Legal state The state is an organization of political power that manages society and protects its economic and social structure. The state is a special organization of political public power, which has a special

23.06.2020

These include: 1) territory. The state is a single territorial organization of political power throughout the country. State power extends to the entire population within a certain territory, which entails the administrative-territorial division of the state. These territorial units are called differently in different countries: districts, regions, territories, districts, provinces, districts, municipalities, counties, provinces, etc. The exercise of power according to the territorial principle leads to the establishment of its spatial limits - the state border that separates one state from another; 2) population. This sign characterizes the belonging of people to a given society and state, composition, citizenship, the procedure for its acquisition and loss, etc. It is “through the population” within the framework of the state that people unite and they act as an integral organism - society; 3) public authority. The state is a special organization of political power, which has a special apparatus (mechanism) for managing society to ensure its normal functioning. The primary cell of this apparatus is the state body. Along with the apparatus of power and administration, the state has a special apparatus of coercion, consisting of the army, police, gendarmerie, intelligence, and so on. in the form of various compulsory institutions (prisons, camps, penal servitude, etc.). Through the system of its organs and institutions, the state directly manages society and protects the inviolability of its borders. The most important state bodies, which to some extent were inherent in all historical types and varieties of the state, include legislative, executive and judicial. At various stages of social development, state bodies change structurally and solve tasks that are different in their specific content; 4) sovereignty. The state is a sovereign organization of power. State sovereignty is such a property of state power, which is expressed in the supremacy and independence of a given state in relation to any other authorities within the country, and so on. its independence in the international arena, provided that the sovereignty of other states is not violated. The independence and supremacy of state power are expressed in the following: a) universality - only decisions of state power apply to the entire population and public organizations of a given country; b) prerogative - the possibility of canceling and invalidating any illegal act of another public authority; c) the availability of special means of influence (coercion) that no other public organization has. Under certain conditions, the sovereignty of the state coincides with the sovereignty of the people. The sovereignty of the people means supremacy, its right to decide its own destiny, to form the direction of the policy of its state, the composition of its bodies, to control the activities of state power. The concept of state sovereignty is closely related to the concept of national sovereignty. National sovereignty means the right of nations to self-determination up to secession and formation of independent states. Sovereignty can be formal when it is proclaimed legally and politically, but is not actually exercised due to dependence on another state that dictates its will. Forced restriction of sovereignty takes place, for example, in relation to the defeated in the war by the victorious states, by decision of the international community (UN). Voluntary limitation of sovereignty may be allowed by the state itself by mutual agreement to achieve common goals, when united in a federation, etc.; 5) publication of legal norms. The state organizes public life on a legal basis. Without law, legislation, the state is not able to effectively manage society, ensure the unconditional implementation of its decisions. Among the many political organizations, only the state, represented by its competent authorities, issues decrees that are binding on the entire population of the country, unlike other norms of public life (moral norms, customs, traditions). Legal norms are provided with measures of state coercion with the help of special bodies (courts, administration, etc.); 6) mandatory fees from citizens - taxes, taxes, loans. The state establishes them for the maintenance of public authority. Compulsory fees are used by the state for the maintenance of the army, police and other enforcement agencies, the state apparatus, and so on. for other government programs (education, healthcare, culture, sports, etc.); 7) state symbols. Each state has an official name, anthem, coat of arms, flag, memorable dates, public holidays, which differ from the same attributes of other states. The state establishes the rules of official behavior, forms of addressing people to each other, greetings, etc.

Secondly, the state is a special organization of political power, which has a special apparatus (mechanism) for managing society to ensure its normal functioning. The mechanism of the state is the material expression of state power. Through a whole system of its organs and institutions, the state directly manages society, consolidates and implements a certain regime of political power, and protects the inviolability of its borders.

The parts of the state mechanism, diverse in their structure and tasks, are united by a common purpose: to ensure the protection and functioning of society and its members in accordance with the law. The most important state bodies, which to some extent were inherent in all historical types and varieties of the state, include legislative, executive and judicial. A special place in the mechanism of the state has always been occupied by bodies that carry out coercive, including punitive functions: the army, police, gendarmerie, prison and correctional labor institutions.

The mechanism of the state is not a constant. At various stages of social development, state bodies change structurally and solve tasks that are different in their specific content. However, these changes and differences do not exclude common elements that are inherent in the mechanism of any state.

Thirdly, the state organizes public life on a legal basis. Legal forms of organizing the life of society are inherent in the state. Without law, legislation, the state is not able to effectively manage society, ensure the unconditional implementation of decisions. Among the many political organizations, only the state, represented by its competent authorities, issues decrees that are binding on the entire population of the country. Being the official representative of the whole society, the state, if necessary, enforces the requirements of legal norms with the help of its special bodies (courts, administration, and others).

Fourthly, the state is a sovereign organization of power. In this it differs from other political formations of society.

State sovereignty- this is such a property of state power, which is expressed in the supremacy and independence of this state in relation to any other authorities within the country, as well as in the sphere of interstate relations, with strict observance of generally recognized norms of international law.

Sovereignty is a collective sign of the state. It concentrates all the most essential features of the state organization of society. The independence and supremacy of state power is specifically expressed in the following:

in universality - only decisions of state power apply to the entire population and public organizations of a given country;

in the prerogative - the possibility of canceling and recognizing as null and void any illegal manifestation of other public authorities;

in the presence of special means of influence that no other public organization has.

The supremacy of state power does not at all exclude its interaction with non-state political organizations in solving various issues of state and public life. In the sovereignty of the state, the sovereignty of the people finds its political and legal expression, in whose interests the state exercises leadership of society.

Under certain conditions, the sovereignty of the state coincides with the sovereignty of the people. The sovereignty of the people means the rule of the people, their right to decide their own destiny, the fundamental issues of state and social development, to form the direction of the policy of their state, the composition of its bodies, to control the activities of state power.

The concept of state sovereignty is closely related to the concept of national sovereignty. National sovereignty means the right of nations to self-determination up to secession and formation of an independent state. In multinational states formed by the voluntary association of nations, the sovereignty exercised by this complex state cannot be the sovereignty of a single nation.

These are the most general features of the state, characterizing it as a specific organization of society. By themselves, the signs do not yet give a complete picture of the essence and social purpose of the state in its historical development. With the improvement of social life, the person himself, with the growth of his social, political and moral maturity, the state also changes. Its general features, while remaining unchanged in principle, are filled with new, more rational content. The essence of the state is enriched, obsolete ones die off and more progressive functions and forms of its activity appear, corresponding to the objective needs of social development.

The essence of the state as a social phenomenon is, figuratively speaking, a multifaceted core, which consists of many interconnected internal and external aspects, giving it the qualitative certainty of a universal control system. To reveal the essence of the state means to reveal the main thing that determines what determines its objective necessity in society, to understand why society cannot exist and develop without the state.

The most important, qualitatively constant feature of the state is that it, in all its varieties, always acts as the only organization of political power that governs the entire society. In the scientific and practical sense, all power is control. State power is a special type of government, characterized by the fact that, along with colossal organizational capabilities, it also has the right to use violent coercion to carry out state orders.

The state arises as a class organization of political power. This position is directly or indirectly proven by world science and historical practice. Indeed, the slave-owning state was essentially a political organization of slave-owners. Although to some extent it protected the interests of all free citizens. The feudal state is an organ of political power, primarily of the feudal lords, as well as other wealthy classes (merchants, artisans, clergymen). The capitalist state at the first (classical) stages of its development acted as an organ for expressing the interests of the bourgeoisie.

An analysis of certain economic and social patterns of the emergence and functioning of the state, mainly from class positions, made it possible to give a "universal" definition of the essence of the state, covering all historical types of states, including modern ones.

The peculiarity of the historical types of states that preceded modern times is that they basically expressed the economic interests of a minority (slave owners, feudal lords, capitalists).

Thus, due to objective reasons, the state turns mainly into the organizing force of society, which expresses and protects the personal and common interests of its members.

Private property, which has become an objective factor in the emergence of the state, is also a constant companion in the process of its development. With the improvement of public life, forms of ownership, including private ones, become more diverse. The property of the minority gradually turns into the property of the majority. As a result of revolutionary and evolutionary transformations of property relations, the socio-economic essence of the state, its goals and objectives are also changing. With the formation of state, collective, joint-stock, cooperative, farmer, individual and other forms of ownership, private property, that is, the property of the individual, began to acquire new qualitative features.

The social purpose of the state stems from his entities. What is essence state, such is the nature of its activities, such are the goals and objectives that it sets for itself. One can talk about the social purpose of the state in general, abstracting from those historically transient tasks that it solved at one stage or another of the development of society. Attempts to determine the social purpose of the state in the historical perspective were made by thinkers of various eras and various scientific directions. So, Plato and Aristotle believed that the purpose of any state is moral affirmation. Later this view of the social purpose of the state was supported and developed by Hegel. Representatives of the contractual theory of the origin of the state saw in its existence common good(Grotius); general security(Hobbes); general freedom(Russo). Lassalle also saw the main task of the state in development and realization of human freedom

So, views on the social purpose of the state are determined by those objective conditions that are characteristic of a given level of development of society. With their change, the views on the social purpose of the state also change.

At the same time, the content of the activity of the state in certain historical periods is also significantly influenced by subjective factors. These include, first of all, the truth of a certain theory, its universality, the ability to foresee the historical perspective, possible changes in social life, its implementation in the practice of state building.

Being still the main governing system of society, the state is increasingly turning into an organ for overcoming social contradictions, taking into account and coordinating the interests of various groups of the population, and implementing such decisions that would be supported by various social strata. In the activities of the state, such important general democratic institutions as the separation of powers, the rule of law, publicity, pluralism of opinions, and the high role of the court are beginning to come to the fore.

The role of the state in the international arena, its external activity, which requires mutual concessions, compromises, and reasonable agreements with other states, is also changing significantly.

All this gives grounds to characterize the modern civilized state as a means of social compromise. (by content) and as a rule of law (in form).

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THE STATE AS A SPECIAL POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

state political coercion social

The concept of the state, its features and functions

The state can be defined as the all-encompassing political organization of the ruling class, which serves as the main instrument for ensuring its interests.

The formed definition of the state refers to the state in the proper sense of the word. These are primarily the slaveholding and feudal state.

Revealing the content of the concept of the state, we first of all bring it under such an ordinary concept as a political organization. Thus, we transfer the features inherent in the general concept to the defined concept of "state". Therefore, they do not need to be listed. It remains only to indicate the main features of the state as a special political reality. These will be: 1) the all-embracing nature of the state; 2) the existence of the state as a political organization of the ruling class; 3) his official role.

The state, being the main political institution, is called upon to manage society, protect the economic and social structures, maintain public order and the functioning of all social institutions.

The state is a product of the internal evolution of society, which objectively needs organizational formalization. In different eras, in different conditions, the state acts as an organization for managing society, as a mechanism for ruling. The state does not have an eternal nature, it did not exist in primitive society, but appeared only at the final stage of its development due to various reasons, primarily related to the new organizational and labor standards of human existence.

The state, its mechanism (the system of state bodies) does not remain unchanged, frozen.

The state changes along with society as a political form of its organization. We can talk about the peculiarities of the state mechanism of a slave-owning, feudal, bourgeois society, etc. This is one approach to the classification of states, there are others. For example, one can single out authoritarian, totalitarian, and democratic states.

Consequently, the state can be defined as a special organization of the political power of society, which has a special coercive apparatus that expresses the will and interests of the ruling class, another social group or the whole people.

If we talk about the democratic type of state, then its formation and development in European countries dates back to the end of the 18th-19th centuries. The construction of the quality of a democratic state has also begun today in Russia. The development of Russia as a legal democratic state assumes that:

1) the bearer of sovereignty and the only source of state power of the Russian Federation is its multinational people;

2) democracy (democracy) is carried out on the basis of political and ideological diversity, multi-party system;

3) the state, its bodies, institutions and officials serve the whole society, and not any part of it, are responsible to the person and citizen;

4) a person, his rights and freedoms - the highest value;

5) the system of state power is based on the principle of separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers, as well as the delimitation of jurisdiction and powers (competencies) between the Russian Federation, its constituent republics, territories, regions, autonomous districts and local self-government bodies;

6) the rule of law or connection with the law based on the will of society.

The concept of "the state in general" fixes the general features inherent in any state, regardless of its nature.

We can talk about the features that distinguish the state from the primitive organization of society, and we can talk about the features due to which it differs from any social organization, association, movement.

The state differs from the social organization of primitive society in the following features.

First, it has political power, that is, organized concentrated coercion of one part of society by another.

Secondly, it is characterized by the distribution of the population by administrative-territorial units.

Territorial division of the population characteristic of the state:

a) fixes the rupture of blood ties of the former clan, the rupture caused by the mobility and changeability of the place of residence of the population, and the ties with the developed exchange of goods, the change of employment and the alienation of landed property;

b) makes generally accepted the organization of people only at the place of residence, regardless of their ancestral ties;

c) turns all people, regardless of their position, into subjects of the state;

d) clearly defines the external borders of the state, as well as its internal administrative-territorial structure.

Thirdly, the state establishes taxes, thanks to which its apparatus is supported.

The state differs from other public organizations, associations and movements in the following main features.

First, the state covers the entire population living within its territory. Public organizations, associations and movements cover only a certain part of society.

Secondly, the state is distinguished by the presence of a special category of persons - officials, a special apparatus endowed with power.

Thirdly, the state acts as the official representative of the whole society, is its concentrated expression and embodiment.

Fourth, the state differs from other organizations in the presence of sovereignty.

State sovereignty should be understood as the autonomy and independence of state power in solving the tasks facing it.

These features of the state have received universal recognition in the legal literature. They are essential.

And in order to unmistakably establish a social attribute, one must be guided by the proposition that between the phenomenon and its main attribute there is an inalienable two-way relationship, namely: the absence of the indicated attribute inevitably entails the absence of the phenomenon, of which it is an attribute. In turn, without a phenomenon, such a sign cannot exist.

Intermediate conclusion - the essential features of the state are:

1. The presence of public authority, which, embodied in state bodies, acts as state power. It is carried out by a special layer of people who perform the functions of control and coercion. This special layer of people constitutes the apparatus of the state, which is endowed with state powers, that is, the ability to issue binding acts, to resort, if necessary, to state influence in order to subordinate the behavior of people to the will that found expression in the decisions adopted by state bodies.

2. Territorial organization of the population. State power is exercised within a certain territory and extends to all people living there. In primitive society, the subordination of people to power was due to their belonging to the genus, that is, blood-kinship. The sign of the state is characterized by the extension of its power to all people located on the territory of this state.

3. State sovereignty, that is, the independence of state power from a new other power within the country and outside. State sovereignty, which gives the state the right to independently and freely decide its own affairs, distinguishes the state, along with its other features, from other organizations of society (for example, political parties), territorial entities.

4. The activities of all state bodies are based on the rule of law. The state is the only organization that carries out lawmaking, that is, it creates laws and other legal acts that are binding on the entire population.

5. The existence of a system of forced taxes and other obligatory payments.

The social purpose of the state, the nature and content of its activities are reflected in the functions of the state, which are associated with the main directions of its activities.

The classification of functions is based on the spheres of activity of the state, that is, those areas of social relations that it influences. Depending on this, the functions of the state can be divided into internal and external.

1. Internal functions are the main activities of the state within a given country, characterizing the internal policy of the state. These include protective and regulatory.

The implementation of protective functions involves the activities of the state to ensure and protect all social relations fixed and regulated by law. For these purposes, the state takes care of:

a) on upholding the rights and freedoms of citizens, on the observance of law and order;

b) on ensuring civil harmony in society;

c) on equal protection of all forms of ownership;

d) on environmental protection, etc.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the recognition, observance and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen is the duty of the state. Rights and freedoms are recognized as inalienable, belonging to a person from birth. The state guarantees everyone judicial protection of their rights and freedoms. The rights of victims of crimes and abuses of power are protected by law. Everyone has the right to compensation for harm caused by illegal actions (or inaction) of public authorities or their officials.

In the Russian Federation, private, state, municipal and other forms of ownership are recognized and protected in the same way.

Regulatory functions characterize the role of the state in organizing social production, developing the country's economy, and creating the necessary conditions for the formation of personality. For these purposes, the state regulates the economic environment of life in the interests of man and society, taking care of the material well-being and spiritual development of people. Regulatory functions include economic, social functions, the function of taxation and collection of taxes, and others.

The economic function of the state is reduced to:

a) development of economic policy;

b) management of state enterprises and organizations;

c) establishing the legal foundations of the market and pricing policy.

The Russian Federation guarantees the unity of the economic space, free movement of goods, services and financial resources, encouragement of competition, freedom of economic activity (Article 8 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation).

The implementation of the social function of the state involves the creation of conditions that ensure a decent life and free development of a person. In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, labor and health of people are protected in the Russian Federation, state support is established for the family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood, disabled and elderly citizens, a system of social services is being developed, state pensions and benefits are being established (Article 7).

Taxation and collection of taxes is the most important function of the state. This is due to the fact that the state budget consists of various taxes, fees, duties and other obligatory payments. In 1992, the Law on the Fundamentals of the Tax System in the Russian Federation was adopted, which regulates the rights, duties and responsibilities of taxpayers and tax authorities. The Russian Federation has created and operates a tax service, the tax police of the Russian Federation. In accordance with Art. 57 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, everyone is obliged to pay legally established taxes and fees.

2. External functions are manifested in the foreign policy activities of the state, its relations with other countries. External functions include: mutually beneficial international cooperation, ensuring the defense of the state from outside attacks, and others. International cooperation is carried out in two directions:

a) foreign policy activities;

b) foreign economic activity and cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, nature conservation, etc.

The foreign policy activity of the Russian Federation is based on the principles of recognition and respect for the state sovereignty and sovereign equality of all countries, equality and non-interference in their internal affairs, respect for the territorial integrity and inviolability of existing borders, renunciation of the use of force and the threat of force, economic and any other methods of pressure, respect human rights and freedoms, including the rights of national minorities, conscientious fulfillment of obligations and other generally recognized principles and norms of international law. The Russian Federation is a member of the UN, a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It interacts with many other international organizations.

The defense function of the Russian Federation is based on the principle of maintaining a sufficient level of the country's defense capability that meets the requirements of Russia's national security, ensuring the integrity and inviolability of its territory. In 1992, the Law of the Russian Federation on Defense was adopted, which defines the principles underlying the organization of the country's defense, and in 1993, a Decree of the President of the Russian Federation was issued on the main provisions of the military doctrine of the Russian Federation.

External and internal functions of the state are closely interconnected and interdependent.

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Form of government

By form of government distinguish monarchy and republic.

Under a monarchical form of government, a monarch (king, emperor, king, shah, etc.) is at the head of the state, whose power can be unlimited (absolute monarchy) and limited (constitutional, parliamentary monarchy).

An example of an absolute monarchy is the monarchy in Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Limited monarchies exist in Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, Japan and other countries.

Signs of a monarchical form of government are:

the power of the monarch is for life, there is a hereditary order of succession (history knows exceptions: the regicide becomes king), the will of the monarch is unlimited (he is considered the anointed of God), the monarch does not bear responsibility.

Republican the form of government has the following features: the election of the head of the republic by an elected body (parliament, federal assembly, etc.) for a certain period, the collegial nature of the power of the government, the legal responsibility of the head of state by law.

In modern conditions, republics are distinguished: parliamentary, presidential, mixed.

To anti-democratic regimes include fascist, authoritarian, totalitarian, racist-nationalist, etc. The regime in Nazi Germany was both fascist and racist.

In a democracy, there is a desire to create a state of law. The rule of law is a form of organization and activity of state power, which is built in relationships with individuals and their various associations on the basis of the rule of law *

*Cm.: Khropanyuk V.N. Theory of Government and Rights. - M.: IPP. "Fatherland", 1993. S. 56 et seq.

The presence and operation of legislation does not yet indicate the existence of legal statehood in society. The Russian state aims to become legal. Russia is a democratic federal state with a republican form of government.

Signs of the rule of law in a democracy are considered in the legal literature in different ways. So, S.S. Alekseev refers to them: the performance of legislative and control functions by representative bodies; the presence of state power, including executive power; presence of municipal self-government; subordination of all departments of power to the law; independent and strong justice; affirmation in society of inalienable, fundamental human rights and freedoms *

V.A. Chetvernin contrasts the concepts of "the rule of law" and "the state of legality", believing that the rule of law cannot but limit subjective rights *.

* Cm.: Chetvernin V.A. The concept of law and state. - M.: Ed. Case, 1997. S. 97-98.* See: Fundamentals of Law of the Russian Federation./ Edited by V.I. . Zuev. - M.: MIPP, 1997. S. 35.

The theory of the rule of law in the Russian legal literature has not yet been finally formed. To a large extent, foreign theory and practice of the concept of the rule of law are used.

The rule of law, the separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial, the subordination of the state itself and its bodies to the law, the mutual responsibility of the state and the individual, the development of local self-government, etc.

Krylova Z.G. Law basics. 2010

State - organization of political power that manages society and ensures order and stability in it.

Main signs of the state are: the presence of a certain territory, sovereignty, a broad social base, a monopoly on legitimate violence, the right to collect taxes, the public nature of power, the presence of state symbols.

State performs internal functions among which are economic, stabilization, coordination, social, etc. There are also external functions the most important of which are the provision of defense and the establishment of international cooperation.

By form of government states are divided into monarchies (constitutional and absolute) and republics (parliamentary, presidential and mixed). Depending on the forms of government distinguish unitary states, federations and confederations.

State

State - this is a special organization of political power, which has a special apparatus (mechanism) for managing society to ensure its normal activity.

AT historical In terms of the state, the state can be defined as a social organization that has ultimate power over all people living within the boundaries of a certain territory, and has as its main goal the solution of common problems and ensuring the common good while maintaining, above all, order.

AT structural plan, the state appears as an extensive network of institutions and organizations that embody the three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial.

Government is sovereign, that is, supreme, in relation to all organizations and persons within the country, as well as independent, independent in relation to other states. The state is the official representative of the whole society, all its members, called citizens.

The loans collected from the population and received from it are directed to the maintenance of the state apparatus of power.

The state is a universal organization, distinguished by a number of attributes and features that have no analogues.

State signs

Coercion - state coercion is primary and priority in relation to the right to coerce other entities within the given state and is carried out by specialized bodies in situations determined by law.
Sovereignty - the state has the highest and unlimited power in relation to all persons and organizations operating within historically established borders.
Universality - the state acts on behalf of the whole society and extends its power to the entire territory.

Signs of the state are the territorial organization of the population, state sovereignty, tax collection, lawmaking. The state subjugates the entire population living in a certain territory, regardless of the administrative-territorial division.

State Attributes

Territory - defined by the boundaries separating the spheres of sovereignty of individual states.
The population is the subjects of the state, on which its power extends and under the protection of which they are.
Apparatus - a system of organs and the presence of a special "class of officials" through which the state functions and develops. The issuance of laws and regulations binding on the entire population of a given state is carried out by the state legislature.

The concept of the state

The state arises at a certain stage in the development of society as a political organization, as an institution of power and management of society. There are two main concepts of the emergence of the state. In accordance with the first concept, the state arises in the course of the natural development of society and the conclusion of an agreement between citizens and rulers (T. Hobbes, J. Locke). The second concept goes back to the ideas of Plato. She rejects the first and insists that the state arises as a result of the conquest (conquest) by a relatively small group of militant and organized people (tribe, race) of a significantly larger, but less organized population (D. Hume, F. Nietzsche). Obviously, in the history of mankind, both the first and the second ways of the emergence of the state took place.

As already mentioned, in the beginning the state was the only political organization in society. In the future, in the course of the development of the political system of society, other political organizations (parties, movements, blocs, etc.) also arise.

The term "state" is usually used in a broad and narrow sense.

In a broad sense the state is identified with society, with a certain country. For example, we say: "UN member states", "NATO member states", "State of India". In the above examples, the state refers to entire countries together with their peoples living in a certain territory. This idea of the state dominated in antiquity and the Middle Ages.

In a narrow sense the state is understood as one of the institutions of the political system, which has supreme power in society. Such an understanding of the role and place of the state is substantiated during the formation of civil society institutions (XVIII - XIX centuries), when the political system and the social structure of society become more complex, it becomes necessary to separate the state institutions and institutions proper from society and other non-state institutions of the political system.

The state is the main socio-political institution of society, the core of the political system. Possessing sovereign power in society, it controls the life of people, regulates relations between various social strata and classes, and is responsible for the stability of society and the security of its citizens.

The state has a complex organizational structure, which includes the following elements: legislative institutions, executive and administrative bodies, the judiciary, public order and state security bodies, the armed forces, etc. All this allows the state to perform not only the functions of managing society, but also the functions of coercion (institutionalized violence) against both individual citizens and large social communities (classes, estates, nations). So, during the years of Soviet power in the USSR, many classes and estates were actually destroyed (bourgeoisie, merchants, prosperous peasantry, etc.), entire peoples were subjected to political repressions (Chechens, Ingush, Crimean Tatars, Germans, etc.).

State signs

The state is recognized as the main subject of political activity. With functional from the point of view, the state is the leading political institution that manages society and ensures order and stability in it. With organizational point of view, the state is an organization of political power that enters into relations with other subjects of political activity (for example, citizens). In this understanding, the state is seen as a set of political institutions (courts, social security system, army, bureaucracy, local authorities, etc.) responsible for organizing social life and financed by society.

signs, which distinguish the state from other subjects of political activity, are as follows:

Presence of a certain territory- the jurisdiction of the state (the right to judge and resolve legal issues) is determined by its territorial boundaries. Within these boundaries, the power of the state extends to all members of society (both those who have the citizenship of the country and those who do not);

Sovereignty- the state is completely independent in internal affairs and in the conduct of foreign policy;

Variety of resources used- the state accumulates the main power resources (economic, social, spiritual, etc.) to exercise its powers;

The desire to represent the interests of the whole society - the state acts on behalf of the whole society, and not of individuals or social groups;

Monopoly on legitimate violence- the state has the right to use force to ensure the implementation of laws and punish their violators;

The right to collect taxes- the state establishes and collects various taxes and fees from the population, which are directed to finance state bodies and solve various management tasks;

The public nature of power- The state ensures the protection of public interests, not private ones. In the implementation of public policy, there is usually no personal relationship between government and citizens;

The presence of symbols- the state has its own signs of statehood - a flag, emblem, anthem, special symbols and attributes of power (for example, a crown, scepter and orb in some monarchies), etc.

In a number of contexts, the concept of "state" is perceived as close in meaning to the concepts of "country", "society", "government", but this is not so.

The country- the concept is primarily cultural and geographical. This term is usually used when talking about area, climate, natural areas, population, nationalities, religions, etc. The state is a political concept and denotes the political organization of that other country - the form of its government and structure, political regime, etc.

Society is a broader concept than the state. For example, a society can be above the state (society as all of humanity) or pre-state (such are the tribe and the primitive family). At the present stage, the concepts of society and the state also do not coincide: public authority (say, a layer of professional managers) is relatively independent and isolated from the rest of society.

Government - only a part of the state, its highest administrative and executive body, an instrument for exercising political power. The state is a stable institution, while governments come and go.

General signs of the state

Despite all the variety of types and forms of state formations that arose earlier and currently exist, one can single out common features that are more or less characteristic of any state. In our opinion, these features were most fully and reasonably presented by V. P. Pugachev.

These signs include the following:

public authority, separated from society and not coinciding with social organization; the presence of a special layer of people who carry out the political management of society;
a certain territory (political space), delineated by the boundaries, to which the laws and powers of the state apply;
sovereignty - supreme power over all citizens living in a certain territory, their institutions and organizations;
monopoly on the legal use of force. Only the state has "legitimate" grounds for restricting the rights and freedoms of citizens and even depriving them of their lives. For these purposes, it has special power structures: the army, police, courts, prisons, etc. P.;
the right to levy taxes and fees from the population, which are necessary for the maintenance of state bodies and the material support of state policy: defense, economic, social, etc.;
compulsory membership in the state. A person receives citizenship from the moment of birth. Unlike membership in a party or other organizations, citizenship is a necessary attribute of any person;
a claim to represent the whole of society as a whole and to protect common interests and goals. In reality, no state or other organization is able to fully reflect the interests of all social groups, classes and individual citizens of society.

All functions of the state can be divided into two main types: internal and external.

While doing internal functions the activity of the state is aimed at managing society, at coordinating the interests of various social strata and classes, at maintaining its power. By implementing external functions, the state acts as a subject of international relations, representing a certain people, territory and sovereign power.

Legal state The state is an organization of political power that manages society and protects its economic and social structure. The state is a special organization of political public power, which has a special

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