political culture, political beliefs, value orientations, political consciousness, and the involvement of members of society in political activity.

10) Protective and stabilizing function ensures internal and external security and stability of the political system;