Chapter 3. Political System

Chapter 3. Political System

Plan

1. Definition.

2. Structure of political system.

3. Functions of political system.

Political life of society is a very compound and multilevel sphere. It developed on objective ground, but in this case there is subjective factor. This factor is a regulative system between different elements with regard to authority. So, this relations and their regularity concluded political system. Political system is the main force of society’s political life.

 Political system includes: authority and authority’s relations; political organization of society; legal norms; political activity and political culture.

 Political system was formed at the definite period of society’s development. Political system was the result of the division on classes and state formation. Aristotle was the first philosopher, who investigated political system.

 Now we have various classifications of political system, which have different ground:

Classification of political systems

			Ground
Source of political authority		Attitude to the reality		Political structure position and level of political culture		Character and political process’s direction
Democratic (constitutional)		Conservative		English-American		Control
Autocratic		Reformative		Continental-European		Competitive
	Progressive				Pre-industrial	Socio-conciliatory
	Reactionary				Totalitarian

 Main peculiarities of political system: it has monopoly for power in society; it defines strategy of society development in economical, social and cultural policy; it defines and represents interests of ruling groups or the hole society at state level; it guarantees political and state-administrative ruling of social processes; it promotes stabilization or no stabilization of social life; it forms judicial system and functions in its frames or goes out from borders of legal field.

 Political system has some signs: correlation of group elements; these elements form definite hole; inner interaction of all elements; striving to self-preservation, stabilization and dynamics; ability to interact with other systems.

 The most important element of political system is a state. Besides of it political system has other elements, such as political parties, trade unions, associations, initiative groups, groups of influence and pressure, social-political movements and other unities that participate in political processes.

Structure of political system: political relations between subjects of political life (classes, inner-classes, international and inter-states); political organization of society is a system of political institutes (state, political parties, political movements), political organizations (national movements, trade unions) and non-political organizations; mass media – multi-branched network of institutions in frames of which information is accumulated, selected and spread to propagandize political and judicial norms; political principles and norms that form political behaviour and consciousness of individuals in political sphere; political consciousness is totality of political ideas and political documents’ reflection; political culture is totality of various statements about political life’s aspects.

 Political system has some functions:

State’s political course orientation and defining of aims and tasks of society’s development	Organization of society’s activity to achieving aims and programmes			Material and spiritual values distribution		Unification of state’s and social group’s interests
		Functions of political system
Working out of rules and laws for individuals and groups			Guaranteeing of inner and international security and stability of political arrangement		Political consciousness formation and involving citizens to political activity	Control for laws and rules fulfilling and prevention of political norms violation