In news programs and analytical materials, we constantly hear about politics. She is present everywhere. Even people who are not at all interested in the problems of peace and the state will not hide from it anywhere. And what role does politics play in society? Is it possible to do without it? Let's figure it out.
Let's define concepts
It is impossible to understand what role politics plays in society, without interpreting the terms. Often people get confused precisely because their concepts are far from scientific. The word "politics" is of Greek origin. It literally means "the art of government." It arose when the rich and the poor appeared, the enlightened class stood out and rose above the rest of the mass of citizens. That is, politics is a kind of superstructure over society. It consists in the birth, development and implementation of ideas that lead to certain changes. It should be noted that at present, politics is usually divided into external and internal. The latter affects the situation in one country, pushes its development. External - aimed at regulating interstate relations. These two directions one way or another affect the life of an ordinary person. The place of politics in society is sometimes difficult to determine for a layman. After all, most of the processes take place in government bodies. Citizens are faced with real politics during election campaigns. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the role of the state, and, therefore, politics is great in almost all areas of life. Whether it is the construction of enterprises, the regulation of wages, the work of housing and communal services or cultural events - everywhere there is an organizational and managerial element.
Why does society need politics?
Any tool is so comprehensive as it is that it has its own functions. Without identifying them, it is impossible to understand what role politics plays in society. After all, we will not be able to see the deep foundations of the functioning of the state. The policy functions are diverse:
- determination of the main goals and directions of development;
- organization of the work of the company to achieve them;
- distribution of resources (material, human, spiritual);
- identification and coordination of interests of process entities;
- development of standards of behavior and their implementation;
- security (of any kind);
- introducing people to management processes;
- control.
This list can be expanded by decoding each of the items. In practice, they are complex and multifaceted. Behind each is the work of the relevant services, institutions and organizations. But already from the above list it is clear what role politics plays in society. You can answer shortly - the most important.
Politic system
It should be noted that state systems are different. It directly affects how society, politics and power interact. For example, the socialist system is seriously different from the slave or capitalist system. Goals are set disproportionate in scale and importance to the citizen. Science divides political systems into authoritarian, democratic and totalitarian. Each in its own way organizes management, implements the functions of the state, its interaction with the population. The political system is divided into:
- normative;
- institutional;
- communicative;
- cultural and ideological.
They characterize the degree and nature of relations between power structures and society. The subsystem includes organizations, public services and institutions, as well as citizens. Let's look at them.
Institutional Subsystem
Surely this term is not clear to everyone. Let's start with the word “institute”. It denotes a higher educational institution, but also a special institution engaged in scientific research. It turns out that we have a certain structure that performs a number of functions, among which we highlight organizational and ideological. When a society is considered in politics, they primarily talk about this subsystem. It includes political parties, social movements and the state. Their common goal is the exercise of power at the legislative level. It is clear that the state, as a system, makes political decisions and implements them in life. Parties and movements influence the activities of the latter, based on the views of their supporters. They take an active part in the formation of legislative structures. There are structures included in the institutional subsystem that are not involved in political life. Take trade unions, for example. They do not claim power, do not fight for it. But they solve certain problems in society. There are many such organizations.
State
This institution has the broadest powers. After all, as a rule, he concentrates and exercises power in society. Its functions are very diverse. This is due to the fact that the state relies on most of the people, expresses its interests. It creates special institutions, a management apparatus and coercion. State policy should be consistent with the aspirations and hopes of the people, be aimed at creating conditions for realizing the potential of society. Otherwise, a crisis situation may arise in the country. In other words, a different political force will destroy the state in order to create a different one that meets the requirements of the population. To prevent this from happening, a consensus is needed between political forces. It is ensured by the main parties, having supporters among the majority of the population. The state writes the rules and principles for the functioning of the entire political system. That is, it is engaged in legislative activity, regulates the work of public organizations up to their ban. There is only one criterion for such decisions - the safety of the population in any field. To implement its own tasks, the state has enormous resources. In addition, it should unite (integrate) society, unite all other institutions around itself, as near a core.
Communicative subsystem
It is impossible to assess the essence of the influence of politics on society, if we consider it homogeneous. In any country, there are layers and groups of the population. They have different interests, they are united in organizations or parties that put forward their own requirements. The set of relationships between such entities is called the communicative subsystem. It special regulations and adopted in society norms regulates the relations of subjects, to which refers an individual. The purpose of interaction of public organizations, parties, citizens is to influence the authorities so that the latter takes into account their needs in their activities. That is, population groups are fighting for their own interests. And the state is called upon to balance them, taking into account, as far as possible, the adoption of power decisions.
Cultural and ideological subsystem
It is not only laws that affect society. There is still a whole layer of ideological attitudes on which people are accustomed to rely on, developing an attitude towards power. These include cultural values and ethical standards, moods and prejudices. Surely you yourself noticed that some slogans promoted by political forces do not find sympathy among citizens, do not cause interest. But then an idea arises and how the fire spreads everywhere. It just meets the aspirations of the people, is based on a set of attitudes accepted by people as natural. The political culture of any society is based on generations of ingrained images called stereotypes. They occupy a special role in political culture, as they are introduced very deeply and are difficult to change. For example, monarchist ideas still have many supporters in Russia, although almost a hundred years have passed since the fall of the tsarist regime.
Regulatory Subsystem
This is perhaps the most understandable of all the constituent parts of politics. It is a collection of laws. It also includes institutions and organizations performing a control function. As a rule, the state develops norms. They are binding on the whole of society. Democracy may transfer part of the rights to initiate lawmaking to citizens or their associations.
