Political power and its main forms. Political power - essence and forms

Decor elements 21.09.2019

Forms and types of political power

Expressing and defending the interests of certain social strata, political power at the same time, one way or another, organizes political life society as a whole. It ʼʼis formed as a system of functions from the modeling of one's own activity; analysis of the political and social situation and specific situations; defining your strategy and particular tactical tasks; supervision and suppression ... of deviant behavior; appropriation and disposal of the necessary resources (material and spiritual...); distribution of political resources - confidence building measures, agreements, exchange of concessions and advantages, awards and rewards, etc.; transformation of the political and public (social, economic, legal, cultural, moral) environment of power in its interests and in the interests of its policyʼʼ (Political Science: encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1993. - S. 42).

Political power It manifests itself in various forms, the main ones being domination, leadership, organization, control.

Domination implies 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).

Leadership is expressed in the ability of the subject of power to exercise his will by developing "programs, concepts, attitudes, determining development prospects public system in general and its various parts. Management determines current and long-term goals, develops strategic and tactical tasks.

Management is manifested in the conscious, purposeful influence of the subject of power on various parts of the social system, on managed objects in order to implement the installations

guides. Management is carried out using various methods, which are administrative, authoritarian, democratic, based on coercion, etc.

Political power comes in many forms. A meaningful typology of political power should be built according to various features: according to the degree of institutionalization government, city, school, etc.; according to the subject of power - class, party, people's, presidential, parliamentary, etc.; on a quantitative basis ... - sole (monocratic), oligarchic (power of a cohesive group), polyarchy (multiple power of a number of institutions or individuals); according to the social type of government - monarchical, republican; according to the regime of government - democratic, authoritarian, despotic, totalitarian, bureaucratic, etc.; by social type - socialist, bourgeois, capitalist, etc. ...ʼʼ (Political Science: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1993. - P. 44)!

An important type of political power is state power. concept state power is much narrower than the concept of ʼʼpolitical powerʼʼ. In this regard, the use of these concepts as identical is incorrect.

State power, like political power as a whole, can achieve its goals through political education, ideological influence, dissemination of the necessary information, etc. At the same time, this does not express its essence. ʼʼState power is a form of political power that has a monopoly right to issue laws binding on the entire population, and relies on a special apparatus of coercion as one of the means to comply with laws and orders. State power means both a certain organization and practical activities on the implementation of the goals and objectives of this organizationʼʼ (Krasnov B.I. Power as a phenomenon of public life / / Socio-political spiders. - 1991. - No. 11. - P. 28).

When characterizing state power, two extremes should not be allowed. On the one hand, it is a mistake to consider this government ONLY as a government that is ONLY engaged in oppressing the people, and on the other hand, to characterize it only as a government that is completely absorbed in concerns about the well-being of the people. The state power constantly realizes both that and another. Moreover, by oppressing the people, the state power 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; showing concern for the welfare of the people, it ensures the realization not so much of its interests as of its own, because only by satisfying the needs of the majority of the population, to a certain extent, it can preserve its privileges, ensure the realization of its interests, its well-being.

In reality, there may be various systems state power. 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 of different levels. If there are intermediate bodies between the central and local government bodies, which, in accordance with the constitution, are endowed with certain power functions, then the 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.

The state power performs legislative, executive and judicial functions. In this regard, the power is divided into legislative, executive and judicial.

In some countries, to these three powers, a fourth one 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 and even six powers. The fifth power is represented by the Comptroller General with the apparatus subordinate to him: the sixth is the constituent power for the adoption of the constitution.

The expediency of the separation of powers is determined, firstly, by the extreme importance of a clear definition of the functions, competence and responsibility of each branch of power; secondly, it is extremely important to prevent abuse of power, establish dictatorship, totalitarianism, usurpation of power; thirdly, it is extremely important to exercise mutual control of the branches of power; fourthly, the need of society to combine such contradictory aspects of life as power and freedom, law and law. . state and society, order and subordination; fifthly, it is extremely important 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 foundations of the domestic and foreign policy of the state, approves the state budget, adopts laws binding on all citizens and authorities, and controls their implementation. Supremacy legislature limited by the principles of government, the constitution, human rights.

The executive-administrative power exercises direct state power. It not only executes laws, but also issues normative acts itself, and comes up with a legislative initiative. This power must be based on the law, act within the framework of the law. The right to control the activities of the executive power should belong to the representative bodies of state power.

A relatively independent structure of state power is represented by the judiciary. "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 the separation of powers is associated with the name of the French philosopher and historian C. L. Montesquieu, who, as already noted when considering the stages of development of political thought, proposed to divide power into legislative (representative body elected by the people), executive power (the power of the monarch ) and the judiciary (independent courts).

Subsequently, the ideas of Montesquieu were developed in the works of other thinkers and legislative consolidation in the constitutions of many countries. The US constitution, for example, which was adopted in 1787, states that the powers of the legislative power in the country belong to the Congress, the executive power is exercised by the President, the judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court, and the pace of the lower courts, which are approved by the Congress. The principle of separation of powers, according to the constitutions, lies at the base of state power in a number of other countries. However, it has not been fully implemented in one country. However, 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 should not be put into practice in connection with the fact. that power is one and indivisible. In recent years, the situation has changed. Now everyone is talking about the extreme importance of the separation of powers. At the same time, 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 of these powers.

The solution to the problem of separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers lies in finding the optimal ratio between them as areas 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 and methodological literature, the point of view continues to dominate, according to which the party should be a link in the system of political power, but not the subject of power. Many foreign researchers do not recognize the party as a subject of power either. Reality has long refuted this point of view. It is known, for example, that for many decades in our country the CPSU was the subject of political power. The real subjects of the political power of the party for many years have been in the industrial developed countries 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, the formation of public consciousness, etc.

In domestic scientific, educational, educational and methodological literature, the functions of political power are often characterized with a plus sign. So, for example, B. I. Krasnov writes: ʼʼ The authorities must: 1) ensure the legal rights of citizens, their constitutional freedoms always and in everything; 2) to assert the law as the core of social relations and to be able to obey the law itself; 3) perform economic and creative functionsʼʼ (Krasnov B. I. Power as a phenomenon of public life / / Socio-political sciences. - 1991. - No. 11. - P. 31).

The fact that ʼʼauthority shouldʼʼ ensure ʼʼthe rights of citizensʼʼ, ʼʼtheir constitutional freedomsʼʼ, ʼʼperform creative functionsʼʼ, 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. For this reason, I think, 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:

1) coercion;

2) luring;

3) ʼʼblocking consequencesʼʼ (i.e. hindrance to a competitor and the struggle for power);

4) ʼʼcreation of requirementsʼʼ (artificial formation of needs that can only be satisfied by an agent of power, a kind of political marketing);

5) ʼʼstretching the network of powerʼʼ (inclusion of additional sources of dependence on agents);

6) blackmail (threats in the present or promises of trouble from disobedience in the future);

7) hints;

8) informational direct and indirect control (with the help of warnings, recommendations, revenge, etc.)ʼʼ (Fundamentals of Political Science: A course of lectures. - Part 1. - M., 1991. - P. 244).

Political power performs its functions through political institutions, institutions, organizations that make up political systems.

legitimacy of political power. Types of legitimacy

When characterizing political power in recent years, the concept of ʼʼlegitimacyʼʼ has been widely used. Translated from Latin, this concept means legality. In this sense, it is quite often used when characterizing political power, not only in everyday speech, but also in scientific literature(See for example: Krasnov B. I. Theory of power and power relations / / Socio-political magazine. - 1994. - No. 3-6. - P. 83-84). In fact, the concepts of ʼʼlegitimacyʼʼ and ʼʼlegitimacyʼʼ, of course, are not identical. ʼʼThe legitimacy of a political phenomenon does not mean its legal legality, therefore legitimacy should not be confused with legalization ..., that is, with legalityʼʼ (Political Science: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1993. - P. 151).

The politically dominant social stratum uses various means to assert its dominance: ideological influence, dissemination of beneficial and concealment of unfavorable information, political education, physical violence, etc. At the same time, it strives with all its might to achieve recognition of its political power by people who do not belong to the dominant social class. He does this quite often.

Political power, which is recognized by the bulk of the people in relation to whom it is exercised, is commonly called legitimate. The legitimization of the political power of one or another of its subjects is the recognition of this power by those who do not belong to this subject. The opposite process of legitimation of political power is its delegitimation, that is, the loss of trust by power on the part of those who do not belong to its subject.

In the presence of legitimacy of political power in society, relations of relative trust are established between the dominant social stratum and the rest of society. In this case, the subject of political power weakens violence against the social strata and groups that are the objects of this power, because his decisions and orders are perceived by the majority of people as completely legitimate, they are approved by them.

On the contrary, in the absence of the legitimacy of political power, public life loses stability. In this case, the subject of political power concentrates his efforts on forcibly subordinating the rest of society to himself, he implements his orders and instructions by force of coercion.

Legitimation of the political power of the ruling social strata, individuals is achieved in different ways. The whole variety of factors that ensure the legitimation of political power, in the end, as M. Weber showed, (see: Weber M. Types of legitimate order: conditions and law / / Weber M. Selected works. - M., 1990. -. C 638-643) can be reduced to three main ones: tradition, legality and charisma.

The legitimacy of political power is provided, first of all, by centuries-old traditions of governance and subordination. It is fixed in the traditions who should give orders and instructions, and who should carry them out and obey. Violation of traditional norms is disapprovingly assessed by society, it is naturally accompanied by certain sanctions on the part of society. Political power, the legitimation of which is provided by traditions, is usually called traditional power.

The legitimacy of political power is also achieved with. through the adoption of certain laws and other normative acts that establish the norms of management and subordination, defining the rights and obligations of managers and governed. Political power, the legitimacy of which is ensured by established legal norms, adopted laws and other normative acts, is usually called legal, lawful.

The legitimacy of political power can also be achieved by attributing exceptional, often supernatural qualities to leaders. People recognize the political power of this or that social stratum because they believe in the exceptional abilities of its leader, bow before this leader, associate their well-being in the present or the possibility of improving their position in the future with him. The leader, in turn, is constantly trying to show the masses that he has special qualities, fulfills a "historical mission". Political power, the legitimacy of which is achieved by deifying the leader, endowing him with special qualities, is commonly called charismatic.

These types of legitimacy of political power in reality in their pure form are extremely rare. Most often, they complement each other in various combinations. This, however, does not exclude the specific features of each of them. The most important feature of political power, the legitimacy of which is provided by traditions, is conservatism. Such power is subject to change to a much lesser extent compared to legal and charismatic power. Of all these types of legitimacy, the last one is the most unstable. ʼʼIf tradition and law give political systems a certain stability, then the power of a charismatic leader can turn into an all-subordinating force aimed at bringing about profound institutional changes. Under certain conditions, a charismatic leader is able to overthrow traditions and current laws, to install new orderʼʼ... The leader is guided in this case not by existing institutions, current legal norms or rooted traditions, but by his own inspirationʼʼ (Sanisteban L. S. Fundamentals of political science. - M., 1992. - S. 42-43). If this happens, then society, as a rule, loses stability, enters a period of radical changes, often accompanied by devastation. impoverishment of a significant part of the population, etc.

The possibility of legitimizing political power is ensured by its unequal distribution in society from the moment this power appears, expressed in the fact that a minority gives orders and instructions, governs and commands, and the vast majority of the population carries out orders and obeys.

Forms and types of political power - the concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Forms and types of political power" 2017, 2018.

Power- there is the ability and ability of some to model the behavior of others, i.e. force them to do something against their will by any means, ranging from persuasion to violence.

- the ability of a social subject (individual, group, layer) to impose and carry out their will with the help of legal and norms and a special institution - .

Power is necessary condition sustainable development of society in all its spheres.

Allocate power: political, economic, spiritual family, etc. Economic power is based on the right and ability of the owner of any resources to influence the production of goods and services, spiritual - on the ability of the owners of knowledge, ideology, information to influence the change in people's consciousness.

Political power is power (the power to impose a will) transferred by the community to a social institution.

Political power can be subdivided into state, regional, local, party, corporate, clan, etc. power. State power is provided by state institutions (parliament, government, court, law enforcement agencies, etc.), as well as a legal framework. Other types of political power are provided by relevant organizations, legislation, charters and instructions, traditions and customs, public opinion.

Structural elements of power

Considering power as the ability and ability of some to model the behavior of others, you should find out where this ability comes from? Why, in the course of social interaction, people are divided into those who rule and those who are subject? In order to answer these questions, one must know what power is based on, i.e. what are its bases (sources). There are countless of them. And, nevertheless, among them there are those who are classified as universal, present in one or another proportion (or form) in any power relationship.

In this regard, it is necessary to turn to the accepted in political science classifications of grounds (sources) of power, and to understand what type of power is generated by such of them as force or the threat of force, wealth, knowledge, law, charisma, prestige, authority, etc.

Particular attention should be paid to the argumentation (evidence) of the proposition that power relations are not only relations of dependence, but also of interdependence. That, with the exception of forms of direct violence, there is no absolute power in nature. All power is relative. And it is built not only on the dependence of the subject on the ruling, but also on the ruling on the subject. Although the extent of this dependence they have different.

The closest attention is also required to clarify the essence of differences in approaches to the interpretation of power and power relations among political scientists representing different political science schools. (functionalists, systematists, behaviorists). And also what is behind the definitions of power as a characteristic of an individual, as a resource, as a construction (interpersonal, causal, philosophical), etc.

The main features of political (state) power

Political power is a kind of power complex, including both the state power, which plays the role of "first violin" in it, and the power of all other institutional subjects of politics in the person of political parties, mass socio-political organizations and movements, independent media, etc.

It should also be taken into account that state power, as the most socialized form and core of political power, differs from all other powers (including political ones) in a number of ways. significant features, giving it a universal character. In this regard, one must be prepared to reveal the content of such concepts-signs of this power as universality, publicity, supremacy, monocentrism, diversity of resources, monopoly on the legitimate (i.e., provided for and stipulated by law) use of force, etc.

From the state (or more broad sense with political) power are organically connected with such concepts as "political domination", "legality" and "legitimacy". The first of these concepts is used to denote the process of institutionalization of power, i.e. its consolidation in society as an organized force (in the form of a hierarchical system of government agencies and institutions), functionally designed to carry out general leadership and management of the social organism.

The institutionalization of power in the form of political domination means the structuring in society of relations of command and subordination, order and execution, the organizational division of managerial labor and the privileges usually associated with it, on the one hand, and executive activity, on the other.

As for the concepts of "legality" and "legitimacy", although the etymology of these concepts is similar (in French the words "legal" and "legitime" are translated as legal), in terms of content they are not synonymous concepts. First the concept (legality) emphasizes the legal aspects of power and acts as an integral part of political domination, i.e. legally regulated consolidation (institutionalization) of power and its functioning in the form of a hierarchical system of state bodies and institutions. With clearly defined steps of order and execution.

Legitimacy of political power

- political property of a public authority, meaning the recognition by the majority of citizens of the correctness and legality of its formation and functioning. Any power based on popular consensus is legitimate.

Power and power relations

Many people, including some political scientists, believe that the struggle to acquire power, its distribution, retention and use constitute essence of politics. This point of view was held, for example, by the German sociologist M. Weber. One way or another, the doctrine of power has become one of the most important in political science.

Power in general is the ability of one subject to impose its will on other subjects.

Power is not just a relationship of someone with someone, it is always asymmetrical, i.e. unequal, dependent, allowing one individual to influence and change the behavior of another.

Foundations of power in the very general view act unmet needs some and the possibility of their satisfaction by others on certain conditions.

Power is a necessary attribute of any organization, any human group. Without power, there is no organization and no order. in any joint activities of people there are those who command and those who obey them; those who make decisions and those who execute them. Power is characterized by the activities of those who govern.

Sources of power:

authority- power as a force of habit, traditions, interned cultural values;
strength- “naked power”, in the arsenal of which there is nothing but violence and suppression;
wealth- stimulating, rewarding power, which includes negative sanctions for uncomfortable behavior;
knowledge- the power of competence, professionalism, the so-called "expert power";
charisma- leader's power, built on the deification of the leader, endowing him with supernatural abilities;
prestige- identifying (identifying) power, etc.

The need for power

The social nature of people's lives turns power into a social phenomenon. Power is expressed in the ability of united people to ensure the achievement of their agreed goals, to assert generally accepted values and to interact. In undeveloped communities, power is dissolved, it belongs to everyone together and to no one in particular. But already here public power acquires the character of the community's right to influence the behavior of individuals. However, the inevitable difference of interests in any society violates political communication, cooperation, consistency. This leads to the decay of this form of power due to its low efficiency, and ultimately to the loss of the ability to achieve agreed goals. In this case, the real prospect is the collapse of this community.

To prevent this from happening, public power is transferred to elected or appointed people - the rulers. rulers receive from the community powers (full power, public power) to manage social relations, that is, to change the activity of subjects in accordance with law. The need for management is explained by the fact that people in relations with each other are very often guided not by reason, but by passions, which leads to the loss of the goal of the community. Therefore, the ruler must have the power to keep people within the framework of an organized community, to exclude extreme manifestations of selfishness and aggression in social relations, ensuring the survival of all.

1. The concept of political power, its essence, content and forms.

2.Legitimacy of power.

3.Separation of powers as a theory and principle.

I. The concept of "power" is one of the fundamental categories of political science. It provides the key to understanding political institutions, politics itself, and the state. The inseparability of power and politics is recognized as a matter of course in all political theories past and present. Politics as a phenomenon is characterized by a direct or indirect connection with power and activities for the exercise of power. Social communities and individuals enter into various relations: economic, social, spiritual, political. Politics, on the other hand, is such a sphere of relations between social groups, strata, individuals, which mainly concerns the problems of power and control.

All prominent representatives of political science paid close attention to the phenomenon of power. Each of them contributed to the development of the theory of power.

Modern Concepts authorities are very diverse. Within the framework of an educational lecture, it is advisable to formulate generalizing provisions.

In the broadest sense of the word, power is the ability and ability to exercise one's will, to have a decisive influence on the activities, behavior of people with the help of any means - authority, law, violence. In this aspect, power is economic, political, state, family and other. Such an approach also requires a distinction between class, group and personal power, which are intertwined but not reducible to each other.

The most important type of power is political power. Political power is real ability given class, group, individual to carry out their will in politics and legal norms. Political power is characterized either by social domination, or the leading role, or the leadership of certain groups, and most often various combinations these qualities.

It should also be noted that the concept of political power is broader than the concept of state power. Political power is exercised not only by state bodies, but also through the activities of parties, public organizations different type. State power is a kind of core of political power. It relies on a special apparatus of coercion and extends to the entire population of a given country. The state has a monopoly right to develop laws and other orders binding on all citizens. State power means a certain organization and activity in the implementation of the goals and objectives of this organization.

In political science, the concept of a source of power is used. The sources, or foundations, of power are diverse, since the structure of social relations is diverse. The grounds (sources) of power are the means that are used to influence the objects of power in order to achieve the goals. Power resources are potential bases of power, that is, funds that can be used, but are not yet used or are not used enough. The whole set of used and possible bases of power constitutes its potential.

Force is the universally recognized source of power. However, the power itself also has certain sources. Sources of strength can be wealth, position, possession of information, knowledge, experience, special skills, organization. Therefore, in general terms, we can say that the source of power is a set of social factors that create the prevailing, dominating, dominating will. In other words, these are the economic, social, psychological foundations of political power.

The state power can achieve its goals various means, including ideological influence, persuasion, economic incentives and other indirect means. But only she has a monopoly on coercion with the help of a special apparatus in relation to all members of society.

The main manifestations of power are domination, leadership, management, organization, control.

Forms of state power (board) and state structure

1. Features of the political and legal form of power, its sources and resources

The form of government is the organization of the supreme power in the state, characterized by its sources and principles of the relationship of authorities among themselves and with the population.

The form of government shows:

How are the highest authorities in the state created?

their structure

what principles underlie the interaction between government agencies

How is the relationship between the supreme power and ordinary citizens of the country built?

To what extent the organization of state bodies allows ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens

The form of government should not be confused with the form of government and the political regime of the state. Together, these three characteristics complement each other and describe the form of the state.

Form of government - a way of territorial organization of the state or states that form a union.

Political regime- way of functioning of the state power. The political regime is characterized by the methods of exercising political power, the degree of political freedom in society, the openness or closeness of the elites in terms of social mobility, the actual state legal status personality.

To date, there are 2 forms of government (Fig. 1):

1. Monarchy

This is a form of government in which the supreme state power belongs to one person who exercises this power by his own right of kinship or inheritance, legally indefinitely and irresponsibly.

2. Republic

This is a form of government in which all the highest organs of state power are either directly elected by the people, or formed by nationwide representative institutions (parliament).

The main difference between these forms lies in the ways in which institutions of supreme power are formed.

Monarchy is characterized as power:

ü sole

ü hereditary

ü life

The Republic is based on the electivity of all institutions of power from top to bottom.

Rice. 1. Forms of government

Types of monarchy:

1) Absolute monarchy characterized by the fact that in the hands of the monarch is concentrated all the fullness of state power. He himself issues laws, can directly lead administrative activities or appoint a government for this, administers the highest court. There are no restrictions on his power, at least legal ones, although political, moral, ethical, religious and others may be present and usually are present to one degree or another ( Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, UAE).

2) The constitutional monarchy is divided into two types:

a) Dualistic monarchy (early 20th century)

It is characterized by certain features:

The board is exercised by the monarch and parliament, which share state power among themselves;

Monarch from parliament in the sphere of executive power;

The powers of parliament, severely curtailed by the monarch

The monarch has the right to veto, the right to appoint to the upper house, the right to dissolve parliament.

b) Parliamentary monarchy

This form usually exists in highly developed countries such as Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Signs of a parliamentary monarchy:

The limited power of the monarch, not only in the field of legislation, but also in the field of government controlled and control over the government;

Lack of actual accountability of ministers and government to the monarch;

The central place of the government in the system of state bodies and its responsibility to the parliament.

The Republic is of 3 types:

1) Presidential Republic

This is a form of government that is characterized by the combination in the hands of the president of the powers of the head of state and head of government (Latin America).

The peculiarity is that all branches of government are independent of each other and President-head executive power.

2) Parliamentary Republic

It provides for the priority role of the parliament in constitutional and legal terms.

The government is formed by a party majority in a representative body of power (Turkey, Italy, etc.).

3) Mixed Republic

This view combines the features of both a presidential and a parliamentary republic (France).

2. Forms of government according to the principle of political and administrative structure

The form of government is a national-territorial organization of state power, characterized by the principles of the relationship of individual constituent parts states and their authorities between themselves and the state as a whole.

The form of government shows:

What parts does the internal structure of the state consist of;

What is the legal status of these parts and what are the relationships between these bodies;

How is the relationship between central and local government bodies, etc.

There are 3 main forms (Fig. 2):

1. Unitary state

2. Federation

3. Confederation

Fig. 2 Differences between the forms of government (D. Nice's scheme)

1. The principle of unitarism

It means that the state does not include other state entities on the rights of its subjects.

A unitary state is one, it can be divided only into administrative-territorial parts that do not have the right to have their own political power and pursue an independent policy.

There are state bodies and officials subordinate to the central authorities at the local level.

Parliament is unicameral.

The unitary state is characterized by a strong presidential power and a rigid centralized structure of executive power.

Most modern states are unitary - France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Egypt, Greece, Norway, etc.

2. The principle of federalism

It involves the unification of state entities on the basis of an agreement, a constitution into a single state with the delegation of certain supreme powers to the center and a clear legal vesting of certain powers in the subjects of the federation.

Parliament is bicameral.

The federation is characterized by the decentralization of management, the transfer of a number of its important functions by the subject of the federation

Federation - a complex (union) state, consisting of state entities with legal and certain political independence.

3. The principle of confederation

It involves the unification of several equal states and the creation of common central authorities: parliament, government, supreme court.

Confederation - a form of government, a voluntary association of independent countries or republics to achieve specific goals, in which the united countries and republics, while maintaining full sovereignty and significant independence, transfer part of their power to joint authorities to coordinate certain actions. As a rule, these are foreign policy, communications, transport, and the armed forces.

Unlike membership in one federation, a state can be a member of several confederations at the same time. Judging by historical experience, the confederation over time either breaks up or becomes a federation.

The confederation is characterized by instability and, as a rule, either breaks up or develops into a federal or unitary state. The instability of disintegration can be associated, for example, with the achievement of the goal for which the confederation was created or with the fact that, combining the features of both an international legal and state organization, it, under the influence of various reasons, often loses the balance necessary for its preservation.

There are currently no confederations in the world. At the same time, confederal elements are present in a number of unions, for example, the European Union, the British Commonwealth, the CIS. To a certain extent, the European Union, the Caribbean Community can be attributed to the confederation.

The last of the existing confederations were Serbia and Montenegro (Serbia + Montenegro, 2003-2006)

Serbia and Montenegro, two of the six union republics of the former federal state of Yugoslavia, have agreed to cooperate only in certain political areas (for example, a defensive alliance and international representation).

Each state had its own legislation and economic policy, and later - currency, customs and other state attributes.

In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to a new agreement regarding the continuation of cooperation within the framework of a confederal union, which, among other changes, promised the end of the use of the name "Yugoslavia". On February 4, 2003, the federal parliament proclaimed the creation of a confederal State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, briefly - Serbia and Montenegro.

After a referendum on the independence of Montenegro on May 21, 2006, as a result of which 55.5% of voters voted for the republic's withdrawal from the union, Montenegro on June 3, 2006, and Serbia on June 5 declared independence. The Union of Serbia and Montenegro ceased to exist.

Political power is closely related to political leadership and authority, which in certain senses act as forms of exercising power.

The emergence and development of political power is due to the vital needs of the formation and evolution of society. Therefore, the government naturally performs exceptionally important special functions. It is the central, organizational and regulatory control of policy. Power is inherent in the organization of society and is necessary to maintain its integrity and unity. Political power is aimed at regulating social relations. It is a tool, the main means of managing all spheres of public life.

II. The concept of "political power" is closely related to the concept of "legitimacy". Power is either legitimate or illegitimate. The term "legitimacy" comes from the Latin "legetimus", meaning "consistent with the laws, lawful, lawful, proper, due, correct." In relation to politics, legitimacy means its recognition, explanation, justification.

It must be borne in mind that the legitimacy of a political phenomenon does not mean its legality. Legitimation does not have legal functions and is not a legal process. Legitimate power is based on the recognition of the right of power holders to prescribe norms of behavior for other individuals. Legitimate power is such power that is trusted and recognized as lawful by citizens. given state at least most of them.

Thus, legitimacy is based on the belief in the legitimacy of a given political power. But the very conviction of citizens can be due to various factors. Therefore, in political science there is a typology of the legitimacy of power.

Modern typology of legitimacy originates from Max Weber. He proposed to distinguish three of its types.

The first type of legitimacy is traditional, that is, based on the unwritten laws of traditions and customs. The second type is charismatic, emotional-volitional, based on the belief in special, outstanding, supernatural qualities of a leader, a leader. The third type is rational, based on the laws and procedures adopted in the state, reasonable judgments.

These types of legitimacy, named by Max Weber, are ideal in nature, that is, they are, to a certain extent, abstractions that do not exist in political reality in a “pure form”. In specific political systems these three types are intertwined with the dominance of one of them, which makes it possible to characterize legitimacy as either traditional, or charismatic, or rational. In other words, this classification serves as a tool for analyzing the legitimacy of power in each particular political system.

III. The most important feature of democratic government is the separation of powers.

The theory of separation of powers, that is, the theory of the relationship of powers in the state, was first put forward by D. Locke, then developed by C. Montesquieu, and subsequently developed by many lawyers, philosophers, and political scientists.

In accordance with the modern level of this theory, for the proper functioning of the state, it must have independent powers: legislative (parliament), executive (government) and judicial. This theory is the rationale for the political and legal principle of the separation of powers. According to the principle of separation of powers, the constitutions of many states, including the United States and the Russian Federation, are built. Article 10 of the current Constitution Russian Federation states: “State power in the Russian Federation is exercised on the basis of division into legislative, executive and judicial. Legislative, executive and judicial authorities are independent”. This is designed to prevent the monopolization of public authority by any one of these institutions and thereby dramatically reduce the likelihood of its abuse by the state power apparatus.

The principle of separation of powers, or rather the implementation of this principle, is one of the essential conditions prevention of the usurpation of power and the cult of personal power.

The separation of powers presupposes the delimitation of their functions, competences, and the creation of a system of balances. However, separation does not mean disunity in the activities of government bodies.

modern democracy as a form of organization of political power and all public life is by far the highest and most perfect achievement of humanity in this regard from the point of view of the intrinsic value of the individual. In contradictory interaction and unity, the state and civil society, power and freedom, human rights and their duties, and responsibility to society function. The achievement of relative harmony in the combination of these contradictory aspects of the life of society is largely facilitated by the effective implementation of the principle of separation of powers.

The order of formation, relations, competence and functions of the three branches of power in each democratic country are determined by the constitution. Both constitutional consolidation and practical implementation of the principle of separation of powers and delimitation of their competence in different countries have their own characteristics. But the experience of all democratic countries shows that this principle presupposes, given the integrity of state power, the need to separate the three branches and clearly delineate their competence and functions.

POLITICAL POWER

1. Definition of power and features of political power.

2. The structure of political power.

Z. Problems of the legitimacy of power.

1 Definition of power and features of political power

The concept of "power" in everyday life and in the scientific community is used in various meanings. Philosophers talk about power over the objective laws of society, naturalists talk about power over nature, politicians talk about political power, psychologists talk about a person's power over himself, parents talk about family power, and so on. All prominent representatives of political science paid close attention to the phenomenon of power. Already ancient thinkers Plato, Aristotle and others tried to penetrate into the essence of the social nature of political power. In the Middle Ages and the New Age, N. Machiavelli, T. Hobbes, J. Locke, E. Kant and many others showed great interest in the problems of power. etc. A significant contribution to the development of the theory of power was made by G. Mosca, V. Paretto, R. Michels, M. Weber.

Issues of power are at the center of attention of modern political science and sociology. But, despite the close attention of scientists to the problems of power, many foreign researchers write about the halo of mysticism and mystery that surround power, that the concept of power is “vague”. The French scientist Chevalier wrote that real power has always attracted more to itself than reasoning about it. N. S. Khrushchev in his memoirs spoke about power as follows: “You can get fed up with everything: food, women ..., you can’t get fed up with only power, you want it more and more.”

So what is power?

Historical experience shows that where there is a need for coordinated actions of people (be it a separate family, group, social stratum, nation or society as a whole), their activities are subordinated to the achievement of certain goals. And at the same time, leading and led, ruling and subject, dominating and subordinate are determined. Motives for submission are very diverse. They can be based on an interest in achieving the goal, on the belief in the need to follow orders, on the authority of the ruler, or simply on a sense of fear of undesirable consequences in case of disobedience.

Thus, power relations are objectively inherent in social life. They are necessary to maintain the integrity and unity of society, to organize social production.

There are several directions or schools of scientific thought in political science, reflecting different methodological approaches to the study of power, its essence, nature, etc. The main ones are:

-teleological, which characterizes power as a stable ability to achieve the set goals, to obtain the intended results with the help of other people;

- behavioral, considers power as a special type of behavior. In which some people command and others obey (the English word behavior means “behavior”);

- instrumentalist, interprets power as the possibility of using certain methods, including violence ;

- structural-functionalist, considers power as a property of social organization, as a way of self-organization of the human community, based on the expediency of separating the functions of management and execution;

- relational, considers power as a relationship between two partners, in which one of them has a decisive influence on the second.

In addition to those mentioned, there are other approaches to penetrating the essence of power.

Given the many aspects of power, only the most general definition of it can be given. Power is the ability and ability to exercise one's will, to have a decisive influence on the activities, behavior of people, with the help of various kinds of means - rights, authority, coercion, persuasion, violence .

The following types of power are distinguished: economic, political, social, cultural and informational, coercive, etc.

The object of political science is not all power, but only public, political power, which is understood as the ability of a class, group or individual to carry out their will in public life, based on a system of institutions, organizations, laws, political relations.

Political power- this is the power exercised through the state and in the state system, in the system of political parties, organizations and movements. It is somehow connected with the state and state regulation, but is not necessarily state power.

It should be noted that political and state power, while largely coinciding, at the same time are not identical. All state power is political power, but not all political power is state power. The content of political power is much broader, and state power is the central institution.

Political power, unlike other forms of power, has its own specifics. Its distinguishing features are:

supremacy, the binding nature of its decisions for the whole society and, accordingly, for all other types of power. It can limit the influence of other forms of power, putting them within reasonable limits, or eliminate them altogether;

universality, those. publicity. This means that political power acts on the basis of law on behalf of the whole society;

legality in the use of force and other means of power within the country;

the widest range of tools used to gain, retain and exercise power.

2. The structure of political power.

The main components of power are its sources, subjects, objects, resources and the process, which is the result of the interaction of all its components and is characterized, first of all, by a mechanism that ensures the stability of the entire process of ruling. (See diagram)

Sources of power- domineering origin. The sources of power can be authority, strength, law, wealth, knowledge, social and political status,

Sources of power:

Knowledge, law, charisma, etc.

Subjects of power:Objects of power:

the state and its POWER individual, social

institutions, political group, class, general

political parties, elites, stvo, etc.

leaders, people

Power resources:

Utilitarian, forced,

regulatory.

economic, social,

cultural information,

charisma, etc. The American futurist O. Toffler, in his book Power Shift: Knowledge, Wealth, and Power at the Threshold of the 21st Century, analyzes in detail the three main sources of power. According to Toffler, strength, wealth and power are connected in a single system, are interchangeable under certain conditions and together are aimed at maintaining power. Each of these sources communicates a certain quality to power: force or the threat of its use is capable of only brute coercion, is functionally limited and is characteristic only of lower quality power. Wealth is a medium-quality source of power, which can have both negative and positive incentives at its disposal. Knowledge underlies power of the highest quality, the most effective. Toffler claims that modern world knowledge (in various forms: information, science, art, ethics) due to their advantages - infinity (inexhaustibility), general accessibility, democracy - subjugated power and wealth, becoming the determining factor in the functioning of power.

Subjects of power- carriers of power, an active acting value, in the system of power, from which influence, influence comes, orders, instructions follow.

Subjects of power, taken in a different way, can be and are themselves objects for higher power.

Objects of power- phenomena, objects, bodies, institutions, enterprises, population, for the management (management) of which, according to the law or by-laws, the activities of the authorities are directed.

The subjects of political power have a complex, multi-level character. Its primary actors are individuals and social groups, secondary - political organizations. The subjects of the highest level, directly representing various groups and organizations in power relations, are political elites and leaders. Communication between these levels can be broken.

Thus, the subject of power can be an individual, an organization, a community of people, such as a people, or even the world community, united in the UN.

The direct subject of power is usually those people who concentrate in their hands a huge influence and trust, financial power, powerful levers of influence on other people.

A republican form of government, a democratic political regime presupposes the power of the people, which it implements directly (direct democracy) and indirectly through its representatives in the highest bodies of political power (representative democracy). However, the possibilities of direct democracy are limited by many circumstances. Firstly, there are too few forms that allow the entire people to be involved in the solution of political issues at once (the highest of these forms are free elections and referendums). Secondly, the political management of society is a constant, competent job. It is simply impossible to imagine the entire people as such a body. That is why the power of the people is, first of all, a representative democracy, the people delegate their power rights to the relevant authorities (legislative, electoral, judicial) and specific individuals (president, prime minister).

Power is impossible without subjection to the object. The subject always strives, not excluding the means of coercion, to subordinate the object to his will. The readiness of the object for submission depends on a number of factors: on the own qualities of the object of dominion, on the nature of the requirements placed on it, on the situation and the means of influence that the subject has. Ultimately, the object of the imperious will always has a choice, albeit an extreme one, but still - to die, but not to obey. Awareness of the dependence of power on the level of obedience of the population has found its practical political expression in the actions of civil disobedience, widely used in the modern world, including in Ukraine, as a means of non-violent struggle.

An important social reason for the subordination of some people to others is the uneven distribution of power resources.

Power resources- these are all those means, the use of which provides influence on the object of power in accordance with the goals of the subject. The resources of power are very diverse. They can be used to reward, punish or persuade.

The resources of power are as diverse as the means of satisfying different needs and interests of people. There are several classifications of resources. The American political scientist A. Entioni allocates utilitarian, coercive and normative resources.

Utility- these are material and other social benefits associated with the daily interests of people. With their help, the authorities can "buy" not only individual politicians, but also entire sections of the population. These resources are used both for rewards and for punishment (reduction of wages, deprivation of social benefits, etc.)

Forced These are measures of administrative and social censure or punishment. They are used when utility resources fail. This, for example, is the prosecution of strike participants who were not afraid of economic sanctions.

Regulatory- these are means of influencing the inner world, value orientations and nomes of human behavior. They are designed to convince the objects of politics in the community of interests with their subject, to ensure the approval of the actions of the subject of power, the acceptance of their requirements.

There is a classification of resources in accordance with the most important spheres of life: economic, social, cultural and information, power.

Economic- these are material values necessary for social and personal production and consumption, money as their general equivalent, technology, land, minerals, etc.

Political power uses economic resources to solve many problems of a national and international nature. With the help of economic means, political power can stimulate investment in the national economy, stimulate economic restructuring, prevent the monopolization of economic sectors by one or two companies, slow down inflation and significantly reduce unemployment, and many others. To achieve these goals, the political, state power uses primarily the funds of the state budget.

Social resources - the ability to increase or decrease social status or rank, place in social stratification. They partially coincide with economic resources. For example, income and wealth, being an economic resource, simultaneously characterize social status. At the same time, social resources include such indicators as position, prestige, medical care, social security, etc.

In countries with a high level of development social programs Due to which the population is provided with a broad insurance system, a high level of pensions, a developed system of charitable organizations, etc., the majority of citizens are interested in maintaining the existing political power.

Cultural - information resources - knowledge and information, as well as the means of obtaining and disseminating them: institutions of science and education, the media, etc. Control over knowledge and information is usually directly related to the possession of economic resources of paramount importance. At the same time, in the modern world, there is a clear tendency to increase the role of cultural and information resources as a source of power. It is primarily about the media. Information resources can serve different purposes: not only dissemination of objective information about the activities of the government, the situation in society, but also manipulation - controlling the minds and behavior of people contrary to their interests, and often to their will, based on special methods of deception.

Power resources are the army, the police (militia), various security services, the prosecutor's office, the court, as well as their equipment, weapons, prisons, etc. This type of resource is traditionally considered the most effective, decisive source of power. Its use can deprive a person of life, freedom and property - the highest values. Especially often political power resorts to such resources in case of weakening of its strength, power and influence on society.

Various resources of power are usually used by its subjects in a complex, especially by the state, which, to a greater or lesser extent, possesses all types of resources.

AT modern conditions political power uses various methods of its functioning:

Establishing positive incentives, persuasion;

Compulsion;

Lure (various kinds of promises, most often unfulfilled, the establishment of benefits, etc.);

Blocking undesirable consequences (interfering with competitors in the struggle for power, intimidation with negative consequences, etc.);

Direct and indirect information control (imposing recommendations, proposals, creating a certain image, etc.).

The dominant principle of the mechanism of functioning of political power is the principle of its separation. The founders of the theory of separation of power are the English philosopher J. Locke and the French educator, jurist. Philosopher C. L. Montesquieu. According to this theory, for the proper and efficient functioning of the state, there must be independent legislative, executive and judicial powers. This creates a system of “checks and balances” against the strengthening of one branch of power, the concentration of power in one center, and its abuse. Promotes thoughtfulness, alignment, balance in decision-making, and hence the effectiveness of political leadership and management. Accordingly, a special mechanism is being formed to ensure the freedom and independence of an individual, his protection.

The bearer of legislative power is the highest representative state body - the parliament; executive power - the president, government, ministries and departments, state-administrative institutions; judiciary - independent courts, subject only to the law.

For the first time, the principle of separation of powers found its legal form in the US Constitution (1787), then in the Constitutional Acts of the Great French Revolution. In the modern world, in the vast majority of countries, the constitutions enshrine the separation of powers, including in Ukraine.

3. Problems of the legitimacy of power.

Recognition by society of the legitimacy, legitimacy of official power denoted in political science by the concept legitimacy. This concept points to the public recognition of power, to the fact that society, the people give it trust and support, and not to the legal, legal consolidation of political power in the relevant state documents. It is not difficult for those who have taken power into their own hands to obtain legal, legal legitimacy. Therefore, the price of such a formal recognition of power is not so great in comparison with the recognition of political power by the people, i.e. legitimacy of political power. Accordingly, one should distinguish between the concepts of “legitimate power” (public recognition of its legitimacy) and “legal power” (legal, formal consolidation).

The formation of people's conviction in the legitimacy and effectiveness of the existing political power can be achieved in various ways. The German sociologist M. Weber singled out three types of legitimate domination. (See diagram)

The first type is traditional, this is the power of leaders, monarchs. The legitimacy of their power was based on the right of succession to the throne, on the recognition of the divine nature of the power of the monarch. The power itself relied on the tradition of the population to obey. The traditional type of legitimacy has been preserved in countries with a monarchical form of government (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, etc.) and primitive societies.

The second type - charismatic. The term "charisma" in Greek means "divine gift". Initially, the meaning of the term had a religious character. M. Weber attributed the prophet Moses, King David, Mohammed, Buddha to the bearers of genuine charismatic power. In modern society, the presence of exceptional qualities in a leader is not directly associated with God. However, in the public consciousness there is an idea that this person is not like everyone else, that he has something unusual, supernatural, that he enjoys the patronage of some higher powers. Among famous historical figures, Napoleon, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and others were endowed with charismatic qualities. The charismatic type of power is characterized by the absolute trust of the population in the leader due to his outstanding qualities. Consequently, legitimacy in the charismatic type of power is based on the belief of the population in the exceptional abilities of the leader. Usually the charismatic type of power arises in transitional and unstable societies. This type of power retains its importance in developing countries as well.

The third type is rationally legal. It is based on the belief in the correctness of the formal rules by which power is formed: free elections, the rule of law, equal responsibility of the authorities and citizens before the law, etc. This type of legitimacy is characteristic of democratic countries.

However, in practice, these ideal types of M. Weber are fancifully mixed. Thus, even in industrialized and democratically stable countries, such as the UK, the legitimacy of power is based on tradition (the institution of the monarchy) and recognition of the results of free elections.

The legitimacy of power is not a constant, frozen state, but a rather mobile variable. The legitimacy of power at some stages of its existence may increase, at some it may fall. There are fluctuations in the legitimacy of power in society. These fluctuations are connected with the processes of legitimization and de-legitimization of power. Legitimization is the process of increasing public recognition of leaders and institutions of political power. De-legitimization is the process of falling authority of the leader and institutions of political power.

Signs of a decline in the legitimacy of power are:

The growth of the degree of coercion;

Restriction of rights and freedoms;

Prohibition of political parties and independent press;

The growth of corruption in all institutions of power, their merging with criminal structures;

Low economic efficiency of power.

The last sign is the most significant indicator of the de-legitimization of power.

The illegitimacy of power can be challenged by its opponents both openly and covertly. The extreme point of the decline in the legitimacy of power are revolutions, coups d'état.

In general, the legitimacy of power is directly dependent on its effectiveness, i.e. the degree of fulfillment by the authorities of their tasks and functions. Ideally, this means the guaranteed enforcement of government orders with the lowest level of coercion, minimal costs and expenses. A necessary condition for this is the sufficiency of the grounds for power and the efficient use of its resources.

An important indicator of the effectiveness of power is the clear interaction of all its branches, the rationality of vertical and horizontal structures.

Equally important in relation to power on the part of citizens is their economic well-being, ensuring the level and quality of life recognized in a given society as normal.

In general, power is recognized as effective, and therefore legitimate, if it manages to ensure stability, certainty, and order. Power that is unable to prevent major political conflicts, civil and interethnic wars, confrontation between the legislative and executive authorities, the center, regional and local bodies, loses its legitimacy.

AT modern society various means of legitimizing power have been developed: political, ideological, economic, etc. Political means include, first of all, the search for support, the expansion of the social base of power. An important tool of this form of legitimization is the democratization of public life, the expansion of citizens' participation in governance. This creates a sense of the general involvement of people in the policy pursued by the authorities, allows citizens to a certain extent feel themselves to be its subject.

The feeling of belonging to power can be promoted by the propaganda of the current political course, the ideological indoctrination of the masses.

by the most effective means The legitimization of power is the successful implementation of state policy and economic programs, a steady increase in the income of the population and in general the standard of living.

Typology of legitimate domination according to M. Weber

LEGITIMATE

DOMINATION

Traditional Charismatic Rational

legal

GROUNDS

Traditions, Belief in Submission

customs, unusual law, principles

habits of the quality of the leader of the legal order

Questions and tasks:

1. What is the essence of power?

2. Describe the main approaches to the definition of power.

3 Name the distinguishing features of political power.

4. What is the power structure? What are its main elements?

5. What is the difference between the concepts of legitimacy and the legality of power?

6.What is the relationship between politics and power?

A) politics is the goal and means of power;

B) power is the goal and means of politics;

C) politics and power have nothing in common;

D) politics and power completely coincide.

7. What is the principle of separation of powers used for?

A) to overcome the crisis of power;

B) as a tool for the destruction of the state;

C) to reach consensus;

D) to improve the efficiency of the functioning of the political system.

8. Political power includes:

A) economic power

B) family power;

B) legislature

D) spiritual power;

D) executive power.

9. What is charismatic dominance?

A) these are power relations based on the recognition of special qualities for leaders;

B) a kind of rational domination;

C) focus on foreign policy support;

D) government in the interests of a narrow group of people.

10 Rational-legal domination is:

A) a form of power, the main subject of which is the richest stratum of society;

B) the type of domination, which is characterized by the attitude towards the political leader as a special, superordinary being;

C) the type of domination, based on the norms consecrated by custom;

D) the type of domination based on the voluntary recognition of established legal norms.

All prominent representatives of political science paid close attention to the phenomenon of power. Each of them contributed to the development of the theory of power.

Political power manifests itself in various forms, the main ones being dominance, leadership, organization, control .

domination implies 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 expressed in the ability of the subject of power to exercise his will by developing "programs, concepts, attitudes, determining the prospects for the development of the social system as a whole and its various links. The leadership 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 the installations

guides. Management is carried out using various methods, which can be administrative, authoritarian, democratic, based on coercion, etc.

Political power comes in many forms. A meaningful typology of political power can be built "according to various criteria:

according to the degree of institutionalization, government, city, school, etc.;
according to the subject of power - class, party, people's, presidential, parliamentary, etc.;
on a quantitative basis ... - sole (monocratic), oligarchic (power of a cohesive group), polyarchy (multiple power of a number of institutions or individuals);
according to the social type of government - monarchical, republican; according to the regime 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 form of political power is government . The concept of state power is much narrower than the concept "political power" . In this regard, the use of these concepts as identical is incorrect.

State power, like political power as a whole, can achieve its goals through political education, ideological influence, dissemination of the necessary information, etc. However, this does not express its essence. “State power is a form of political power that has a monopoly right to issue 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 certain organization and practical activities to achieve the goals and objectives of this organization ”(Krasnov B.I. Power as a phenomenon of public life / / Socio-political spiders. - 1991. - No. 11. - P. 28 ).

In reality, there may be various systems of state power. 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 of different levels. If there are intermediate bodies between the central and local government bodies, which, in accordance with the constitution, are endowed with certain power functions, then the federal system of government 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.

The state power performs legislative, executive and judicial functions. In this regard, the power is divided into legislative, executive and judicial.

The expediency of the separation of powers is determined, firstly, by the need to clearly define the functions, competence and responsibility of each branch of government; secondly, the need to prevent abuse of power, the establishment of dictatorship, totalitarianism, the usurpation of power; thirdly, the need for mutual control of the branches of government; fourthly, the need of society to combine such contradictory aspects of life as power and freedom, law and law. . 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 foundations of the domestic and foreign policy of the state, approves the state budget, adopts laws binding on all citizens and authorities, and controls their implementation. The supremacy of the legislature is limited by the principles of government, the constitution, human rights.

The beginning of the theoretical substantiation of the problem of the separation of powers is associated with the name of the French philosopher and historian Ch. judiciary (independent courts).

Subsequently, Montesquieu's ideas were developed in the works of other thinkers and legally enshrined in the constitutions of many countries. The US constitution, for example, which was adopted in 1787, states that the legislature in the country belongs to the Congress, the executive power is exercised by the president, the judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court, and the pace by the lower courts, which are approved by the 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, state power is based on the principle of uniqueness.

For many years it has been believed in our country that the idea of a separation of powers cannot be put into practice because power is one and indivisible. In recent 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 the legislative, executive and judicial powers is often replaced by the opposition of these powers.

The solution to the problem of separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers lies in finding the optimal ratio between them as directions of a single state power, a clear definition of 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 and methodological literature, the point of view continues to dominate, 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 either. Reality has long refuted this point of view. It is known, for example, that for many decades in our country the CPSU was the subject of political power. For many years, parties have also been real subjects of political power in the industrialized countries of the West.

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 authorities must: 1) ensure the legal rights of citizens, their constitutional freedoms always and in everything; 2) to assert the law as the core of social relations and to be able to obey the law itself; 3) perform economic and creative functions” (Krasnov B. I. Power as a phenomenon of public 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:

The political power carries out the functions by means of political institutes, establishments, the organizations making political systems.