Section “Political sphere. Social science

“Parliamentary lessons at school” - System of government bodies in the Russian Federation. Valeev Razil Ismagilovich. Composition of the State Council. Who is a deputy? Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan. D. A. Medvedev. Parliamentary lessons. Results of a sociological survey. "Where laws are born." Republican forum of history and social studies teachers.

“Strength and authority” - Power. One day Confucius was passing near the mountain. Object of power. Social science. Presentation on the topic: “Power” Social studies grades 6-9. Subject of power. Components of power. Power resources: Sources of power. 2. Conflict in South Ossetia. There are no cruel authorities here,” the woman answered. Authority. Once upon a time, my father-in-law died from the claws of a tiger.

“The principle of separation of powers” ​​- Dominance of the executive power. Having checks and balances. Smaller government size. Drawing. Separation of powers. Society can make a rule. Comparison of systems of government. The cost of running the government. Government term. Parliamentary systems. Accountability of branches of government.

“Appeal to power” - Intangible resources of power. Contracts. Reports. Invitations. Documentation. Forms of work with authorities. Preparatory stage. Conclusions. What does this give to the organization? Why trustees come to the organization. Business game. Thanksgiving letters. Letters of appeal. Appeals to the authorities, preparation of documentation.

“Legitimacy of power” - Politics. Methods of political power. Power and its bearers. President of Georgia. Charismatic dominance. Types of domination. Niccolo Machiavelli. Ideological type of legitimation. Legality of power. Basic interpretations of power. Imperious power. Levels of legitimation of power. Legitimization. Rational (legal) domination.

With the social division of labor, the formation of private property, and the formation of classes, a special sphere of public life appears - the sphere of politics.

Word " policy" is of Greek origin and means the art of government. This sphere covers the relationships between classes, nations, other social groups and communities, the central point of which is the problem of conquest, retention and use of state power, i.e. attitude towards state power. Since these relations are built through certain institutions and organizations, the system of institutions (institutions) that regulate relations between social communities in order to preserve the social structure in the interests of the ruling class and society as a whole constitutes the political sphere (political system). This includes the state and its bodies, political parties, public organizations and movements, and political organizations.

In modern literature, there is a broader understanding of this area, which includes political consciousness, political relations, political institutions and organizations and political action.

The emergence of the political sphere, its development and functioning are determined by certain reasons. The deepest roots of the emergence of various organizations are associated with the material and production activities of people. It was collective material and object activity, social labor that required the coordination of joint efforts and the development of the principles of management.

Another objective factor in the emergence of political organizations in society is the need to regulate relations between social communities and within them, since these communities need certain social institutions to realize their interests, protect their own integrity, and establish relationships with other communities.

Hence, political sphere– one of the subsystems of society, ensuring the integration of all elements of society, its existence as an integral organism.

Let us dwell on the characteristics of some elements of this sphere.

Historically, the first and most important political institution, the core of the political system, is the state. As a political organization, it is not only the first in time of its emergence, but also the only one that is characteristic of all stages of history, appearing in different forms and changing its content, functions, etc.

In the history of philosophical thought, there have been various theories explaining the origin of the state. The very first were theocratic theories, according to which the state arises by virtue of divine institution. These theories received special development in the era of feudalism.

But already in antiquity, concepts of the state appeared, trying to find its natural basis. Thus, the Greek philosopher Plato, identifying “society” and “state”, considered the emergence of the latter as an expression of the natural needs inherent in people. By the emergence of these needs, he explained the emergence of classes: workers, warrior-guards and rulers-philosophers, whose highest virtue is wisdom.

His follower Aristotle, distinguishing to a greater extent between the concepts of state and society, considered the state as the highest form of communication between people, the true goal of which is universal order.

Particularly popular was the theory of “social contract”, proposed by the English philosopher T. Hobbes and developed by the French educator J.J. Rousseau. According to T. Hobbes, the initial natural state of society - “a war of all against all” - is replaced sooner or later by virtue of a social contract with civil society. Fear for their lives in conditions where “man is a wolf to man” forces people to create state power and submit to it.

J.J. Rousseau put forward the idea that the emergence of the state was caused by the emergence of private ownership of the means of production, as well as property and social inequality. The state was an invention of the rich to keep the poor under control, while, according to Rousseau, it should serve order. If a state abuses power, using it to the detriment of the people, it must be replaced by another state that regularly fulfills its duties. Hegel held similar views to these views, seeing the beginning of the state in violence.

According to modern ideas, the state is a historical phenomenon. The prerequisites for its emergence can be found already in primitive society in the form of the power of the top of the tribal nobility, which performed administrative functions. This power was based on traditions, the moral authority of elders representing general interests. But the division of society into classes and the associated complication of social life necessarily required the creation of a special body regulating the various functions of society.

On the one hand, the ruling classes needed special strength to keep the exploited classes in obedience; Such a force was the state, which arose as an organization of political power of the economically dominant class. On the other hand, the state is a body that manages the affairs of the entire society; it arises from the objective need to regulate social relations in the interests of all social groups. Consequently, the emergence of the state is due to two main reasons:

1) intra-societal contradictions associated with the division of society into opposing classes;

2) social needs in carrying out common affairs, maintaining order, and management.

In other words, the state has a dual nature, which is manifested in the two approaches discussed earlier (formational and civilizational), and it would be wrong to reduce the essence of the state exclusively to violence and suppression of the exploited, which was especially evident in Marxism.

In order to more fully reveal the specifics of the state as a formational and civilizational institution, it is necessary to analyze its features and functions.

The following main features of the state can be distinguished:

The presence of a special layer of people involved in management, i.e., an apparatus of officials, collecting taxes, issuing laws;

Public power, i.e. bodies of political coercion (army, police, court, prisons, intelligence, etc.);

The territorial division of society into separate cells of government, with the help of which state power covers the entire population of the country with its influence.

These signs, taken together, make it possible to determine whether a given public entity is a state.

In addition to the state, an important place in the political sphere of society belongs to parties. Their social basis is classes. Parties reflect in their activities the position of a class in society, its fundamental interests, the entire system of its relations with other classes and organizations.

Parties may express the interests not of the entire class as a whole, but of some part of it, but for these parties the definition of their essence remains the same.

When comparing parties with the state, it should be borne in mind that in the state the expression of class interests is carried out to some extent disguised, in the party the expression of class interests is more direct. Therefore, under certain conditions, the party can express class interests more deeply and act as the most important political institution of the class.

However, at present, class lines between parties are blurred; different social strata may be represented in them. Given these changes, a party can be defined as an organization that unites citizens on the basis of common political interests and goals. Parties differ from other associations in that their goal is to gain power and they clearly express a certain ideology.

The political system also includes public organizations and movements that unite representatives of social groups and strata based on their interests, which, unlike parties, do not aim to participate in the activities of government bodies, but to protect individuals, small groups, and minorities from the central government. At the same time, they raise important issues (environmental, health problems, etc.) and thereby put the concept of government decisions under control. These movements (labor, trade union, environmental, etc.) are an important part of the political life of modern society, turning, according to sociologists, into the decisive driving force of its development.

Let us dwell on the classification of states as the most important element of the political sphere.

History knows many states. To understand this diversity and classify them, the categories “type” and “form” of the state are used.

The type of state reveals its formational meaning and is determined by which class (or classes) it serves, and therefore, ultimately, by the economic basis of a given society. Therefore, we can distinguish three main types of exploitative state: slave, feudal, bourgeois. The same type of state can exist in different forms.

The form of the state is a method of organization, as well as techniques and methods for exercising power. The form of the state is expressed:

Form of government (indicates who has supreme power in the country); There are two types of government: monarchy and republic;

Form of government: divided into unitary (single state entity), federation (union of legally relatively independent state entities - states, lands, etc.), confederation (state-legal associations);

The political regime, i.e., the system of methods for exercising state power, the real state of democratic rights and freedoms, the attitude of state authorities to the legal foundations of their activities.

From the point of view of the political regime, states can represent:

a) democracy;

b) dictatorship;

Let us give a brief description of these types of regimes.

Democracy is a method of exercising state power, which is based on the following principles: recognition of the will of the majority as the source of power, establishment and observance of the rights and freedoms of citizens, their equality, the ability to manage the processes of public life, election of the main government bodies, the rule of law, separation of powers, multi-party system. Democracy is a historical phenomenon. There is no democracy in general, but there are specific forms of it, determined by the specifics of the socio-political life of society (slave, feudal, bourgeois democracy). So, the analysis shows the ambiguity of the concept of “form” of the state. This conclusion has not only scientific value, since the question of the form of the state is one of the most important issues of real politics. At the same time, the categories “type” and “form” of a state allow one to correctly navigate when assessing a particular state and aim at identifying its essence and development trends caused by formational and civilizational changes.

Political sphere (system)
Signs:
The party is voluntary
organization of like-minded people,
rep. interests of some peoples and
applicant on state power.
1. Availability of territory and population
Normative political principles,
tradition, moral standards,
procedures
Political
system of society totality
political
institutions, social
communities and forms
interactions between
them, in which
gender is realized.
power.
Policy
(art
management)
activities in
political
sphere of society
aimed at
conquest,
retention and
implementation
authorities.
Subsystems
Functional - forms
and directions of politics.
activities and methods
exercise of power
Cultural-ideological political culture and
ideology
Radical,
centrists, right and
left
Conservative. And
protest
Reform, revolution.
Anti-war,
environmental
Political sphere
- attitude towards
about power
State is a political organization of a given
country administering
society, protecting its interests.
Institutional
- state,
political
parties,
social-gender
Movements, media,
electoral
systems
Conservative,
liberal,
socialist
General political movement united by common goals and
impact to power.
2. Availability of control apparatus
3. Sovereignty
4. The exclusive right to adopt generally binding
laws
5.Possibility of using coercive measures
6. Collection of taxes
Political
institutions
Mass, personnel
(parliamentary),
pre-election
Communication - communications
and interactions between
authorities and society
Political ideology -form
political consciousness,
systematic presentation and
principles protecting interests
certain group in the field
politicians.
Power is influence
on behavior
character definition
behavior

groups, individuals to conduct their
will in politics and legal
standards
Traditional V. - relies on
traditions
Charismatic V. is based on a special
the attractive power of the leader
Legal V. - based
on legal standards and
rational procedures
Conservatism
Liberalism
Socialism
Youth,
women's,
national,
workers
1. The right to use force in
within the country
2. The existence of a single
center acceptance floor. solutions
3. Acts on the basis of law
on behalf of the whole society

Power

Politics and power

Legality of political power

Theories of the origin of the state

The state is the main political institution

Form of government

State structure

10. Political regimes

11. Legal and social state

12. Conditions for the emergence and development of democracy

13. Principles (values) of democracy

14. Civil society

15. Political elite

16. Political parties

17. Political parties

18. Party system

state of emergency)
Elected V.P.T.G. for 6 years
a) appoints, with the consent of the State Duma, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation
c) decides on the resignation of the Government of the Russian Federation;
d) presents a candidate to the State Duma for appointment to a position
Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (and the question of release);
e) at the proposal of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, appoints and
dismisses from office the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation, federal
ministers;
f) submits to the Federation Council candidates for appointment to the positions of judges of the Con.
Court of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation, as well as the candidacy
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation; submits to the Federation Council a proposal for exemption from
positions of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation; appoints judges of other federal courts;
l) appoints and recalls chambers of diplomatic representatives of the Russian Federation in foreign
states and international organizations.
President of the Russian Federation
a) calls elections of the State Duma in accordance with
The Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal law;
b) dissolves the State Duma in cases and manner,
provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation;
c) calls a referendum in the manner established
federal constitutional law;
d) introduces bills to the State Duma;
e) signs and promulgates federal laws;
f) addresses the Federal Assembly with annual
messages about the situation in the country, about the main directions
domestic and foreign policy of the state.
President of the Russian Federation
a) resolves issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation and
granting political asylum;
b) awards state awards to the Russian
Federation, assigns honorary titles to the Russian
Federations, highest military and highest special ranks;
c) grants pardon.

26. Government of the Russian Federation

27. Constitutional process

Section "Political sphere"

With the social division of labor, the formation of private property, and the formation of classes, a special sphere of public life appears - the sphere of politics. Word "policy" of Greek origin and means the art of government. This sphere covers the relationships between classes, nations, other social groups and communities, the central point of which is the problem of conquering, retaining and using state power, that is, the attitude towards state power. Since these relations are built through certain institutions and organizations, the system of institutions (institutions) that regulate relations between social communities in order to preserve the social structure in the interests of the ruling class and society as a whole constitutes the political sphere (political system). It includes the state and its bodies, political parties, public organizations and movements, political organizations.

In modern literature, there is a broader understanding of this area, which includes political consciousness, political relations, political institutions and organizations and political action.

The emergence of the political sphere, its development and functioning are determined by certain reasons. The deepest roots of the emergence of various organizations are associated with material and production activities of people. It was collective material and object activity, social labor that required the coordination of joint efforts and the development of the principles of management.

Another objective factor in the emergence of political organizations in society is the need regulation of relations between social communities and within them, since these communities need certain social institutions to realize their interests, protect their own integrity, and establish relationships with other communities.

Consequently, the political sphere is one of the subsystems of society, ensuring the integration of all elements of society, its existence as an integral organism.

Historically, the first and most important political institution, the core of the political system, is the state. As a political organization, it is not only the first in time of its emergence, but also the only one that is characteristic of all stages of history, appearing in different forms and changing its content, functions, etc.

In the history of philosophical thought, there have been various theories, explaining the origin of the state. The very first were theocratic theories, according to which the state arises by virtue of divine institution. These theories received special development in the era of feudalism. But already in antiquity, concepts of the state appeared, trying to find its natural basis. Thus, the Greek philosopher Plato, identifying “society” and “state”, considered the emergence of the latter as an expression of the natural needs inherent in people. By the appearance of these needs, he explained the emergence of classes: workers, warrior-guards and rulers-philosophers, whose highest virtue is wisdom. His follower Aristotle, distinguishing to a greater extent between the concepts of state and society, considered the state as the highest form of communication between people, the true goal of which is universal order.

Particularly popular was the theory of “social contract”, proposed by the English philosopher T. Hobbes and developed by the French educator J.-J. Rousseau. According to T. Hobbes, the initial natural state of society - “a war of all against all” - is replaced sooner or later by virtue of a social contract with civil society. Fear for their lives in conditions where “man is a wolf to man” forces people to create state power and submit to it. J.-J. Rousseau put forward the idea that the emergence of the state was caused by the emergence of private ownership of the means of production, as well as property and social inequality. The state was an invention of the rich to keep the poor under control, while, according to Rousseau, it should serve order. If a state abuses power, using it to the detriment of the people, it must be replaced by another state that regularly fulfills its duties. Hegel held views close to these, seeing the beginning of the state in violence.

According to modern ideas, the state is a historical phenomenon. The prerequisites for its emergence can be found already in primitive society in the form of the power of the top of the tribal nobility, which performed administrative functions. This power was based on traditions, the moral authority of elders representing general interests. But the division of society into classes and the associated complication of social life required the creation of a special body regulating the various functions of society.

On the one hand, the ruling classes needed special strength to keep the exploited classes in obedience; Such a force was the state, which arose as an organization of political power of the economically dominant class. On the other hand, the state is a body that manages the affairs of the entire society; it arises from the objective need to regulate social relations in the interests of all social groups.

Hence, emergence of the state due to two main reasons:

1) intra-societal contradictions associated with the division of society into opposing classes;

2) social needs in carrying out common affairs, maintaining order, and management.

Therefore, the modern political system must become a guarantee rule of law . His distinctive signs: the supremacy of law in all spheres of public life, the reality and inviolability of individual rights, freedoms and interests, the organization and functioning of sovereign state power based on the principle of separation of powers - legislative, executive, judicial. Legal regulation of people's activities in such a state should be carried out according to the principle: everything that is not prohibited by law is permitted, with the implementation of effective forms of popular control over the implementation of laws and other legal acts. All this requires increasing the level of political culture of citizens, which is an indicator of the political state of society, the degree of its development and democracy.

The political sphere is a set of state and political organizations, institutions and institutions that regulate political relations in society.

The main subsystems of the political sphere are:

state, political parties, public organizations (trade unions, etc.), political relations, including international ones, political consciousness (political programs, political decisions of parties), etc.

Politics as the art of managing people did not have a social group or class orientation; there was a need to organize joint actions, to regulate relations between people and tribes. It was satisfied with the nomination of leaders, elders (or council of elders) who had the appropriate powers. However, over time, such power took the form of a state: a managerial link emerged (public power and its apparatus), a need arose for an army, police, prisons, and various kinds of compulsory institutions; there was a division of power into legislative, executive and judicial. The structure of the state also included, especially in the Middle Ages, church organizations; The interests of the church often merged with the interests of the feudal class and the state, which pursued the policies of this small social group.

The characteristic features of a state, in addition to the noted structures (authority, army, police or militia, judicial system, etc.), also include the presence of a territory over which the jurisdiction of a given state extends, the presence of a certain population, the presence of a law establishing a system of norms sanctioned by the state, the presence of a tax collection service necessary for the maintenance of the government body, its divisions, the army, judicial institutions, etc.

The structural division of power into three subsystems is based on a corresponding division of functions: legislative bodies carry out the function of legislation, development and adoption of laws (parliament, local legislative bodies); executive power in the center and locally has the goal of implementing adopted laws (government institutions and executive bodies in the regions); The judiciary carries out the function of legal proceedings.

In addition to the three functions noted, which (like others) have the task of ensuring the normal functioning of the state system, the state also has a number of others (regulation of economic and social relations, representation of the country’s interests in the system of international relations). If a number of functions of the state quite succinctly express the interests of the dominant social stratum (or social group), then when performing other functions, especially when organizing the fight against the consequences of natural disasters, when launching the fight against crime, when organizing the armed defense of the country, etc., it can and must demonstrate its supra-class, universal character in accordance with the original understanding of this central body of the political sphere.

There are a number of forms of state, and the basis for their differentiation is the form of government (legal status and the relationship of the highest bodies of state power), another is the form of government. In the same state, one form of government is combined with one form of government.

In the history of society, two main forms of organization of supreme state power have emerged - monarchy and republic.

Monarchical form rule is characterized by the hereditary principle of replacing the head of state. Depending on the scope of the monarch’s powers, there are such varieties of this form of government as absolute and constitutional monarchy. Moreover, if the hallmark of absolutism is the practically illegitimate power of the head of state (often leading to the complete arbitrariness of the monarch), then a constitutional monarchy is characterized by a limitation of his powers. Currently, about forty countries in the world are monarchies, with most of them being parliamentary monarchies (Great Britain, Japan, Sweden, Norway, etc.).

Republic represents a form of government in which the highest bodies of state power are either elected or formed by a national representative institution. There are three main types of republican form of government - strong presidential power, election of the head of state independently of parliament by universal suffrage, combination in the hands of the president of the powers of the head of state and head of government, appointment of the government by the president, responsibility of the government to the president (for example, the USA); parliamentary republic - election of the president by parliamentary means, a decisive role in the management of the head of government, prime minister, formation of the government by parliamentary means, responsibility of the government to parliament (Italy, Germany, Switzerland, etc.), semi-parliamentary republic - election of a president or head of state independently of parliament by universal suffrage, strong presidential power, government responsibility to parliament (France, Portugal, Finland, etc.).

Form of government- is the territorial and political organization of the state. The following forms of government are possible: unitary, federal and confederal. Unitary the state is a single state. It most often turns out to be divided into administrative-territorial units depending on geographical, economic and other factors; These parts of the state do not have political independence. Federal is a state that has parts (regions) with its own constitution, mainly focused on the national constitution; relations between parts of the federation and the center are regulated on the basis of agreements concluded between official representatives of their

legislative, executive and judicial bodies (India, Russia, etc.). Confederation there is a union of states acting to achieve specific joint goals; this union has contractual relations with all parts (or between all states) included in the confederation; each of such states remains independent.

States are also characterized political regimes , which can be different not only for different states, but also for the same state in different periods of its existence. In the history of mankind, there have been mainly two types of political regimes: : democratic and dictatorial (totalitarian and authoritarian).

The word "democracy" means "rule of the people." It took place before the formation of the first states and exists in the activities of many different associations of people. With the emergence of the first class societies, with the formation of city-states of this kind, direct or direct democracy existed in those places where, according to researchers, it was possible to gather together a population of no more than 5-6 thousand: it was with this (or less) number that it was possible it is enough to accurately take into account the majority and minority, double-check (if necessary) the results of the vote count and make a conflict-free decision as a general one. Such democracy also exists today, also as industrial democracy. The activities of public organizations are often subject to the principle of direct democratic management. Democracy of the state-political system has been associated for many centuries not with the direct participation of the population, but with its participation in the affairs of the state indirectly, for example, through electors (this is the so-called representative democracy). State, having democratic character, characterized by the following signs: recognition of the will of the majority as a source of power, establishment and observance of the rights and freedoms of citizens, their equality, the ability to manage the processes of public life, election of the main government bodies, the rule of law. To these features recognized by many social scientists, others are often added: the functioning of a multi-party system, a high standard of living of the population, etc. It should also be borne in mind that the manifestation of the will of a democratic majority is not yet a guarantee of a fair state. From democracy to ochlocracy (mob rule) is one step. The essence of democracy is not so much in the expression of the will of the majority (it can be formal), but in the right of the people to establish reasonable legislation through their elected representatives, to which the people themselves must obey, while the minority must at the same time have the right to vote and the right to be heard by the majority.

Characteristic signs totalitarian political regime are: control and management of all spheres of state and public life and brutal suppression of all attempts to express an independent opinion on the part of both individuals and social groups; intensive functioning of an ideology that claims universality and infallibility, a radical transformation of society and man, the whole world, the forced implementation of various utopias (nationalist, social, religious); constant and continuous politicization of all members of society with the aim of unifying them in the name of achieving set goals; mobilization of all members of society to achieve unconditional loyalty and active participation in a given political process; constant struggle with internal and external enemies; the widespread use of terror and the secret police as the most important tool for introducing ideology into the daily life of every person; the liquidation of independent political and public organizations, the formation, as a rule, of one state political party, which leads mass organizations (trade unions, youth, etc.); prohibition of fundamental rights, especially the rights of assembly, demonstration, freedom of the press, free development of science, art and literature; system of centralized bureaucracy, the creation of a totalitarian elite, before which even members of the state party are helpless; dualism and inconsistency in the activities of party and state bodies, the lack of a clear division of competencies, leading in practice to arbitrariness. Totalitarian rule, as a rule, has a pronounced charismatic character; people obey one political figure not only with faith in his infallibility and prophetic revelations, but also with love.

A totalitarian state is a comprehensive state in which the initiative of citizens is unnecessary and harmful, and the freedom of citizens is dangerous. A single center of power is called upon to know everything, to foresee everything, to plan everything, to prescribe everything; legal consciousness comes from the premise: everything that is not prescribed is prohibited, there is only state interest, build your inner life by decree. In other words: here management is comprehensive; man is completely enslaved; freedom becomes criminal and punishable. However, such comprehensive control is feasible only under the most consistent dictatorship, based on the unity of power, on a single exclusive party, on the monopoly of employers, on all-pervasive investigation, on mutual denunciation and on merciless terror.

The political sphere is one of the four spheres of social life that you know. It includes various forms of political activity; relationships between people that arise in the process of this activity; organizations and institutions that are created to implement political goals and objectives; the political consciousness of people, which guides their activities in the field of politics.

Political institutions occupy the most important place in the structure of the political sphere. They belong to the main social institutions that realize the fundamental needs of society. Political institutions satisfy society's needs for integration, security and social order.

Each of them carries out a certain type of political activity and includes a group of people specializing in its implementation; political norms governing relations within these institutions, with other political and non-political institutions; the means necessary to achieve the goals.

The main political institution is the state. (Remember the essential features of the state, studied in the social science course of the basic school.) In turn, the state includes the institution of the presidency, the institutions of legislative, executive and judicial power, the institution of elections, etc.

Political parties are also among the most important political institutions. The history of parties in their traditional form is not as long as the history of the state, but it also dates back up to a century and a half.

Party political activity covers a large number of people, has stable forms, and is regulated by traditions, legal norms and political principles. Any political party is a voluntary association of people who have common political views and strive to achieve their goals through gaining power or participating in its implementation. Typically, a party expresses and defends the interests of a certain social community (class, social stratum, etc.). This definition reminds you of the signs of a party studied in basic school: the desire to achieve goals through the conquest of power or participation in the exercise of power; existence in a historically extended period of time; the presence of a clear organizational structure, fixed by the party charter; the desire to create mass support for oneself; ideas common to party members, set out in the party program.

An essential feature of any social institution is a set of legal and other social norms regulating a certain type of activity. In the Russian Federation, party political activity is regulated by the Law “On Political Parties” (2001). The law defines a political party as a public association created for the purpose of participation of citizens of the Russian Federation in the political life of society through the formation and expression of their political will, participation in public and political actions, in elections and referendums, as well as for the purpose of representing the interests of citizens in government bodies and local governments.

Each political party independently determines its political goals, immediate and long-term ideas, which are reflected in the party program and charter. However, the main goals of a political party, according to the Law, are:

• formation of public opinion;
• political education and upbringing of citizens;
• expressing the opinions of citizens on any issues of public life, bringing these opinions to the attention of the general public and government bodies;
• nomination of candidates for elections to legislative (representative) bodies of state power and representative bodies of local self-government, participation in elections to these bodies and in their work.

Political parties are different from other political institutions. Compared to socio-political movements, they represent a larger ideological and organizational community. However, they are less organized than the state.

The consignment is an organization whose principles of construction, rights and obligations of its members are reflected in its charter. As a rule, it has a party program, setting out not only the goals of the party, but also the ways and means that should ensure their achievement. Party members have different statuses in its structure: they are party leaders; party officials working in the central and local bodies of the party; party activists leading party groups and local organizations; ordinary party members. They are all working to win voter support in the upcoming elections. For this purpose, citizens' meetings, the party press, speeches in parliament and other representative bodies are used.

In addition to the state and political parties, there are other political institutions that give political activity stable forms, organization and orderliness, thanks to established structures, traditions, and norms.