Political power is the ability of one person or group of persons to control the behavior of citizens of society, based on national or national objectives. Political power has a dual nature, since it performs a truly legislative function and a representative, abstract political function.
Main features political power
- - Availability of an object and subject of political management. Subjects are divided into:
- - primary - large social groups with their own interests,
- - secondary - organs state power, political parties and organizations, leaders, political elite,
- - consolidation in laws of the powers of the subject of governance,
- - a clear mechanism for implementing the decisions of political authorities in practice,
- - the principle of (functional) separation of powers,
- - legitimacy of power:
- - legality (legal basis for power)
- - loyalty (public support for government)
- - sovereignty, which means independence and indivisibility of power,
- - authority, power, i.e. the generally recognized influence of the subject of power in all spheres of society,
- - the coercive nature of power (persuasion, submission, command, domination, violence),
- - universality of power, which means the functioning of power in all public relations and political processes. Universality, i.e. publicity. This means that political power acts on the basis of law on behalf of the entire society.
- - Legality in the use of force and other means of power within the country,
- - Monocentricity, i.e. the existence of a national center (system of government bodies) decision-making,
- - The widest range of means used to gain, retain and exercise power.
Political power, like any power, means the ability and right of some to exercise their will in relation to others, to command and control others. But at the same time, unlike other forms of power, it has its own specifics. Its distinctive features are:
Supremacy, the binding nature of its decisions for the entire society and, accordingly, for all other types of power. It can limit the influence of other forms of power, placing them within reasonable limits, or eliminate them altogether;
The main elements of power are its subject, object, and means (resources).
The subject of power embodies its active, directing principle. It can be a person, an organ, an organization, a social community, etc. To implement power relations, the subject must have a number of qualities such as the desire to rule and the will to power. In addition, the subject of power must be competent, must know the state and mood of his subordinates, and have authority.
The subject determines the content of the relationship through:
- -order (order) as an authoritative command to obey the will of the subject of power;
- -subordination as the behavior of the private will of power:
- -punishment (sanctions) as a means of influencing the denial of the dominant will;
- -rationing behavior as a set of rules in accordance with the general interest
The attitude of the object (executors) - the second most important element of power - largely depends on the order and the nature of the requirements contained in it. Power is always a two-way relationship between subject and object. Power is inconceivable without the subordination of the object. Where there is no object, there is no power.
The scale of the relationship between the object and the subject of power extends from fierce resistance, the struggle for destruction to voluntary, joyfully accepted obedience.
The most important social cause the subordination of some people to others is the uneven distribution of power resources. Power resources are very diverse. There are several classifications of resources. According to one of them, resources are divided into utilitarian, coercive and normative. Utilitarian benefits include material and other social benefits; to compulsory - measures of criminal and administrative influence on inner world, value orientations and norms of human behavior. They are designed to ensure approval of the actions of the subject of power and acceptance of his demands. The second classification is the division of resources in accordance with the most important areas of activity into economic, social, political-power and cultural information.
Economic resources - these are material assets necessary for social production and consumption (money, food, minerals.).
Social resources - is the ability to increase (or decrease) social status or rank, place in the social hierarchy (position, prestige, education, etc.)
Cultural and information resources - knowledge and information, as well as the means of obtaining them: institutes of science and education, means mass media and etc.
Power resources- this is a weapon and an apparatus of physical coercion, people specially trained for this.
A specific resource of power is the person himself (demographic resources). People are a universal, multifunctional resource that creates resources.
The use of power resources sets in motion all its components, makes its process reality, which occurs in the following stages (forms); domination, leadership, organization and control.
Political power as one of the most important manifestations of power is characterized by real ability of a given class, group, or individual to carry out the will expressed in politics. The concept of political power is broader than the concept of state power. It is known that political activity is carried out not only within the state but also in other components of the social system - political system: within the framework of parties, trade unions, international organizations, etc.
In political science, the following basic components of the structure of communication within the framework of state-public power are distinguished:
- - agents;
- -values;
- -ways (instrumental-institutional) and
- -resources
The interaction between them determines the entire palette of relationships expressed in Russian by the concepts of “dominance” and “subordination”, “will” and “strength”, “control” and “distribution”, “management” and “leadership”, “management” and “pressure”, “power” and “influence”, “authority” and “violence”, etc.
Thus, the relations of “dominance and subordination” of agents of power constitute the central link in the mechanism of social communication between people, in which its participants recognize the existing order of power relations as legitimate, i.e. a socially significant and necessary way and stereotype of interaction between people in society.
Let us touch upon the institutional basis of the power structure, which is based on the principle of separation of powers. It was based on a powerful tradition of ensuring stability and balance, the synthesis of autocracy and collectivism in decision making. However, in the ancient and middle ages, the idea of balance came down to the questions: who rules, how the ruler takes into account the interests of everyone who can influence the government.
The separation of powers facilitates mutual control of the activities of government bodies. The theory of separation of powers is also defined as a system of control and balance. It turns out that each government has its own sphere of authority, closed to others, but it also influences the adjacent sphere, since there are issues of joint jurisdiction.
Legislature.
It is based on the principles of the Constitution and the rule of law, and is formed through free elections. The legislative branch amends the constitution, determines the basis of internal and foreign policy state, approves the state budget, adopts laws binding on all executive authorities and citizens, and monitors their implementation. The supremacy of the legislative power is limited by the principles of law, constitutions, and human rights.
Legislatures and other authorities (judicial and executive) are controlled by voters through a system of popular representation and free democratic elections. In democratic states, the bearer of legislative power is the parliament, which can be bicameral or unicameral. The most common is a unicameral parliament. A number of countries have a so-called simple two-chamber parliamentary system, in which one chamber is formed as a result of direct elections, and the other on the basis of territorial proportionality.
Executive and administrative power.
It is characterized by dynamism, increased sensitivity to public life, and is carried out by the government. The peculiarity of the executive branch is that it not only executes laws, but also issues regulations or comes up with legislative initiatives.
Considering that this government operates primarily behind “closed” doors, then in the absence of proper checks executive branch inevitably crushes both the legislative and judicial authorities. Executive and administrative activities must be based on the law and within the framework of the law. It does not have the right to arrogate powers to itself and demand citizens to perform any duties, unless this is provided for by law; its containment is achieved through regular reporting and responsibility to the people's representative office, which has the right to control the activities of the executive branch.
Judicial branch.
It includes institutions that represent an independent structure government organization. The state of the judiciary, the attitude towards it in society, the direction of its development have a significant impact on all aspects of society: economic, political, cultural, the status of a person, ensuring and protecting his rights and freedoms. Every person should have firm confidence that his appeal to the judiciary will be completed with a fair decision, because the protection of human rights and freedoms, the resolution of conflicts and disputes by civilized means is the norm of a rule-of-law state. The court is called upon to be a defender of the right by stopping offenses.
The judiciary influences the legislative and executive. The legislative branch is controlled through the court system. Thus, with the help of the Constitutional Court in the country, the constitutionality of not only by-laws, but also the laws themselves is ensured.
The next aspect of the power structure that I want to dwell on in more detail is its resources. The main resources of societies include material objects and spiritual goods that are capable, firstly, of satisfying the needs and interests of people, representing a certain value social relations and, secondly, increase the potential of influence and the power of influence of government agents. According to a number of American political scientists, power is, first of all, the control and distribution of society's resources, and politics, accordingly, is the sphere of resource exchange or regulation of resource exchange.
Types of power:
-Traditional authority
To maintain traditional power, familiar and long-existing forms of social life serve.
- - management costs are lower
- -a sense of community among people
- -weak receptivity to new things
Authority can acquire legitimacy through tradition. M. Weber characterizes such power as traditional power. In this case, one obeys because “it has always been this way.” Traditional domination takes place in patriarchal societies, organized like the family, where obedience to the father, the head of the clan, is a natural reaction to the political order.
-Rational - legal power.
The source of its legitimacy lies in the fact that it is based on a generally recognized legal order. People who have such power arrive at their position based on a legalized procedure. For example, as a result of elections.
Economic power
In order for economic power to take place, some kind of wealth is necessary, which the object has, but the subject does not, and the subject needs this wealth.
Charismatic power
Charismatic power based on the exceptional properties possessed by the subject. The charismatic type of power can be considered the most unique. Firstly, it is based on belief in the supernatural holiness, heroism or some other dignity of the leader. Moreover, the authority of his personality extends to the institutions of power and contributes to their recognition and acceptance by the population. Unconditional support for a leader by the population often turns into Caesarism, leaderism and a cult of personality. Secondly, it is often built on the denial of everything that happened before, that is, it implies that the proposed version of domination is the best. A charismatic leader often comes to power in “ Time of Troubles“when there is no need to rely on the authority of traditions or laws, and the population is ready to support someone who promises a better future. It is precisely because of the very specifics of charismatic power that a number of problems arise with the transfer of power.
Mechanisms for the transfer of charismatic power:
- -The leader himself appoints his successor. In this case, people's love and trust are transferred to the “continuator of the business.”
- -The charisma of the institution (“it is not the person who paints the place, but the place of the person”), allows the leader to become one by taking the position of head of state (US President). Also widespread is the charisma of an organization, which implies unconditional support by the population of all members of a particular organization (CPSU, CPC, etc.).
- -Family charisma is a very rare variant of the transfer of power. In this case, the state is governed by members of one clan or dynasty. IN modern world This practice exists mainly in eastern countries. Most shining example-- the rule of the Gandhi family in India.
If none of the listed mechanisms for transferring power works, a struggle for power begins within the elite.
- - management efficiency (especially during a crisis),
- - practical lack of accountability and lack of control.
The authority of the bearer of charismatic power is the authority of some unusual personal gift - charisma. M. Weber notes that charisma should be called a personality quality that is recognized as extraordinary. Thanks to this quality, she is assessed by others as gifted with supernatural or, at least, specifically special powers and properties that are inaccessible to other people. Such a person is considered as if sent by God. IN Russian history we can easily find examples of charismatic authority. This is the authority of such Bolshevik leaders as Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, etc.
Phobocracy(lat. " The power of fear") is an extreme version of military power, based on unquestioning discipline and unity of action.
Authoritarian social relationships mean the division of society into (few) giving orders and (many) taking these orders, depriving the individuals involved in this process (intellectually, emotionally and physically) and society as a whole. Human relationships in all areas of life are marked by power, not freedom. And since freedom can only be created by freedom, authoritarian social relations (and the obedience they require) do not (and cannot educate) the individual in freedom - only participation (self-government) in all areas of life can do this.
It should be kept in mind that in real life political life it is hardly possible to find any “pure” types associated with only one of the forms of legitimacy. In reality, we can only talk about the dominance of one form of legality and a certain structure of marginal or secondary forms associated with various kinds of sociocultural traditions and influences.
The main forms of political power are domination, political leadership and management . Domination- this is the absolute or relative subordination of some people by others. Political leadership and management are implemented through the adoption of strategic and tactical decisions to objects of power, through organization, regulation. Anna and control of their development.
Forms of political power are also distinguished by the criterion of the main subject of government. These include:
1) monarchy - autocratic (absolute or limited) hereditary rule of one person - the head of state - the monarch;
2) tyranny (despotism) - individual unlimited autocracy, due to the violent seizure of power, which is characterized by the absolute arbitrariness of the ruler and the complete lack of rights of the people;
3) aristocracy - the power of the hereditary, high-born, noble minority, privileged class;
4) oligarchy (plutocracy, timocracy) - the power of the rich, wealthy, low-born minority, which subjugates the state apparatus;
5) theocracy - the political power of the clergy, the head of the church in the state;
6) ochlocracy - the power of the crowd, is based not on laws, but on instant moods, the whims of the crowd, is often influenced by demagogues, becomes despotic and acts tyrannically;
7) democracy - the power of the people based on the law and guarantees of the rights and freedoms of citizens;
8). PARTOCRACY - the power of one party, the party nomenclature (top) in the state;
9) bureaucracy - the power of officials and administrators in the state; a hierarchically organized system of power and state apparatus endowed with specific functions;
10) technocracy - the power of the scientific and technical elite (specialists), heads of enterprises, managers;
11) meritocracy - the power of the most gifted, worthy people, which is based on the principle of individual merit;
12) autocracy - unlimited and uncontrolled autocracy;
13) anarchy - anarchy of the state; self-government of communities, communes, families and other primary communities of people
Well-known political scientist and economist. B. Gavrylyshyn believes that modern stage There are three types of power:
1. Counterweight type power. Such power is based on individualistic-competitive values and exists in countries where such values predominate (English-speaking). The characteristic features of this type of power organization are:
a) existence ruling group and the opposition (counterweight), constantly competes with it (elite and counter-elite);
b) distribution of power into legislative, executive and judicial;
c) building power institutions based on the principle of control and balance;
d) the presence of periodic elections;
e) decision-making based on the majority principle
2. Collegial power (cooperation in power) is characterized by the following features:
a) separation of powers without the formation of an opposition;
b) collegiality in decision making;
c) decentralization of power;
G) high level consensus (agreement);
e) use of means of direct democracy (for example, in Switzerland, Japan)
3. Unitary (undifferentiated, dictatorship, indivisible, integral) power, which is characterized by the following features: a) concentration of power in one hand b) absence of legal opposition or counterbalance. Unitary government functions on the principle of minority rule and is always ideologically justified. The only way to take away and transfer power to others is through a revolution or a coup d'etat. Unitary power is tested only during wars, economic difficulties, that is, in critical situations.
The political is embodied through the mechanism of power relations. Its structure, according to the Polish political scientist. Jerzy. Vyatr looks like this:
1. Presence of at least two partners in power relations
2. The expression of the will of the ruler is carried out through a certain act, which provides for sanctions for disobedience to his will
3 obligatory obedience to the one who exercises power
4. Social norms, securing the right of some to issue acts, and of others to obey them (legal support)
Such a mechanism of power relations, working clearly, ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of the relationship between the subject and the object, the implementation of functions
Improving and democratizing political governance involves searching for new ways to exercise power and certain requirements for it. Taking this into account, Russian political scientist. Ivan. Ilyin (1882-1954) formulated. SIS in the axioms of state power.
1. State power cannot belong to anyone except those who have legal authority
2. There must be one state power within each political union
3 branches of power must be exercised by people who meet high moral and political qualifications (power without authority is worse than obvious anarchy)
4 political programs of those in power can only provide for activities that are of common interest
5 political program of the government should cover activities and reforms that can actually be implemented
6. State power is fundamentally linked to distributive justice.
The practice of political life shows that ignoring these axioms leads to a crisis of state power, destabilization of society, and conflict situations that can even develop into civil war.
The authorities paid attention to the phenomenon close attention all outstanding representatives of political science. Each of them contributed to the development of the theory of power.
Political power manifests itself in a variety of forms, the main ones being domination, leadership, organization, control .
Domination presupposes the absolute or relative subordination of some people and their communities to the subjects of power and the social strata they represent (see: Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1983. - P. 85).
Management is expressed in the ability of the subject of power to carry out his will by developing programs, concepts, guidelines, determining the prospects for the development of the social system as a whole and its various links. Management determines current and long-term goals, develops strategic and tactical tasks.
Control manifests itself in the conscious, purposeful influence of the subject of power on various parts of the social system, on controlled objects in order to implement installations
manuals. Management is carried out using various methods, which can be administrative, authoritarian, democratic, based on coercion, etc.
Political power manifests itself in various forms. A meaningful typology of political power can be built “according to various criteria:
- according to the degree of institutionalization: government, city, school, etc.;
- by subject of power - class, party, people's, presidential, parliamentary, etc.;
- on a quantitative basis... - individual (monocratic), oligarchic (power of a cohesive group), polyarchic (multiple power of a number of institutions or individuals);
- by social type of government - monarchical, republican; by mode of government - democratic, authoritarian, despotic, totalitarian, bureaucratic, etc.;
- by social type - socialist, bourgeois, capitalist, etc...." (Political Science: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1993. - P. 44)!
An important type of political power is government . The concept of state power is much narrower compared to the concept "political power" . In this regard, the use of these concepts as identical is incorrect.
State power, like political power in general, can achieve its goals through political education, ideological influence, dissemination of necessary information, etc. However, this does not express its essence. “State power is a form of political power that has the monopoly right to make laws binding on the entire population, and relies on a special apparatus of coercion as one of the means for complying with laws and orders. State power equally means both a specific organization and practical activities to implement the goals and objectives of this organization" (Krasnov B.I. Power as a phenomenon of public life // Social and political spiders. - 1991. - No. 11. - P. 28).
When characterizing state power, two extremes cannot be allowed. On the one hand, it is a mistake to consider this power ONLY as a power that is engaged ONLY in oppressing the people, and on the other hand, to characterize it only as a power that is completely absorbed in concerns about the well-being of the people. State power constantly implements both. Moreover, by oppressing the people, the state government realizes not only its own interests, but also the interests of the people, who are interested in the stability of society, in its normal functioning and development; By showing concern for the welfare of the people, it ensures the realization not so much of their interests as of its own, for only by satisfying the needs of the majority of the population, to a certain extent, can it preserve its privileges, ensure the realization of its interests, its well-being.
In reality, there may be different systems of government. All of them, however, come down to two main ones - federal and unitary. The essence of these systems of power is determined by the nature of the existing division of state power between its subjects different levels. If between the central and local government bodies there are intermediate bodies that, in accordance with the constitution, are endowed with certain power functions, then a federal system of power operates. If there are no such intermediate authorities or they are completely dependent on the central authorities, then a unitary system of state power operates.
State power performs legislative, executive and judicial functions. In this regard, they are divided into legislative, executive and judicial powers.
In some countries, to the above three powers, a fourth is added - the electoral power, which is represented by electoral courts that decide questions about the correctness of the election of deputies. In the constitutions of individual countries we are talking about five or even six powers. The fifth power is represented by the Comptroller General with the apparatus subordinate to him: the sixth is the constituent power to adopt the constitution.
The expediency of the separation of powers is determined, firstly, by the need to clearly define the functions, competence and responsibilities of each branch of government; secondly, the need to prevent abuse of power, the establishment of dictatorship, totalitarianism, usurpation of power; thirdly, the need to exercise mutual control over the branches of government; fourthly, the need of society to combine such contradictory aspects of life as power and freedom, law and justice. . state and society, command and submission; fifthly, the need to create checks and balances in the implementation of power functions (see: Krasnov B.I. Theory of power and power relations // Socio-political journal. - 199.4. - No. 7-8. - P. 40).
Legislative power is based on the principles of constitutionality and the rule of law. It is formed through free elections. This power amends the constitution, determines the fundamentals of the state's domestic and foreign policy, approves the state budget, adopts laws binding on all citizens and authorities, and controls their implementation. The supremacy of the legislative branch is limited by the principles of government, the constitution, and human rights.
Executive-administrative power exercises direct state power. It not only implements laws, but also issues regulations and takes legislative initiatives. This power must be based on the law and act within the framework of the law. The right to control the activities of the executive branch should belong to representative bodies of state power.
The judicial power represents a relatively independent structure of state power. “In its actions, this power must be independent of the legislative and executive powers (see: Ibid. - pp. 43-44, 45).
The beginning of the theoretical substantiation of the problem of separation of powers is associated with the name French philosopher and the historian S. L. Montesquieu, who, as already noted when considering the stages of development of political thought, proposed dividing power into legislative (a representative body elected by the people), executive power (the power of the monarch) and judicial power (independent courts).
Subsequently, Montesquieu's ideas were developed in the works of other thinkers and legislatively enshrined in the constitutions of many countries. The US Constitution, for example, which was adopted in 1787, states that the powers of the legislative branch of the country belong to Congress, the executive branch is exercised by the President, the judicial branch is exercised by the Supreme Court and the lower courts, which are approved by Congress. The principle of separation of powers, according to constitutions, underlies state power in a number of other countries. However, it has not been fully implemented in one country. At the same time, in many countries the basis of state power is the principle of uniqueness.
In our country, for many years it was believed that the idea of separation of powers could not be realized in practice due to the fact that power is united and indivisible. IN last years the situation has changed. Now everyone is talking about the need for separation of powers. However, the problem of separation has not yet been resolved in practice due to the fact that the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers is often replaced by opposition between these powers.
The solution to the problem of separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers lies in finding the optimal relationship between them as directions of a single state power, clearly defining their functions and powers.
A relatively independent type of political power is party power. As a type of political power, this power is not recognized by all researchers. In domestic scientific, educational, educational literature The point of view continues to prevail, according to which a party can be a link in the system of political power, but not a subject of power. Many foreign researchers do not recognize the party as a subject of power. Reality has long refuted this point of view. It is known, for example, that for many decades in our country the subject of political power was the CPSU. Parties have been the real subjects of political power for many years in the industrialized countries of the West.
Political power performs various functions. It implements general organizational, regulatory, control functions, organizes the political life of society, regulates political relations, structuring the political organization of society, shaping public consciousness, etc.
In domestic scientific, educational, educational and methodological literature, the functions of political power are often characterized with a “plus” sign. For example, B.I. Krasnov writes: “The government must: 1) provide legal rights citizens, their constitutional freedoms always and in everything; 2) affirm the law as the core of social relations and be able to obey the law; 3) perform economic and creative functions” (Krasnov B.I. Power as a phenomenon of social life // Socio-political sciences. - 1991. - No. 11. - P. 31).
The fact that “the government should” ensure “the rights of citizens,” “their constitutional freedoms,” “perform creative functions,” etc. is certainly a good wish. The only bad thing is that it is often not implemented in practice. In reality, the government not only ensures the rights and constitutional freedoms of citizens, but also tramples them; it not only creates, but also destroys, etc. Therefore, it seems that some foreign researchers give more objective characteristics of the functions of political power.
According to foreign political scientists, power “manifests itself” through the following main features and functions:
Political power performs its functions through political institutions, institutions, and organizations that make up political systems.
Resources (opportunities, means) of power
Process (methods) of power
Power structure as social phenomenon
Power structure
Power is always a two-way subject-object relationship, presupposing the influence of the subject on the object. Therefore her the simplest the structure can be represented as consisting of the following elements: subject (S), object (O), resources and the process of power(see diagram 1) .
Subject (S)– an actor, an active source of power (a person, an organization, a state, an international community (for example, the UN, NATO, the CIS, etc.). The qualities necessary for a subject of power are, at a minimum: interest, opportunity and ability, as well as the desire and will to rule, competence and willingness to take responsibility.
The main subjects of political power are states and political parties, which are called “political institutions.” Subjects of political power also include various socio-political organizations, political elites and leaders, associations, movements, unions. Under certain conditions (for example, during revolutions), the people can also be the subject of political power. In a democracy, the people are constituted as the only “source of power”, fulfilling this social role through the mechanism of popular elections and referendums, as well as other forms of political participation.
2. Object of power ( O) – subordinate party. Subordination can be:
a) voluntary, perhaps even with a desire to obey someone else’s will;
b) forced, under the influence of force, fear, need;
c) conscious, submission by conviction, understanding of the need to obey regardless of subjective desire. For example, military personnel in a combat situation deliberately go to their death in the performance of military duty;
d) based on interest, on benefit. For example, in business, in production, in study, etc.
3. Power resources, i.e. the means and opportunities available to the subject to influence the object. The types of power resources are very diverse . They are classified on various grounds:
– Based on the nature of the impact on the object, the following are distinguished: a) utilitarian resources – material and social benefits. For example, bribery or punishment in rubles, promotion or demotion, provision, expansion or reduction of privileges, etc.; b) forced – physical force, law, administrative prosecution; c) regulatory– impact on internal spiritual world people by the power of knowledge, persuasion, authority or psychological manipulation.
– According to spheres of public life there are: economic, political (including administrative, police, military), social, cultural-informational or ideological and other resources corresponding to the specifics of a particular sphere of society.
Thus, the resources of power are extremely diverse. They are classified on various grounds depending on the types of power, goals and objectives of their study.
At various stages human history Various resources play a primary role for power. According to the famous futurologist Toffler, initial stages history it was violence(mainly physical), then - wealth, and in the post-industrial period – knowledge. Knowledge is the most fundamental resource of power, the importance of which increases over time.
4. The process of ruling, i.e. methods of using resources in the process of influence of the subject of power on the object. The main methods of power are:
– Submission(usually a non-violent method of power). For example, in systems “boss – subordinate”, “parent – child”, “teacher – student”, etc.).
– Coercion(usually carried out through violence - physical, economic, social, administrative, etc.).
- Belief(by force of argument, example or authority). Persuasion can be carried out both with the purpose of inducing certain actions (strikes, revolutions), and restraining the desire for certain actions or actions.
All of the above applies to any type of power as a social phenomenon. Whether we are talking about economic power (i.e., power relations in the sphere of production, distribution and consumption of material goods), spiritual or social power. Political power is special kind social power along with economic, social and spiritual power.
2. Basic forms and distinctive features political power.
Political power exists in various forms. The main ones usually include: state and public, carried out in official or unofficial forms.
Depending on the subjects of power, they distinguish:
State power. This is the supreme universal power. It is universal in the sense that its commands and decisions are binding on all citizens and organizations, regardless of their party or ideological leanings, wealth, nationality, religion, etc.
IN democratic state it is divided into three independent branches: legislative (discussion and adoption of laws), executive (organization of execution of laws) and judicial (control over the compliance of laws with the constitution and compliance with their requirements government agencies authorities, society and citizens).
Public (i.e. non-state) power– power of political parties (party power), public organizations and media independent of the state (information power), as well as power public opinion. Socio-political power is not universal. It is discrete and relates primarily only to members of the relevant parties or public organizations. Subjects of socio-political power, depending on their socio-economic interests and ideological and political orientations, build their relations with state authorities in different ways. Some of them can support state policy, cooperate with it and contribute to its implementation. Others are in opposition to the current state government, presenting, as opposition parties do, an alternative to it.
In a democracy, political parties public organizations, independent media, etc. act as civil society institutions who are subjects of public power.
Depending on the nature of resources and methods of implementation political power is distinguished :
Official, i.e. legal, public, open, political power regulated by state laws. The subjects of official public power include the state, as well as legally, openly and legally operating political parties, public organizations, media, etc.
Unofficial, i.e. informal, hidden, non-public power. Its actors (subjects) are non-public, illegal (underground), illegal political and public organizations. Unofficial political power is wielded by various elite (usually financial and economic) groups, pressure groups, family and sometimes mafia clans, influential scientific centers and outstanding scientists, and even sorcerers and soothsayers. Famous examples from national history in this regard, Grigory Rasputin in the last years of the reign of Nicholas II, or the closest informal political circle of the first President of the Russian Federation B. Yeltsin, which received the threatening name “Family” in the early 90s, can serve. In the US, such informal pressure groups, especially during elections, are called “kitchen cabinets.” They prepare drafts of sometimes fateful political decisions, which are then formalized by elected presidents in the form of laws and other state legal acts. Such individuals and groups do not have state-legal or social status, are “in the political shadow”, but can exert significant influence on the current and future policies of the state and society, pursuing their own narrow selfish interests. It is known what role unofficial power played in the political life of Russia in the 90s of the last century - instead of the expected democracy, the country received an oligarchy. It took years to stop the sliding process Russian society and the state into the chaos of anarchy and decay.
The main forms of political power are:
Dominance;
Political leadership;
Management.
Dominance is the absolute or relative subordination of some people ( social groups) to others.
Political leadership and management are implemented through the adoption of strategic and tactical decisions to objects of power, through the organization, regulation and control of their development. But the practice of power testifies to the existence of incorrect and sometimes immoral forms and means: bribery, deception, promises, blackmail, artificial obstacles, populism, etc. All this harms true democracy, undermines the prestige of power, causes people to distrust it, and threatens social conflicts.
Forms of political power are also distinguished by the criterion of the main subject of government. These include:
· monarchy - single-ownership (absolute or with constitutional restrictions) hereditary rule of one person (monarch);
· tyranny - one-man despotic rule as a result of a violent seizure of power;
· aristocracy - the power of the best, that is, the top, noble, privileged group;
· oligarchy - the power of the rich few;
· timocracy is a special form of oligarchy, in which state power belongs to a privileged majority, which has a high property qualification, often military force;
· theocracy - the power of the church;
· ochlocracy - the power of the crowd, which is based not on laws, but on the instant moods and whims of the crowd, which is often influenced by demagogues, becomes despotic and acts more tyrannically;
· democracy - the power of the people based on the law and ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens.
Modern researchers also highlight the power of partocracy (party elite, nomenklatura), bureaucracy (dominance of the highest government officials, the dominance of supra-centralization and formalization in the state), technocracy ( decisive influence in society is carried out by the scientific and technical elite; dominance of technological thinking).
Political power is realized through the mechanism of power relations. Polish political scientist Jerzy Wiatr proposed the following structure:
The presence of at least two partners in a power relationship;
The expression of the will of the owner is carried out in the form of a certain act, which provides for sanctions for disobedience of his will;
Obligatory obedience to the one who exercises power;
Social norms that establish the right of some to issue acts, and of others to obey them (legal support).
Such a mechanism of power relations, working clearly, ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of the relationship between the subject and the object, and the implementation of functions. These functions are:
1. Integrative (consists in uniting the socio-political forces of society);
2. Regulatory (directs the political will of the masses to regulate the life of society, lawmaking);
3. Motivational (formation of motives political activity, first of all generally significant);
4. Stabilizing (focus on sustainable development of the political system and civil society).
Improving and democratizing political governance involves searching for new ways to exercise power and certain requirements for it. Taking this into account, the Russian political thinker Ivan Ilyin (1882-1954) formulated six axioms of state power:
1. State power cannot belong to anyone except those who have legal authority. Legal consciousness requires that power be perceived not as a force that generates law, but as a competent authority. Law is not born from force, but only from law and always from natural law. Power that does not have legal sanction has no legal dimension.
2. There must be one state power within each political union. It is the only organized expression of will that follows from the unity of law. In every political union, state power, despite the principle of its division, is unique in its essence and goals. The presence of two state authorities indicates the existence of two political unions.
3. Power must be exercised by people who meet high moral and political standards. Power without authority is worse than outright anarchy. A people who fundamentally reject the rule of the best is a disgraceful mob, and demagogues are its guides.
4. The political program of the Volodary people can only include measures that are of general interest. After all, state power is called upon to assert natural law, and it coincides with the general interests of the people and every citizen.
5. The political program of the government must cover measures and reforms that can actually be implemented. It is unacceptable to resort to utopian, unfeasible program outlines.
6. State power is fundamentally bound by permissive justice. However, the government has the right and the obligation to retreat from it when the national and spiritual existence of the people requires it.
The practice of political life shows that ignoring these axioms leads to a crisis of state power, destabilization of society, and conflict situations that can even develop into a civil war.