Politics, etc. are as follows. What is politics? Political processes and society

Politics- this is a special way of regulating relations between large (masses, estates, nations), based on written laws and based on.

Politics is a very diverse social phenomenon that is difficult to "fit" in one definition. Therefore, our definition is provisional. Below we will consider various ideas about politics and try to determine the essence of the phenomenon under study.

Basic policy definition

In modern political science, there are many definitions of the concept of "politics". Moreover, in each definition, as a rule, attention is focused on one or another aspect of this complex phenomenon. For example, N. Machiavelli gave priority to the instrumental (pragmatic) approach in defining the policy. For him the essence of politics was the struggle for power. He defined politics as "the totality of the means that are necessary in order to come to power, stay in power and make good use of it."

M. Weber considered politics as certain actions aimed at gaining, retaining and using power. According to him, politics means the desire to participate in power, be it between states, be it within a state, between the groups of people that it contains. In this definition, along with action, the key word is "power".

The French sociologist R. Aron considered politics as a specific concept (program of action) and politics as an area of public life in which various political concepts collide, giving rise to conflicts and consensus.

Conflict-consensus the idea of politics suggests that real politics, on the one hand, is impossible without social conflict, and on the other hand, without finding public consent (consensus). So, K. S. Gadzhiev believes that “the phenomenon of the political is between two extreme interpretations, one of which considers politics entirely as the result of a clash of conflicting interests, and the second - as a system for managing order and ensuring justice in the interests of all members of society.”

The very concept of "politics" is often defined as the struggle of subjects pursuing incompatible interests and goals, the result of which is the establishment of a certain legal order. The social reality is such that, under any system, social classes and strata occupy an unequal position in society and have unequal access to public resources. At the same time, the policy pursued may be more or less humane, more or less competent, but its ambivalent (conflict-consensus) essence does not change from this. In any system, people are fighting for power, and in order to preserve their society (the state), they are forced to find compromises.

Supporters cognitive approach, they see in politics the science of the goals of the state and best means their achievements, as well as the art of living together and the way to fight for power and keep it.

Politics, political methods are often understood as activities aimed at solving complex social problems in non-violent ways. In real politics, there are even the following concepts: “political solution to the problem”, “political settlement of the conflict”, etc.

Quite capacious in its content is, in our opinion, the definition of policy proposed by V.P. social groups and individuals in the articulation (realization and representation) of their conflicting collective interests, the development of decisions binding on the whole society, carried out with the help of state power. In this definition, politics is characterized as an activity; the subjects of activity are indicated - social groups and individuals; object of activity - collective interests; the essence of politics is the development of decisions binding on the whole society; means of implementing policy - state power.

However, no, even the most universal definition is able to cover the entire diversity of such a phenomenon as politics. Based on this, D.P. Zerkin believes that in scientific analysis it is necessary to consider politics in three dimensions:

institutional- a set of political institutions within which the ruling and managerial activity;
regulatory— a set of values and norms, goals and objectives political activity;
procedural - a system of actions to protect and implement common interests and goals for the exercise of power and government.

The well-known Western political scientist E. Heywood defines politics as "the creation, preservation and enrichment of the most general rules of the community." He identifies and analyzes four main ideas about politics: politics as the art of public administration; politics as a public process; politics as compromise and consensus; politics as power.

After analyzing and summarizing the above definitions of policy, we can identify the main components (forms of manifestation) of this phenomenon.

Politics is the process of regulating relations between large social communities, elites and leaders.

Therefore, she assumes publicity"public" activities. However, it cannot be argued that only public policy is the only "correct" policy, and everything else goes beyond the concept of "politics". In our opinion, this means moving away from real problems to the realm of ideal theoretical constructions. In reality, public policy is not always possible and not always beneficial to certain actors. Elites and leaders can solve political problems without initiating "large social communities" in them. In such situations, the following concepts are usually used: “latent politics”, “shadow politics”, “backstage politics”, “undercover struggle”, etc.

Politics can also be interpreted as the art of organizing and management society (state) with the help of state (political) power. It is only one of the types of management of social relations in society. In addition to political, there are other types of governance, such as administrative, legal, economic, socio-cultural, etc. But political governance, due to the fact that it has a monopoly on political power in society, dominates all other types of governance. Therefore, where all other types of management in solving emerging social problems and conflicts are ineffective, there is a need to apply political methods of management.

Another important attribute of a policy is its legal component. Politics, in fact, begins with the introduction of contractual relations and written laws into the management system of society. Legal norms (laws) give politics a certain logic of development, make it predictable, create a common legal field, and determine the limits of competence of subjects and participants in the political process.

Politics- this is a relationship about the capture, retention and use of state power.

Therefore, the next policy component is power. It is the attribute of power and the possibility of its application that distinguishes political management from all other types of management. The struggle for and power in society is one of the main activities for all political actors. Therefore, politics can be understood as the art of organizing and managing society with the help of state (political) power. Possession of political power allows its holder (individual, group, institution) to impose his will on other people, to control others.

The struggle for power presupposes conflict, and the regulation of relations between large social communities presupposes consensus. Therefore, policy can be defined as relations between political subjects, which are characterized by permanent states conflict and consensus. Wherein political stability can be seen as the art of "balancing" between different political forces and trends (the art of compromise).

The most important component of politics are, between which there are, first of all, political relations, that is, relations about power. The subjects of political relations can be separate individuals representing certain political forces, social and political groups, organizations and movements, large and small political communities, public and political institutions, the state. But most often the subjects of politics are political elites and leaders who can be members of certain political groups, parties, movements, head state institutions. In Western sociology and political science, the subjects of politics are usually called actors.

For example, in English language three keywords related to the term "politics":

"politics" - the political sphere of society;
"polity" - political system;
"policy" - a political strategy pursued by various power structures.

Therefore, in modern foreign literature, politics is often defined as: the exercise of influence and power; form of domination; way to resolve conflicts; achievement of collective goals; social activity associated with the production and distribution of resources.

A number of foreign researchers believe that the meaning of politics most accurately reflects its definition, firstly, as a course on the basis of which decisions are made, measures for the implementation and formulation of tasks (for example, domestic policy, international policy, social policy, etc.) ; secondly, as a specific sphere where people and political formations are fighting for state power (in this sense they say: “Do politics”, “Stay away from politics”); thirdly, as the art of managing people in society (therefore they say: “Everything is politics”).

In Russian, the word "politics" is used in such meanings as:

political life of society;
strategy of activity in a certain area;
management of public affairs;
power struggle;
form of social consciousness.

The variety of approaches to the study of politics in modern political science allows us to consider politics as a multidimensional social phenomenon. Some researchers see the multidimensionality of politics in the fact that it acts as a unity of sin-related aspects: 1) as a sphere of public life; 2) as one of the types of activity of social subjects, their combined activities and individual behavior; 3) as a type of social relations (between individuals, social groups).

as the most general definition policy, reflecting its multifaceted social nature, we can suggest the following.

Politics- the sphere of social life and activity associated with power-subordination relations in society, with the conquest, retention, use of power.

At present, there are two main understandings of politics - as a subsystem of society and as a management activity.

Styles and Policy Types

Politics as a management activity is always associated with the adoption of political decisions. Actors participating in political life, as well as making political decisions, in political science are called political actors. These include the masses, social groups, communities (nations), collectives, individuals through the relevant organizations and directly.

The procedure for making political decisions is called politics style.

The basis for the selection of policy styles are:

1. approaches of a political subject to solving managerial problems, which can be:

reactive, characterized by the installation of response to the situation (the policy of "patching holes");
creative, characterized by anticipation of a possible change in the situation and creative activity aimed at changing the situation in the right direction ("development policy");

2. relations of a political subject making political decisions with other participants in the political process, which can be built on the basis of:

making management decisions by coordinating various interest groups;
imposing political decisions on other political actors.

The development of policy style is significantly influenced by:

political culture of "managers";
"massovization" of the political process, associated with the activation of various interest groups, which makes it difficult to achieve agreed decisions in certain sectors of politics;
the emergence of various forms of non-traditional political participation that are contrary to established political norms.

Most modern societies This style of politics dominates, where the government's approach to solving managerial problems is more of a reactive nature, and political changes are achieved by imposing their decisions by the government despite the resistance of certain interest groups.

In political science, there are also various policy types as a managerial activity:

directive, based on direct coercive violence. The main organizational resource of such a policy is the cohesion and will of "their own" who are harshly and hostilely opposed to "them." This is a politics of power, where opponents seek to inflict damage on each other, and the one who has the least damage “wins”;
functional, focusing on the "rules of the game", taking into account the diversity of existing social roles and institutions. This is a policy of compromise, when in the end everyone should receive exactly as much as he gives, and the general and particular "gain" lies in the avoidance of "damage";
communicative, also based on the "rules of the game", which, however, can be changed along the way on predetermined principles. It is a policy of cooperation that leads to a common "win".

The listed types of policy are its “ ideal types". In real political life, there is a contradictory combination of them.

The emergence of such a phenomenon as “politics” is due to the fact that society is asymmetric in its structure. The existence of various classes and social groups (professional, demographic, ethnic, etc.) with divergent or even directly opposite interests, aspirations, ideologies inevitably leads to their clash and struggle with each other.

The great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle formulated the proposition that "... a person by nature is a political being ...", which means that he is involved in political life to one degree or another. The only question is how consciously a person becomes the subject and object of politics, deliberately makes his political choice in certain situations.

Without politics, our life would turn into what the famous English thinker T.Hobbes called "the war of all against all", when the people are at war with the people, city against city, street against street, house against house and, finally, man against man. It is precisely this function of the self-preservation of society that politics performs.

« Politics"- one of the most common and polysemantic words both in Russian and in many other languages of the world. V Everyday life politics is often called any purposeful activity, whether it is the activity of the head of state, party or firm, or even the attitude of a wife towards her husband, subordinated to a specific goal.

However, most people, using the term "politics", practically do not think about its true content. Ancient Greek politician Pericles claimed:

“Only a few can make politics, but everyone can judge it.”

At the same time, the insidiousness of habitual words lies in the fact that, having become well-known, they often lose their original meaning. great german philosopher Georg Hegel warned: if something becomes common knowledge, then we do not know exactly what in question". Regarding political terms, the Russian historian V. Klyuchevsky wrote that they have their own history, and we will inevitably fall into anachronism if, meeting them in historical monuments of a distant time, we understand them in the modern sense. This also applies to the understanding of the term "politics".

It is possible to comprehend the essence and content of the category "politics" at three levels.

At the ordinary level. In this case, the citizen creates the primary, background appearance of politics, which allows him to adapt to the politically organized community, to find ways of mutually accommodating his own goals in relations with the authorities and the state. Ordinary consciousness draws a "natural" picture of politics on the basis of individual empirical experience and traditionally established ideas, customs, and stereotypes.
At the scientific and theoretical level. Here a form of abstract thinking is formed, with the help of which a person builds in his mind ideas about external and internal relations policies based on the generalization and systematization of not individual, but intergroup and universal experience. The specificity of this level lies in the rational-critical understanding of political reality and the creation of such a picture of the world of politics that would describe and explain this phenomenon as a whole.
At the level of technological reflection, which serves as a qualitative variety of scientific consciousness, which is formed to solve a specific political problem and represents science as a special "art", "craft", "mastery". This level significantly affects the methods of formation and development of this kind of knowledge, the ways of their organization and forms of implementation.

Today, despite the rapid development of scientific political science knowledge, the content of the category "politics" is still open, undergoing changes and additions as new theoretical models emerge. It demonstrates the futility of unambiguous definitions of the phenomenon of politics, the desire to catch its ever-elusive specifics within the boundaries of a once found logic. The term "politics" is almost always used in more than one sense.

The origin of the term "politics" is interpreted by different authors in different ways.

Some researchers argue that the name of the politician comes from the Greek "polis" and its derivatives "politeia" (constitution), "polites" (citizen) and "politicos" (statesman).

Others believe that this concept comes from "politike", which meant the science and art of managing public affairs. Still others believe that the very word politics comes from "politeia", which denoted the legislative design of the social and state structure. Still others are convinced that the concept of "politics" comes from the Greek words "poli" (many) and "tikos" (interests).

The word "politics" became widespread after the treatise of the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle on the state and the art of government, which was called "Politics", became known.

In ancient Greece, the word "politics" meant everything related to state activity. So, in particular, Plato and Aristotle considered government to be politics. Aristotle considered correct those forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy, polity), in which the goal of politics is the common good. Plato defined politics as the art of living together, that is, the art of coexistence. This approach is called communication.

Using a directive approach, a classic of political science, an Italian thinker Nicollo Machiavelli believed that there is nothing more than "the totality of the means that are necessary in order to come to power, stay in power and use it usefully."

A German sociologist M. Weber emphasized that politics “means the desire to participate in power or to influence the distribution of power, whether it be between states, whether it be within a state between the groups of people that it includes ... Whoever engages in politics strives for power.”

Based on the functional approach, T. Parsons wrote:

“Politics is a set of ways of organizing certain elements of the total system in accordance with one of its fundamental functions, namely: effective action to achieve common goals".

And D. Easton understood politics as an authoritative distribution of values within society.

On the basis of the institutional approach, V. Lenin believed that politics is "the area of relations between the classes of society, their relationship to the state as an instrument of the ruling class, a concentrated expression of the economy."

If we turn to the interpretation of the concept of "politics" in scientific dictionaries, we see that in the Popular Political Dictionary, published in Moscow in 1924, politics is seen as the art of governing the state and as a certain direction of actions of the state, parties, institutions.

S. Ozhegov in the Dictionary of the Russian Language defines politics as the activity of state authorities and public administration, reflecting the social system and economic structure of the country.

Soviet philosophical encyclopedic Dictionary considers politics as an activity related to relations between classes, nations and other social groups, the core of which is the problem of gaining, retaining and using state power.

The presented interpretations of politics do not exhaust the whole variety of its definition, but together they allow us to reveal the essence of politics as a social phenomenon as follows: “Politics is a field of activity associated with relations between classes, nations, other social groups, with the goal of conquest, organization and use of state power management of social processes”.

Policy can classify for various reasons:

By areas of public life: economic; social; national; scientific and technical; ecological; cultural; military, etc.
By object of influence: internal and external.
By subject of policy: party politics; policy of public associations and movements; public policy, etc.
By activity priority(objectives): policy of neutrality; the policy of national reconciliation; open door policy; the politics of the "great leap"; policy of compromises, etc.

Thus, politics is: participation in the affairs of the state, determining the forms, tasks, content of its activities; activities in the sphere of relations between classes, nations, parties and states; a set of events or issues of state, public life; characterization of the course of action aimed at achieving certain goals in the relationship of people among themselves. In a broad sense, politics is identified with the entire social reality. In a narrow sense, politics refers to the relationship between large social groups of people regarding the realization of their political interests.

From a functional point of view, the role of politics in any society (from a small group to society as a whole) can be reduced to the following:

Expression of powerfully significant interests of all groups and strata of society. Politics gives people the opportunity to meet their needs and change social status.
Socialization of the individual, the formation of a person as an independent, socially active individual. Through politics, a person is able to acquire social qualities, it includes a person in the complex world of social relations, constructs an individual as an independent socially active being, a subject of politics.
Rationalization of emerging contradictions, ensuring a civilizational dialogue between citizens and the state. In the course of meeting the needs and interests of individuals, contradictions are exposed, conflicts arise. The role of politics is to smooth out contradictions.
Management and leadership of political and social processes. Political processes which take place in the interests of certain segments of the population or society as a whole, involve the use of means of coercion and social violence.
Integration of various social strata of the population, maintaining the integrity of the social system, stability and order.
Ensuring the continuity of the social development of society as a whole and of each person individually. In this case, the political course chosen by society must foresee not only the long-term consequences of the actions taken, but also be constantly tested by practical experience, common sense, and moral standards.
Ensuring the innovative nature of the social development of society and man, expanding the scope of relations between peoples, man and nature.
Organizational.
Control and distribution.

It is clear that in this case we are talking only about the most important functions of politics. By the degree of development of these functions, one can judge the degree of development of the society itself, its maturity and the development of political life.

In the structure of policy, content, form and process (relationships) are distinguished. The content of the policy is expressed in its goals, values, motives and mechanisms for making political decisions, in the problems that it solves. The form of politics is its organizational structure (state, parties, etc.), as well as norms, laws that give it stability, stability and allow regulating the political behavior of people. The political process reflects the complex, multi-subject and conflict nature of political activity, the manifestation and implementation of relations between various social groups, organizations and individuals. Based on this, considering politics as a social phenomenon, we can distinguish the following structural elements:

political interest is an internal, conscious source of political behavior;
political relations - interconnection community groups between themselves and the institutions of power;
political consciousness - the dependence of political life on the conscious attitude of people to their power-significant interests;
political organization - a set of institutions of political power;
political activity - social activity of subjects in the realization of their political statuses.

Politics has its subjects and objects.

Subject- it is the carrier of any subject-practical activity, the source of activity directed at the object.
An object- this is what opposes the subject in his subject-practical activity, in cognition. In other words, the subject acts, influences the object, seeks to use it in his own interests.

In relation to politics, we can say that the subject of politics is the one who leads an active political life, participates in the political process: an individual, a social group, public and religious associations, the state or its bodies, international organizations, etc.

The object of politics is what the efforts of the subject of politics are aimed at: power, interests and values, the population as an electorate, the state, the individual, etc.

Policy can be implemented at several levels:

mega level - international and world politics;
the macro level - the highest central political institutions, government bodies, public organizations and associations;
meso-level - governing bodies of the regional, republican, regional, district scale;
micro level - direct political interaction of people, small social groups.

Thus, politics has a comprehensive social character and is relevant to almost every member of society. Political science, as a science, studies politics in all its manifestations, and the study of political science contributes to the formation of a socially active personality.

What is politics? In its most simplified form, it is a special form of activity aimed at managing society, gaining and retaining power, as well as providing guarantees for the security of citizens. In this regard, politics, in the narrow sense of the word, ends where revolutionary processes begin - the creation of other "rules of the game", which, in turn, give rise to new standards of political activity.

Ideology and parties

In addition, when saying what politics is, it is necessary to take into account ideological views, party strategies and public interests as structural components of politics. Ideological views are often formed on the basis of established cultural, mental and historical traditions. By their nature, they express the mental interests of various social groups living on the territory of one state, but united by a common understanding of political processes. For example, the structural dichotomy of the German CDU and the SPD. Christian Democrats are Catholics, they are liberals and right. The Social Democrats are Protestants and leftists. Accordingly, various party strategies are formed based on the interests and views of social and professional groups supporting, respectively, the CDU and the SPD.

People and institutions

Describing what politics is, it is necessary to immediately emphasize that any political activity is carried out within the framework of the institutions of power, legitimate mechanisms that allow incorporating social interests into political ones. This does not mean that one person cannot concentrate all power in his hands (unfortunately, this is often the case), but in this case the ruler himself becomes a classic example - the famous expression Louis XIV: "The state is I".

Politics manifests itself in various forms, has various dimensions. Political activity is just one of the forms of its manifestation, but it does not reveal the whole essence of the “political”. Take, for example, corporate structures. What is a policy in an organization or in a business? Often we come across the expression "company policy", "our policy", "trade union policy", etc. After all, in fact, in this case we are not talking about public administration. We are faced with the choice of a certain set of values and "rules of the game". In fact, we are offered to limit our freedom to common, corporate interests and to act no longer in our own, but in common interests, which are tacitly recognized as priority in relation to the interests of an individual.

conclusions

Thus, when defining politics, we must proceed from three main prerequisites: the ratio of personal and corporate; ideological choice and value set; the goals of politics and the state, as well as their providers - parties and political institutions. As a result, it turns out that politics is an activity (philosophy of activity) focused on strengthening and developing dominant corporate ties based on certain principles and strategies for the development of the organization. And it doesn't matter what the social nature of the organization itself is. Only her is important dominant position in relation to personality.

Countries are the maintenance of ties and stability within the country and beyond its borders. The importance of both aspects of state activity cannot be overestimated. Domestic politics provides support for the government's course, promotes peace and harmony, forms the integrity of the state.

The essence of the concept

Any state strives for self-preservation, development and stability. Therefore, the policy aimed at maintaining order in the country and uniting peoples in the world has a long history. Domestic policy as one of the most important functions of the state arises along with this social institution. In a global sense, this concept refers to the activities of the state to establish, maintain or reform the socio-political system through the solution of problems of a social, economic, cultural order. Domestic policy is designed to fulfill following features: organize the economic component, maintain the country in a state of stability, establish social justice in the distribution of benefits and rational, safe use of the country's resources, maintain law and order and preserve the unity of the state.

The Significance of the Domestic Policy of the State

Any state relies on its people in carrying out reforms aimed at developing the country and ensuring its integrity. Domestic policy in this case is a condition for the satisfaction of the population with their government. Only people who feel the care of the state about themselves are ready to work for its benefit, to connect their future with it. Human capital is the main wealth of the country, and people need to be taken care of.

This is the highest significance of domestic policy. A satisfied population will help the state achieve high results in foreign policy and in the implementation of the most ambitious plans. Domestic and foreign policy are thus closely intertwined. They influence each other and their results affect all areas of the life of the population and the state. For the population of the country, domestic policy should be understandable and close, only then it will be successful and supported. Therefore, the state must establish special communication relations with the population in order to talk about goals and plans.

Principles of domestic policy

The state in carrying out its course relies on the main law - the Constitution. In addition, internal policy is based on several principles:

the state always and in everything protects the dignity of the individual;
the realization of the rights and freedoms of one person must not violate the constitutional guarantees of other people;
citizens of the country have the right to participate in the government of the country both independently and through their representatives in power;
all people are equal before the law and the court;
the state always guarantees the equality of citizens regardless of any circumstances, such as place of residence, race, sex, income, etc.

The internal policy of the state is built on the foundation of morality, justice and humanism. The government puts the interests of its people above everything and seeks to create the most comfortable living conditions for them.

Domestic policy structure

Numerous tasks facing domestic policy lead to the complexity of its structure. In general, it is divided into two areas: activities at the national level and actions at the regional level. These areas have different resources: primarily financial, as well as their own areas of responsibility.

In addition, traditionally, such areas of domestic policy are distinguished as economic, social, national, demographic and the sphere of strengthening statehood. There are attempts to single out smaller spheres, but in general this typology reflects well the main goals and zones of influence of the state within the country. All directions are even documented and visible in the structure of the country's governing bodies and regional regions. They can also highlight other areas, for example, protection environment, military, agrarian, cultural and law enforcement policy.

Strengthening statehood as a base for domestic policy

Preserving the integrity and unity of the state is one of the most important tasks that domestic policy solves. This is especially important in large, multinational countries like Russia, for example. Prevention of national discord and separatist attempts to single out individual regions as independent subjects of politics is very important, especially today, in times of growing national consciousness among small peoples. Keeping a region in the country, such as Catalonia in Spain, requires complex actions at the most different levels. This area also includes the promotion of national values, symbols and history. The state implements this function together with the media and various social institutions.

Economic policy

The most important is the economic domestic policy, which guarantees the stability of the country. Ensuring free competition, strict enforcement of antimonopoly legislation is one of the aspects economic policy. An important part is also maintaining the stability of the financial system, this aspect includes the formation of the budget and control of its execution, as well as assistance to the national currency, and promotion of business development in the country. The main indicators for economic policy is the size of the GDP of the state's external debt. Also, the policy stimulates the renewal and modernization of the country's production capacities, creates a fertile ground for attracting investments, and regulates tax legislation. The country should create conditions for entrepreneurs who want to start their own business, as well as help retain young professionals and highly qualified personnel.

Social politics

The Department of Domestic Policy is most often associated with social policy. Indeed, it is one of the most important, as it directly concerns every person in the state and is felt by the inhabitants of the country every day. The state must provide the population with an acceptable standard of living, focusing on the protection of socially disadvantaged groups: orphans, the disabled, single parents, pensioners, the unemployed. An important part of social policy is the protection of the health of citizens, which includes the organization of qualified medical care, the provision of medicines to those in need, the organization of sanatorium treatment, control over the quality of food and the cleanliness of the environment. Social policy also includes the regulation of disproportions in the incomes of the population, mitigation of the consequences of social inequality. In addition, it includes the regulation of the education sector, the creation of a system of preschool and school education, and the control of their quality. Often, the social sphere includes the work of the state in the field of culture and ecology.

Demographic policy

The number of the population, its natural increase and decrease is the subject of concern of the state. It controls the demographics in the country, strives to achieve optimal ratio between different age groups, the number of births and deaths of citizens. For example, for Russia it is important to increase the birth rate, as there is a decrease in the working population, while in China, on the contrary, it must be reduced due to too rapid growth population. Solution demographic problems impossible only by changing the law. Here it is necessary to conduct propaganda work, to use material mechanisms of influence.

National politics

The internal policy of the state pays great attention to the problems of relations between people. of different nationalities and religions. Especially today, when ethnic conflicts are becoming more acute. The importance of state activity in this area is only increasing. The internal policy of Russia is aimed primarily at restoring friendly relations between people of different ethnic groups and cultures. It is also very important for the government to regulate migration processes that can provoke conflicts. Therefore, to anticipate and warn them in time is the goal of national policy. The task of the state is to create favorable conditions for the life of all citizens, regardless of their nationality, to stop possible discrimination on the basis of race and to promote the development of cultures and languages of the peoples living in the country.

(gr. πόλις ) were historically formed as urban communities with self-government, which constituted themselves as a political formation, a community - this form of self-organization of society was typical of Ancient Greece. It developed and spread through Italy and directly through the Roman Empire. With the growth of states and empires, the policy of relations with vast territories required the variability of politics and the improvement of the management system. Politics, as a management methodology, was formed in policies, where the administrative elite and various classes (crafts, arts, schools) were concentrated, in which the future elite was formed.

The term itself was introduced in the 4th century BC. e . Aristotle, who proposed the following definition for it: politics is the art of managing a state (polis). However, politics stood out as a separate area of social life long before this event - although later than, for example, economic relations or morality. There are several different views on the nature and origin of politics:

Theological. According to this view, politics, like life in general, has a divine origin.
Anthropological. This approach links politics with human nature: it is assumed that the appropriate type of communication and interaction with other people is dictated by the essence of man (and, on the other hand, it itself affects this essence, causing a number of self-limitations and other characteristic features distinguishing man from animal).
biological. Such an interpretation, on the contrary, implies that the nature of politics should be understood on the basis of principles common to man and animal - such, for example, as aggressiveness, the instinct of self-preservation, the struggle for survival, etc. The ethologist K. Lorenz, in particular, linked with the phenomenon of aggressiveness of war, revolution and other conflicts that take place in the life of society.
Psychological. According to this view, the primary source of political interaction between people are needs, interests, emotions and other manifestations of the human psyche. In a traditional way for himself, politics was interpreted, for example, by Z. Freud, who associated the nature of politics with the unconscious.
social. The corresponding approach assumes that politics is a product of society and was formed in the course of the evolution of the latter - as its complexity grew and social stratification developed. As a starting point for these social changes, the Neolithic revolution can be considered, which influenced both the forms of management and the way of life of people in general. In this case, the policy appearance logic looks something like this:
1. The growth of the productivity of human activity causes the emergence of private property. The latter, in turn, contributes to the development of the economy, its specialization, as well as the formation of new social associations, deepens the autonomy and independence of the individual, providing it with the opportunity to achieve a certain position in society by economic means, and also enhances the stratification of society along property lines, giving rise to conflicts.
2. Social differentiation, including along ethnic and religious lines, is becoming more pronounced.
3. Demographic growth and the expansion of economic activity actualize the problem of the independence of one or another community from others, as well as the task of maintaining the integrity of the territories under the control of the specified community.

Accordingly, politics arises in connection with the loss of the opportunity to resolve the above problems and conflict situations by traditional methods - through customs, moral attitudes, etc. Along with law, politics acts as one of the new regulators designed to solve these problems; in addition, the state is being formed for the same purpose as a new form of structuring and organizing people's lives. Because of this, the concept of politics is directly associated with the concepts of state and power. In the concept of the political scientist M. Duverger, three forms of power are distinguished - anonymous, individualized and institutionalized; the first two are defined as pre-state, and the third - as the state itself, having a public character and causing the emergence of politics.

The Essence of Politics

In the course of the development of scientific and philosophical thought, various definitions of politics were proposed: the general “royal art”, which consists in owning a set of specific ones (oratory, military, judicial, etc.), the ability to “protect all citizens and, if possible, make them the best out of the worst” (Plato), knowledge of correct and wise government (Machiavelli), leadership of the state apparatus or influence on this leadership (Max Weber), struggle of class interests (Karl Marx). At present, it is common to interpret politics as an activity that is expressed in the behavior of social groups, as well as a set of behavior models and managers. public relations and creating power control as such, coupled with competition for the possession of the power of power. There is also an idea that in the most general form, politics can be defined as a social activity aimed at maintaining or changing the existing order of distribution of power and property in a state-organized society (domestic politics) and the world community (foreign politics, global or world politics) .

Politics is a multifaceted social phenomenon that can be seen as a tool for the conscious self-regulation of society. There are a number of definitions of politics, offered by various theoretical directions, which emphasize one of the main aspects of political activity: institutional, legal, economic, psychological, social, anthropological, etc.

Main approaches

In a historical retrospective, the basic trends in determining the essence of politics, as well as in the field of its genesis, can be generalized within the framework of a combination of various theoretical approaches. These may include the following:

Substantial. The definitions of politics are linked directly to the concept of power, defining politics either as management with the help of power, or as the desire to acquire and maintain it. This direction is associated with the understanding of politics presented in the works of N. Machiavelli, M. Weber and K. Marx.
Institutional. Definitions in which attention is focused on a certain organization or some community of people that performs power functions. As a rule, the state is designated as a key institution (V. Lenin, in particular, held such views), but there are other variations that focus on other public institutions.
Sociological. Within the framework of this approach, society is considered as a set of structurally organized groups that realize their needs and interests through power, and politics, respectively, as certain forms of activity of such social groups to fulfill the needs mentioned above.
Teleological. Such an understanding of the essence of politics is associated with the concepts of organization, goal setting and goal achievement, due to which the scope of the term "policy" is significantly expanded.

In addition, in modern political science there are two opposite approaches to understanding politics: consensual and confrontational. The first approach assumes the resolution of problems by non-violent and non-conflict methods, through cooperation and the search for compromises, and politics in it is understood as an activity to achieve agreement between citizens, while within the framework of the second approach, politics is considered a sphere of conflict of interests, an area of confrontation, involving the dominance of stronger subjects. or organizations over weaker ones. However, it should be noted that one should not exaggerate the significance and importance of any of these approaches: politics is the product of a struggle between two oppositely directed tendencies (conflicts of interest on the one hand and the search for balance on the other), which actually equalizes the consensus and confrontational approaches.

Alternative definitions

Politics - the struggle of many interests (the art of management, taking into account the interests of all sectors of society). The definition is connected with the etymology of the Greek. πολιτικός, where πολι (poly) means a bunch of, and τικός (thikos) - interest; (literally - "many interests") [ ] . Thus, civil servants in cities ancient greece were called politicos, and citizens who had little interest in and participated in the political life of their city were called ιδιοτικός ( idiotikos) ;
Politics is the art of the permissible. History points to the manipulation and aggressiveness of the policies of many rulers. Politics is management, a tool, and it must be distinguished from the goals and falsification (imitation character) of politics;
Politics is an all-encompassing phenomenon of social life, penetrating all its forms and including all forms of social activity of people, all types of activities for their organization and leadership within the framework of production processes;
Politics is the management of the allocation of resources;
Politics is a sphere of social life associated with obtaining, retaining and using power;
Politics is the desire to participate in power or to influence the distribution of power, whether between states, whether within a state between the groups of people that it contains;
Politics is participation in the affairs of the state, the direction of the state, the definition of forms, tasks, content of the state's activities;
Politics is the activity of an organization (its behavioral model), including the activities of the state to achieve its goals (interests), for example: - technical policy;
Politics is any program of action, all types of activities for the independent management of something or someone. Accordingly, in this sense, we can talk, for example, about the currency policy of the bank, about the school policy of city municipalities, about the family policy of the wife in relation to her husband and children, etc.;
Policy - a set of measures and actions aimed at achieving a predetermined result;
Politics is a form of public consciousness that expresses the corporate interests of the community and manifests itself in civil society (the state) in the form of movements, movements, trade unions and others. public organizations and special interest groups. The most perfect and organized of them are the parties and the church;
Politics is the art of bringing people together;
Politics is a struggle for the right to set your own rules of the game;
Politics - the art of evil in the name of good (philosophical and ethical definition in a broad sense);
Politics is the enforced decree of a third party;
Politics is someone's executable strategy to offer rights and freedoms. (Policy such and such may offer rights different from those offered by another policy);
Politics - measures and actions taken by a leader in order to implement the idea of \u200b\u200bhow things should be arranged in an environment subject to him. For example, the policy of the company "A" may change some functions in the equipment produced by it, in order to increase profits.

Policy Features

In accordance with its purpose, the policy performs a number of fundamental functions:

Implementation of the interests of social groups that are significant from the point of view of power.
Regulation and streamlining of the processes and relations that exist in society, as well as the conditions in which labor and production are carried out.
Ensuring both the continuity of the development of society and the adoption of new models of its evolution (that is, innovation).
Rationalization of relations between people and mitigation of contradictions in society, the search for reasonable solutions to emerging problems.

Policy structure

In politics, subjects or actors are distinguished - free and independent participants in the political process (for example, certain communities of people, institutions, organizations, etc.), as well as objects - social phenomena with which subjects interact purposefully in one way or another. As a result of such interaction, political relations arise, which, in turn, are determined by the political interests of the subjects. All of the listed structural elements are influenced by political consciousness (a set of values, ideals, emotions, etc.) and political culture. The summation of these components forms phenomena more high level abstractions: political system, political regime and political processes.

Policies

The classification of policy types is carried out on several grounds:

According to the target area of society: economic, social, scientific and technical, military, etc.
By direction or scale: internal and external.
By content and character: progressive, reactionary, scientifically based and voluntaristic.
By subjects: politics of the world community, states, organizations, etc.

Political processes and society

From the correspondence of policy to the objective needs of the development of society in its material and spiritual aspect, as well as from taking into account the actual capabilities of the state, mainly economic, as well as its specifics in the aspect of national-ethnic relations in combination with geographical and political position depends on the acceleration or, on the contrary, the delay in the development of society.

Political processes are based on a set of ideas and methods for their implementation. The policy is of a pronounced temporary nature, that is, it can change due to the change of leaders (managers).

A political party is an organization of like-minded people with a common vision of the process and ideology of governance. Political ideology is based on the description of the concept of phenomena and mechanisms, processes and management structure. The politicization of governance often demonstrates the opposition of ideologies and manipulations in favor of the goals of shadow rule and lobbying for the interests of third parties outside of governance itself. Political parties may view the implementation of public administration in different ways. Therefore, the policy of states is determined by the balance and/or opposition of various ideologies.

Depending on the type (profile, level) of organizations, they distinguish between: state policy (in particular, monetary policy), military policy, party policy, technical policy (for production organizations), etc.

Depending on the direction of activity of the organization, there are: internal and foreign policy, social policy, etc.

As noted by the international organization Oxfam, “In many countries, wealth inequality leads to imbalances in the political representation of certain groups of society. Political and economic rules and decisions favor the rich at the expense of everyone else.”