A party is a concept translated from Latin meaning "part". That is, it is part of some larger community. A party is a term that long before the emergence of associations in their modern form designated groups of people. They competed with each other either in the sphere of power itself, or in influencing it.
Party History
Even among ancient Greek thinkers, we find references to these associations. Aristotle, for example, wrote that in Attica in the 6th century BC. e. there was a struggle between the parties of the inhabitants of the mountains, the plain and the coast. Consequently, their formation (its beginning) can be attributed to this time. Parties in the Middle Ages were factions that were mostly temporary. It is known, for example, that in medieval England there was a war between two "parties", namely the Scarlet and White Roses. However, the appearance of their prototypes in the modern sense of the word can only be said from the moment of bourgeois revolutions. It is, first of all, about the revolution in England in the 17th century. A party is an association that emerged as a result of the fact that the absolutist functions of the state were restricted. There was an autonomous person who wanted to participate in society, to influence the government. It was recognized that having diverse interests in society is legal. After that, a political party appeared. This is a special tool designed to represent all these interests of people in the power system.
The main features of the parties
There is a special science of partology involved in their study. Political scientists have not yet come to a consensus on what constitutes a political party. It can only be noted that at the moment its universally recognized definition does not exist. However, we can highlight the most significant signs that separate it from other political organizations. These include the following:
- minimal formal organization;
- a program of joint activities;
- the existence of a special social status, including the desire to directly influence political life, as well as an important role in the conduct of elections, in the preparation of the election campaign;
- a special situation in the state, including the party’s relationship with the elements of its mechanism, participation in the functioning and formation of government mechanisms;
- social base;
- A special legal regime, which means normative regulation of the party and its special constitutional and legal status.
General definition of a batch
Based on these characteristics, a general definition can be given. Party - a voluntary political organization, which includes persons having common ideals and interests, and who seeks to gain political power or participate in its implementation. The main distinguishing feature that sets it apart from other clubs, movements and organizations is precisely its participation in the mechanism of power, its claim to it. Although this feature is crucial, parties can take different positions with respect to existing power. For example, they may be in opposition, advocating the overthrow of the established order. The opposition can be directed not only against the state system as a whole, but also against the policies of the current government. A party may also take part in governing bodies, in the government, and act as a partner of other parties. In addition, she is able to single-handedly form a government. Parties, having achieved this, in some cases seek to strengthen their monopoly on power, violating the rule of law, that is, eliminating the opposition. In this case we are talking about the identification of the party with the state.
Three party levels
Considering the structure of the modern party, it is necessary to distinguish the following three levels:
1. The highest level is representation in the system of power. These are officials working in the state apparatus who received their posts due to membership in the party: member of parliament, governor, president, deputy of the party.
2. The next level is intermediate. The official party organization belongs to it.
3. The lowest level is a block of voters. This is a mass base that provides support to party candidates during the election campaign. Note that belonging to this group is based more on declared commitment. Formal involvement is less significant - it is not necessary to be included in the appropriate list. Parties can be supported without signing official papers.
Types of parties
Let's move on to the types of political parties. They express their ideological basis, social nature, the main socio-role function of a party, the nature of the methods of its activity and internal structure.
Personnel parties
They, according to M. Duverger, were formed as a result of the evolution of political clubs. Their main task is to mobilize influential people in a particular constituency in order to ensure the support of a large number of voters representing various sectors of the population and having different ideological orientations. Many modern European parties with a conservative orientation are of this type. They are characterized by free membership, that is, there is no system for registering members, their list. These parties are also marked by regular contributions. In addition, their composition is unstable. The activity of parties of this kind is manifested mainly during the elections. Case studies: US Democratic and Republican Party.
Bulk parties
Mass parties arose as a result of the emergence of universal suffrage. They are large organizations with a high degree of ideologization and a complex internal structure. These parties form their social base mainly from the lower layers of the population. They are mainly socialist, communist and social democratic. They have a fixed membership, party discipline. They are characterized by a high degree of organization. They operate on an ongoing basis, have a branched management apparatus and many local organizations. The orientation of such a party is to recruit new members. This solves political and financial problems. A concrete example is the Russian party of the Communist Party.
Closed and open parties
This division is based on the methods of recruiting members. In open games, entry is not regulated in any way. In closed it is assumed compliance with formalities and conditions: questionnaires, recommendations, the decision of the local party leadership. Strict regulation of admission in the past was characteristic of the CPSU and other socialist and communist parties. Today, the problem of narrowing the social base arose. The bulk of the parties became open type.
Classification by place in the political system
Depending on what place the party occupies in the political system, there are two types of them.
1. The ruling. When they come to power, the party program begins to be implemented, a government is formed. The party becomes ruling as a result of elections to the state legislature. However, it is not necessarily one — there may be several. In this case, the ruling parties form a coalition.
2. Opposition parties. These are those who were defeated in the last election or were not admitted to them by the current regime. They focus their activities on criticizing the course set by the government, as well as on creating alternative programs for the development of society. Opposition parties can be divided, in turn, into those that play a significant role in public life, and those that do not. For example, on November 7, 2001, the US presidential election was held. As a result, the Republicans became the ruling party, the Democrats became the opposition (playing a significant role), and about 20 opposition parties were not playing a significant role. There is one more division. Among the opposition parties are legal, that is, acting under the law, registered; illegal; and unbanned, but also unregistered.
Ideology classification
In an ideological sense, the following types are distinguished:
- ideological and political, based on ideology: social democratic, communist, fascist, conventional, liberal;
- problem-oriented, which are concentrated around a specific problem or their group (women's parties, green parties);
- electoral - inter-ideological, and sometimes non-ideological organizations that have a whole set of goals and are aimed at attracting the masses of the population.
Political parties of the early 20th century relied precisely on ideology. However, these days the situation has changed. In Western European society today, ideology is losing its significance, whereas earlier it was a powerful weapon of parties. In our time, informatization and technocratization are taking place, the superideology of science, rationalism and knowledge is emerging. Therefore, modern parties have to fit into new conditions that require significant political risk. As a result of the weakening of ideology, the active actions of the media, the influence of electoral technologies on party elections, etc. they lose a stable electorate. Therefore, according to a number of political scientists, a new type is being created in Western Europe. There are parties electoral and professional.
