It works as a whole due to the fact that the elements that make it up constantly interact with each other. But at the same time, it is not just their sum. The concept and structure of a political system are inseparable from the concept of the meaning of each individual element. Therefore, theoretically, it splits into its component parts for various reasons.

Can be based on an understanding of its role. Then it is considered from the standpoint of what type of interaction occurs between subjects playing certain roles and relying on certain patterns.

In addition, the structure of the political system can be based on an institutional approach. This is due to the fact that servicing specific needs and performing functions is assigned to each institution.

Also, the structure of the political system can be delineated according to the principle of stratification. In this case, it is based on the order according to which some groups participate in government. As a rule, decisions are made by the elite, the bureaucracy is executing them, and citizens are already forming their own institutions of power that represent their interests.

The fact that the system is based on different foundations indicates the hierarchical nature of its elements. That is, its components are also organized according to the same principle as the whole of it. And from this it follows that the political system always consists of several subsystems. Interacting with each other, they form integrity.

1. Institutional subsystem. It looks like a complex of political, state and other institutions that express the interests of various groups and individuals. The most global needs of society are met with the help of the state. The degree of specialization and differentiation of functions and roles within this structural element determines its maturity.

2. Normative subsystem. It is a complex of all the norms on the basis of which the authorities fulfill their roles. These are a kind of rules that can be orally passed on to future generations (customs, traditions, symbols), or they can be fixed (legal acts, constitutions).

3. Communicative subsystem. It looks like the interaction of political actors who follow the above-mentioned fixed and non-fixed rules. Relationships can be built on the basis of conflict or agreement. They can also have different focus and intensity. The better the communication system is organized, the more power is open to citizens. Then she enters into a dialogue with the public, exchanges information with her, reacts to the demands of the people.

4. Cultural subsystem. It is made up of the priority values \u200b\u200bof the main confession, subcultures in society, patterns of behavior, mentality and beliefs. This subsystem between citizens and politicians gives their actions a universally significant meaning, leads to agreement, mutual understanding, and stabilizes society as a whole. The level of cultural homogeneity is of great importance. The higher it is, the more efficiently the main element of the cultural subsystem - religion, which dominates in a particular society, functions. It determines the behavior of individuals, the forms of interaction between them.

5. Functional subsystem. It is a complex of technologies used in politics to exercise power.

The structure and not only its components are inseparable from each other. The fact is that the function of each element implements one specific need. And all together they ensure the full-fledged work of the political system as a whole.

The analysis of the political system makes it possible to study its structure, that is, the internal organization of individual constituent elements.

The structure of the political system - is a set of power institutions that are interconnected and create a stable integrity.

The main connecting component of the system is political power concentrated in the state, political parties and public organizations. Power is an element, a source of control, the basis for the development and functioning of political systems.

In the most general, simplified version, the structure of the political system consists of the following components: 1) political relations; 2) political institutions (organizations; state legal bodies, political movements, mass public organizations! Labor collectives and associations); 3) political and legal norms; 4) political consciousness and political culture; 5) mass media; 6) a person as a political being is a citizen.

However, some scholars distinguish a number of structural levels in the structure of the political system (S.D. Gelei, S.M. Rutar) or blocks (V. Perevalov):

1) the organizational and institutional block covers the totality of political associations (state bodies, regional power structures and local self-government, electoral and party systems, political parties, socio-political organizations and movements) and reveals the nature of their functioning in the political system. A special place here belongs to the state, on the essence and form of which the essence, types and functions of the political system depend. Parties that can represent the interests of a class (class), nation, ethnic groups (national), confessions (religious), all strata of the population (patriotic), individual groups (clan), leaders (ethical charisma) act as purely political phenomena.

Of great importance are social and political organizations and movements that cannot satisfy the interests of their members without participation in politics, without government intervention in solving problems and without their interference in the competence of the state (direction of the state to new needs);

2) the personal-organizational block means the relationship between politics and a person. All people in one way or another are subject to political influence in a wide variety of forms. In addition, the most "prepared" individuals through various organizational and political forms actively participate in the development of political ideas and norms, the formation of political power. It is a person as a citizen, deputy, member of a party and a movement who creates politics, really influences the political development of society.

3) the normative and regulatory block includes political and legal norms, customs and traditions. However, this should take into account the fact that legal norms come from the state, local government bodies or the people in general, and therefore they are always at the same time political norms. Some of the political norms that come from political parties, social and political organizations are not legal. Political norms perform organizational and regulatory functions in the political system, are formalized, documented, provided with a control mechanism and political responsibility;

4) the organizational and procedural block has several levels: a) political relations that develop between the state and other political bodies, and above all about participation in the exercise of political power; b) political relations between non-state associations; c) political activity, covering the actions of specific people as representatives or members of political organizations;

5) the intellectually-psychological block, which is revealed in the political consciousness, reflects the ideological and psychological characteristics of the system. The political consciousness of the population, its individual strata and groups, as well as individuals can be formed under the influence of the ideology of liberalism, conservatism, radicalism, socialism, nationalism, chauvinism, racism, and the like. Political consciousness is the main condition for the formation of a political order, political culture;

c) the information block, consisting of the mass media, that is, the "fourth estate", reflects the level of democracy or undemocratic nature of society, the closed or open political system in terms of the accessibility of the general public to information about political and economic life.

All certain blocks, closely interacting, make up an integral political system. In fact, it is impossible to separate, isolate individuals from political organizations, and the rest from ideas, norms, relationships.

It should be noted that not all institutions of state power are political, but only those that are formed directly by the people or a representative body and make political decisions. These include the institution of the head of state, parliament, government and government representatives at regional and local levels. All institutions are elements of such types of state power as administrative, military-power and judicial.

Administrative power is exercised by the administrative apparatus, which is based on officials (civil servants) at all levels of the political system, from the state administration to the presidential administration (for example, in Ukraine). The administrative apparatus, as a politically neutral body, provides a technological process for the preparation and implementation of political decisions that are made by political bodies. Unlike political bodies, the administrative apparatus is formed by appointment or hiring, and the length of its term of office, ideally, should not depend on the victory of certain political forces in the elections (except for the presidential form of government).

The military-security agencies (army, police, national security service) perform specific functions of protecting the political system and all the support - in accordance with one or another political regime, law and order. The lack of civilized control by the public over these bodies (where a significant share in this process falls on the media) leads to the limitation of democracy and the strengthening of the police functions of the state.

In contrast to the administrative and military power, they directly depend on political bodies, the judiciary has an autonomous status of state power. Basically, it is an element of the legal system, but some of its features are political in nature. This concerns the political sources of the formation of the judiciary (judges are appointed by the head of state and the heads of executive power of the subjects of the federation, elected by the parliaments, representative bodies of the subjects of the federation, as well as direct elections) and ensuring the implementation of not only purely legal, but also political and legal functions, such as disputes on the delimitation of competence between state bodies, state bodies and subjects of the federation or autonomy, control over the compliance of acts of political power bodies with the constitution, implementation of the procedure for impeachment or criminal prosecution of senior officials of state power.

In general, political systems "live" and function in time and space, since they represent one of the main forms of movement of social-class matter. The vital activity of the political system is manifested in the process of performing its functions (main directions of activity) by certain methods and means. The functions of a political system determine its structure and process of action. their implementation is subordinated to the main thing - to ensure the stability of society and its development. The main functions of the political system are:

1) the normative and technical function is the development of the political course of the state and the determination of the goals and objectives of the development of society;

2) the organizational and coordinating (tactical) function is the organization of society's activities to fulfill common tasks and programs and the coordination of the work of individual elements of society;

3) the function of legitimization is an activity aimed at legitimizing the political system, at achieving, within its limits, the mutual correspondence of political life, official policy and legal norms;

4) the function of political socialization is to attract a person to the political activity of society;

5) the aggregating function is the generalization and ordering of the interests and needs of social strata of the population;

6) the function of articulation is to present interests and claims to persons who make policy and exercise state power;

7) the stabilization function is to ensure the stability and sustainability of the development of the social system as a whole.

The functions of the political system are not static, unchanging. They are distinguished by their dynamism and development, taking into account the peculiarities of the political space and time, the specific historical situation and conditions, the achieved level of development of the economy, culture, and political stability. Each function is broken down into subfunctions that are performed by various political institutions. Subfunctions are also constantly changing, new ones appear and those that already existed are transformed. However, there are also active, permanent functions that are inseparable from the very concept of a political system (for example, normative and technical or organizational and coordinating), and situational functions are also important (for example, a mobilization and defensive function). Situational functions are always a form of implementation of permanent functions and therefore are not independent.

Due to the fact that during the functioning of the political system there is a problem of relative autonomy of the functions of individual political institutions and their coordination within the system as a whole, there is a need for coordination and subordination of functions.

Coordination is horizontal alignment of functions. For example, political parties of one political direction coordinate their activities - Christian-democratic, national-patriotic, socialist and communist, co-social-democratic and others.

Subordination is the coordination of functions vertically, the subordination of the functions of some components to others and all components of the system as a whole. For example, at the initiative of the President of Ukraine in the mid-90s of the XX century. a political institution of its local representatives was introduced to coordinate the functions of the central and regional authorities; with the adoption of the Constitution, it was replaced by state administrations in the regions.

Phenomena, objects and characters associated with the concept of "politics" constitute the sphere of the political life of society. The function of a political system is based on an ordered system, systemic integrity. This is, first of all, the state, parties, political norms, institutions (for example, monarchy or electoral law), these are symbols - the anthem, coat of arms and flag, this is political culture, all its values \u200b\u200band much more, much of what makes up the structure of politics ... The function of the political system is that all these elements work together, interconnected, and none of them exists in isolation.

Political system

An ordered set of institutions, norms, ideas, organizations, interactions and relations between them, organizing political power - this is the political system. It is a whole complex of non-state and state institutions that carry out the functions of the political system of society, the activity through which all the work of state power takes place. Although the concept is much more capacious than just state power and state administration.

The political system encompasses all institutions and all persons who participate in the political process and, in addition, all non-governmental and informal phenomena and factors that have an influence on the posing of problems, as well as the development of solutions and their implementation in state-power relations. If interpreted most broadly, then this concept can include everything that is in any way related to politics. The function of the political system is to influence political decisions with the help of human and material resources.

Characteristic

Any political system has characteristics that are considered according to the following parameters:

• political ideology;
• political culture;
• political norms, traditions and customs.

The main functions of the political system of society are as follows:

• transformation of a public demand into a political decision (conversion);
• adaptation of the political system to the conditions of society, which are constantly changing;
• concentration of human and material resources (voters and money) for the pursuit of political goals;
• protection of basic values \u200b\u200band basic principles of the socio-political system is a protective function;
• the establishment and development of cooperation with other states on a mutually beneficial basis is a foreign policy function;
• matching the requirements of individual social groups and collective interests is a consolidating function;
• creation of spiritual and material values \u200b\u200band their distribution.

With the organization of the institutions of political power, each function of the political system is regulated, in the aggregate it is called a political regime.

Principles

First of all, these are the ways of making decisions on the part of the authorities and the limits of their interference in the regulation of relations in society. The methods of making power decisions can be democratic and authoritarian, which determines the type and functions of the political system of power. Another sign of such a division differs in the limits of interference in the regulation of relations in society, and here one can name totalitarian and liberal political regimes. Regarding the socio-economic basis, the regimes are divided into the following types.

1. A totalitarian distributive regime, where the economy has undergone stateization, material benefits are also distributed by the state. This structure and functions of the political system are characteristic of a totalitarian regime.
2. Liberal-democratic, where the market economy is the basis. This political regime is democratic.
3. Mobilization and convergence, where there is varying degrees of government intervention in the market economy. This structure and function of the political system is an authoritarian regime.

Main elements

Each specific society forms its own specific political system, because all the elements that make up it - institutions and traditions, political values \u200b\u200band the very concept of the structure and functions of a political system - are different in different communities. Since politics is an open system, actively interacting with all spheres of public life, it not only influences the economic, spiritual, social and other components, but also experiences a huge reciprocal influence itself.

But the basic elements are contained in absolutely any political system of society. The concept, structure, functions are outlined more than clearly, for this you just need to consider individual subsystems.

• Organizational and institutional subsystem. Organizations (various social groups, opposition and revolutionary movements, and so on), as well as institutions (parties, parliamentarism, judiciary, civil service, presidency, citizenship, and the like).
• Regulatory subsystem. Legal, political and moral norms, traditions and customs.
• Communicative subsystem. Relations, forms and connections of interaction between participants in the political process, and then between society and the political system.
• Cultural and ideological subsystem. Political ideas and political culture, ideology, political psychology.

Organizational and institutional subsystem

People who work together as an organized group to achieve a political goal is a political organization. For example, a political party, social movement or association that influences state policy, as well as a group of citizens with the initiative to nominate candidates for deputy, even a cell of revolutionaries. One can also name those organizations for which political goals are not the main ones - the church or the trade union, clubs of fishermen or numismatists, but in some conditions they sometimes act as political organizations.

But the political institution is a much more complex element of the system, since its social interaction is stable and constant, where it regulates its site in the political arena of society. The political system, the concept and functions of which are significant for the whole society, forms an ordered structure with the distribution of social roles and clear rules of interaction. Here you can name the institution of civil service, parliament, executive branch, the institution of the head of state, monarchy, presidency, citizenship, legal proceedings, political parties and the like.

Communication subsystem

Connections, relationships, forms of communication and interaction that develop during political activity are a communicative component that every political society has. The functions of the political system of the state cover all components of this system. And in order to realize their own goals, organizations, institutions, large social communities and individuals must build relationships with each other, as well as process the social environment, here is the interaction of parliamentary committees, and the relationship between government agencies and political parties, and the relationship between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, and, of course, the communication of the state with its population.

The most important thing in these relationships is communication channels, the entire communicative subsystem rests on them. These channels transmit information from the population intended for the state authorities (commissions of inquiry, open hearings, election results, sociological surveys, and so on), as well as in the other direction - from the state to the population (the media from which it becomes known about political decisions, new laws and the like). For any political interaction, there are norms - legal, political and moral, in addition, traditions and customs are not forgotten.

Cultural and ideological subsystem

This includes the political views, ideas, beliefs, perceptions and feelings of politicians at all levels. In this component of the political system, the political-psychological and political-ideological aspects can be distinguished. The first deals with the behavioral traits of politics, and the second focuses on its theory. Political psychology focuses on the behavioral traits of both entire societies and groups and individuals, their moods, motivation, feelings, opinions, emotions, delusions and beliefs.

The charisma of leaders, the psychology of the crowd and manipulation of the mass consciousness have a significant impact on the characteristics of the cultural and ideological component. Political ideology is at a higher level and is part of the functions of the political system of the state. This includes political doctrines, theories, concepts and ideas. Political culture is a part of the spiritual culture of mankind with a set of political knowledge, behavior patterns and generally accepted values; it includes the traditions of statehood, symbols and political language.

Main functions

There is no political system without the interaction of its elements, since it is this that determines all of its most important social functions.

• The political system determines the promising areas of social development.
• It also optimizes the movement of society towards its goals.
• With its help, resources are allocated.
• It coordinates the interests of various actors and engages citizens in active participation in politics.
• The political system develops the norms and rules of behavior for all members of society.
• She also monitors the implementation of rules, norms and laws.
• Only a political system can ensure stability and security in society.

The political system functions in the following institutions:

• the state and all its organs;
• social and political movements;
• pressure groups, in other words - interest groups;
• political parties.

The state

This is the main system-forming element that has practically all the functions of the political system. The state is the most powerful object of politics, since it has power and is capable of coercion. Here the most fierce political struggle is unfolding, various political forces want to get this prize - the state machine. However, the state does not always work harmoniously in the political system.

The struggle for power quite often gives independence to individual state units, for example, the army, which then makes a coup d'etat. There are similar conflicts between the parliament and the president (Russia in 1993, when political forces were divided according to this principle). The state and its power will win the elections if the system has nurtured developed political parties and they have control over the government.

Political parties

An ideological organization that unites citizens with the same political views, creates a party in power to implement its program. Ideology is philosophy, the ideas that guide the party in the political struggle. According to this principle, the parties can be divided into liberal, conservative, social democratic and simply democratic, communist, socialist and nationalist. Each of them has a permanent leadership and organizational structure, has a charter and membership.

An organization that does not have fifty thousand members cannot be called a party in Russia. The state divides parties into systemic and non-systemic ones, where the systemic ones are part of the current political system and are governed by existing laws. Non-systemic ones are usually semi-legal or illegal and fight against the existing system. Democracies usually change hands: after the next elections, the ruling party may well become opposition, and the opposition - the ruling one. Authoritarian and totalitarian states are usually one-party, rarely two-party, and democratic multi-party.

Other groups

Social and political movements and public organizations occupy a less significant place in political systems. They are rarely admitted to elections, since they are few in number. Interest groups or pressure groups are trade unions, as well as large monopolies, industrial organizations, the media, the church and many other institutions that do not have the goal of coming to power. But such groups can exert influence (pressure) on the authorities to satisfy certain interests (for example, reduce taxes). All these structural elements - both government and non-government - operate in accordance with specific political traditions and norms, since certain experience has already been gained.

Traditionally, elections are held, where there are no less than two candidates on the ballot, demonstrations, rallies, meetings of actual and future deputies and voters are held, far from one function of the political system is capable of rallying public groups around a correctly submitted idea. Political power is much broader than state power; so many different institutions are subordinate to it that on the whole it even looks somewhat impersonal. The function of the political system consists in the totality of the efforts of all its elements and subdivisions, and the system of government of bodies of political power is the mechanism of this function.

The concept of "political system" is a collection of all the features of the institutions involved in political relations.

In particular, such institutions are political ideology, norms and values, which are the main vector of the political life of this or that state.

Political system concept

The political system is a system of subjects of political relations, whose actions are based on common normative values \u200b\u200band are aimed at managing society and exercising direct political power.

The structure and functions of the political system

The structure of a political system always indicates the main elements that directly form it, as well as their relationship. Main components political system:

Institutional element (state, state apparatus, political and public organizations);

Cultural element (political culture as well as ideology);

Communicative element (connection between political institutions and society);

Normative element (normative base that regulates the interaction between society and the state);

Functional element (methods of direct implementation of political power).

Functions political system:

Conversion function (political decision-making based on public demand);

Protective function (protection of the interests of society, the state system, as well as basic political values);

Mobilization (systematization of human and material resources to achieve socio-political goals);

Foreign policy (development of interstate relations)

State in the political system

The state is a key element of the political system. It is the state that is the key subject of the political system. However, his positions do not always remain dominant.

A striking example of the weakening of the state as the central subject of the political system is a coup d'etat, when the highest state power in the country passes to the army.

Political regimes

A political regime is a set of forms and methods of exercising power in a state. There are such types of political regimes: democratic and authoritarian regime.

Under a democratic regime, all functions of the state are aimed at satisfying and protecting the interests of citizens and individuals.

Political life in modern Russia

Today our state is completing a difficult path of transformation of democracy. For many years an authoritarian communist regime existed in Russia.

Since the first half of the 90s, the process of the formation of democracy has been actively launched in the Russian Federation.

Political system concept

The political system is understood as the totality of state, party and public bodies and organizations involved in the political life of the country. Any system, including a political one, has the following characteristics: - consists of many parts;

The parts make up a whole;

The system has boundaries.

The essence of the political system

The political system as one of the fundamental concepts of social science is the fruit of the modern stage of political knowledge. The term "political system" is found in the writings of Aristotle. However, it was not comprehended either by the great Greek or by theorists of later times in terms of categories, but only designated a separate side of political life.

In modern political science, the concept of "political system" has been developed as a category that encompasses all the main aspects and elements of political activity and political relations organized within a given society.

The political system can be defined as an integral and dynamic set of similar, complementary roles, relations and institutions of power, interacting on the basis of common norms and values, set by the interests of social groups dominating in society and allowing the latter to realize their goals and intentions.

At its core political system characterizesdeep, qualitatively defined foundations of the organization of public state power on the scale of society, reflecting the basic prerequisites and factors for the reproduction of relations between the state and society as a whole. A political system exists in a real country or a group of countries, its basis is a certain community of people (national or international).

Functions of the political system

1) Regulatory, concerning the management of the behavior of groups and individuals (the maintenance of norms, the action of the administration, etc.);

2) Extraction, associated with the extraction of economic and other resources necessary for its functioning;

3) Distributive - the ability to distribute and redistribute resources, goods, services, insignia, etc.

4) Reactive, associated with the need to constantly respond to the requirements of the social environment, to adapt to its changes. P. Sharon quite reasonably adds a fifth, no less significant, and perhaps the most important ability: self-regulation, which characterizes internal controllability directed at oneself.

The structure of the political system

1. The political community of people, including large social groups - bearing the social components of the system, the ruling elite, a group of civil servants, various layers of the electoral corps, the military, etc., in a word, all those who are in power, strive for it, manifest only political activity or alienated from politics and power.

2. The set of political institutions and organizations that make up the structure of the system: the state, all levels of government from the highest authorities to local authorities, political parties, socio-political and non-political organizations pursuing political goals (associations of entrepreneurs, interest groups, and others).

3. Normative subsystem: political, legal and moral norms, traditions, customs and other regulators of political behavior and activity.

4. Functional subsystem: methods of political activity.

5. Political culture and communication subsystem (media).

The elements of the political system include all institutions of social life, groups of people, norms, values, functions, roles, means by which political power is exercised and the public life of people is controlled. The system includes political structures and a community of people with a style of political activity characteristic of it.

Types of political systems

Most Western political scientists identify the following three types of political systems.

Political systems of the Anglo-American type. They are characterized by a secularized political culture based on rational calculation, tolerance and tolerance of citizens and the political elite. Systems of this type are stable, efficient, and capable of self-regulation. Here, the principle of division of power into legislative, executive, and judicial powers is optimally implemented, and their functions are clearly defined.

Political systems of a totalitarian type. Power is concentrated in the hands of a small political nomenclature (bureaucracy). The media are controlled by the state. In society, as a rule, only one party is allowed to operate, which controls the activities of all elements of the political system. The ideology of the ruling party dominates. The functions of the repressive organs have been overly expanded. Political activity is destructive and coercive .

Continental European systems. This refers to the systems that have developed in France, Germany, Italy. They are characterized by the interaction of old and new cultures, political traditions and forms of political activity, parties and socio-political associations function freely within the boundaries of existing constitutional norms, the representative and executive branches of government carry out their activities on the basis of regulations and procedures determined by law.

7. Civil society. Origin, concept, signs, functions. The relationship between civil society and the state.

Civil society is the sphere of self-manifestation of free citizens and voluntarily formed associations and organizations, independent of direct interference and arbitrary regulation by state authorities

Signs of civil society

· The presence in society of free owners of the means of production;

· Developed democracy;

· Legal protection of citizens;

· A certain level of civic culture;

· The most complete provision of human rights and freedoms;

· self management;

· Competition of its constituent structures and various groups of people;

· Freely forming public opinion and pluralism;

· Legitimacy.

Functions of civil society

· legality ensures the protection of private spheres of life of a person and citizen from unreasonable strict regulation of the state and other political structures.

· protects citizens and their associations from illegal interference in their activities of state power and thus

· contributes to the formation and consolidation of democratic state bodies, his entire political system.

· Institutions and organizations civil society are called upon to provide real guarantees of human rights and freedoms, equal access to participation in government and public affairs.

· social control function in relation to its members. It is independent of the state, has the means and sanctions with which it can force the individual to comply with social norms, to ensure the socialization and education of citizens.

· communication function. A democratic state is called upon to satisfy the interests and needs of its citizens as much as possible. However, in the conditions of economic pluralism, these interests are so numerous, so diverse and differentiated that the state power has practically no channels of information about all these interests.

· stabilizing function creates strong structures on which all social life is supported.