Lecture № 3 Political power and democracy. Political parties and public organizations.

Тhemes: Political power and democracy. Political parties and public organizations. The notion of political power, it's essence and features.

Political power and democracy Power is one of the fundamental basics of political development of society. It has legal, economical, spiritual- ideological character, it exists everywhere where stable formations of people occur; it is tightly related to political sphere and is a means of enjoying and support of a certain political course.

Political power Political power is a right and possibility to perform a considerable influence on the activity and behavior of people, on the activity of their unions by means of will, authority, law and violence; it is also an organizational-controlling mechanism of politics realization.

State power State power is a form of political power. It's a specially organized system of state bodies, organizations and institutions that is aimed at governing all the fields of social life. State power functions according to political- territorial principle. State power has a monopoly in issuing law norms that regulate society life.

The features of political power To the features of political power belong legality, influence, supremacy, efficiency.

The features of political power (1) Legality of the political power means the obligatory performance of all its economical, political, etc. resolutions by all the members of society. Legal political power acts on the basis of law norms.

The features of political power (2) Influence of the political power means the ability of the subjects of politics to influence individual's behaviour, behaviour of groups, organizations with the aim to form or to change people's viewpoints on some topics, to regulate political behaviour of social subjects.

The features of political power (3) Power supremacy is the obligatory fulfilling of power decisions (economical, political law, etc.) by all the members of society. Efficiency of the political power consists of concrete social results that show the ability of the power to govern the social life.

The system of power includes: State bodies and citizens that perform power functions (subjects of power); Those at whom the power is aimed (the objects of power);

The system of power includes (2): Relations between structural elements of power, its institutions, values, norms, social and political control.

Conceptual approaches to the problems of political power Aristotle was the first to produce the idea of power distribution into three branches 0 legislative, executive and juridical. Christian theologist and philosopher Aurelius Sanctus Augustinus said that power always takes care of its subjects

Conceptual approaches to the problems of political power (2) Medieval theologist Thoma Aquinas wrote that all the kinds of power are given by God. The basic task of the power is to favor the state welfare, preserving piece and justice in society

Conceptual approaches to the problems of political power (3) Montesquieu claimed that power distribution is the prior condition of the legal organization of society and state, and balance of three branches of power is called to provide the existence of political freedoms.

Conceptual approaches to the problems of political power (4) Adams believed that power is a form of coercion, of supremacy of one group over the other, controlling the life on an individual.

Conceptual approaches to the problems of political power (5) Russell mentioned that power is first of all representation of the relationships between the power individual and power of organization (states, parties, corporations). Power has a natural character.

There are the following reasons why the worst people come to the power: Educated people are not collectivists; they are not unanimous in sympathies to certain system of values. The more person is educated the more difficult it is to find common interests for such people.

There are the reasons why the worst people come to the power (2): Totalitarian regimes are based on the people with unstable views and on the people that are easily exited.

There are the reasons why the worst people come to the power (3): People are easier united under negative program, under the division of the world into "us" and "them"

Normative-formalistic concept According to this concept a system of norms first of all law norms is the source and content of power. Sometimes this concept is called legitimizm. It is grounded on the fact that the law is a legal and moral factor that has juridical force.

Organistic concept Different versions of functionalism, structuralism and solidarism that determine general social functions of the power, which diminish or ignore its class character comprise this concept

Subjective-psychological concept This concept explains power as an inborn instinctive urge to power, domination and aggression. Behavioral theory of power is one of the doctrines of this concept.

Individualistic-sociological concept Its followers view power as a game of interests - personal contradictions between the freedom of one part of the population and restrictions regarding the other part. This game is supported by deals, negotiations.

Forms of political power monarchy - power (absolute or with constitutional restriction) with hereditary rule of one person (a monarch); tyranny - despotic rule of one person as a result of seizure of power;

Forms of political power (2) aristocracy - power of the best, i.e. power of nobility, of privileged group of society oligarchy - power of a few number of rich people;

Forms of political power (3) tymocracy - a special form of oligarchy according to which state power belongs to privileged majority which owns high property census and very often military power; theocracy - power of the church;

Forms of political power (4) ochlocracy — power of the crowd that is not based on laws but on moment whims of the crowd that is often influenced by demagogues, acquires despotic character and acts tyrannically; democracy - power of the people that is based on law and support of rights and freedoms of the citizens.