Socio-political movement. Universal parties: examples. Features of political parties
1) How do you understand the phrase "a referendum ... is the highest direct expression of the power of the people"?
2) What questions, according to the law, cannot be submitted to a referendum?
3) How does the law protect the equality of citizens during a referendum?
4) What does the norm prescribed in paragraph 4 of article 2 of the law mean?
5) Why is the participation of citizens in the referendum declared voluntary?
6. What question or problem would you contact the authorities with? state power? Compose an appeal to government authorities on any issue that interests you.
Topic 7. Political parties and movements
1. Expand the meaning of the concepts.
Socio-political movement -
Political Party-
2. What are the main differences between a socio-political movement and a political party?
3. Listed below essential functions political parties in modern society. Give examples of the implementation of each function. Fill the table.
Before starting the tasks, remember the meaning of the concepts. Consult a dictionary if necessary.
"goal"
"socialization"
"mobilization"
"elite"
4. Read the text and do the tasks.
Citizens of democratic states are called to the ballot boxes every few years to cast their vote in favor of representatives of a particular party or political movement, which, in the opinion of voters, express their interests. If voters are close to a political ideology that advocates the preservation of the existing social order, primarily moral and legal relations embodied in the nation, religion, marriage, family, property, then they give their votes to the conservative party. Supporters of the liberal party proceed from the premise that there can be no political freedom where the state completely controls the economy, leaving no room for private initiative; at the same time, there can be no true economic freedom if there is no political freedom and human rights are not respected. For liberals, the idea of individual autonomy and its primacy in relation to society and the state is decisive.
An adherent of such values as freedom, justice, solidarity, equality, collectivism, such ideas as the socialization of property within the framework of a mixed economy, the widespread use of mechanisms for state regulation of the economy, the creation and development of a social security system, will vote for social democratic or communist parties that occupy respectively "center-left" and "left" positions of the party-political spectrum. (According to the materials of the open Internet encyclopedia "Wikipedia")
1) Fill in the table.
5. Citizens of Russia answered questions from one of the sociological services: “In your opinion, do parties have or do not influence the state of affairs in your region? And if they do, is it significant or insignificant? The survey results are presented in the form of a diagram. Read them carefully and complete the tasks
Formulate the results of the survey.
Suggest a reason for this result.
6. What's your problem locality, the region could become the basis of the program regional office political party? Make a campaign leaflet for the regional branch of this political party.
7. Explain the meaning of the statements.
“A political party is an alliance of people who have united in order to achieve the laws they all need” (I. Ilyin).
“The party is organized public opinion” (B. Disraeli).
Questions for the final lesson on the chapter "POLITICS"
1. Briefly answer the questions.
1) What relations in society are regulated by politics?
9) What is the difference between elections and referendum?
10) What organization is called a political party?
2) What are the main features political power?
3) What is called the sovereignty of the state?
4) What are the main types of political regimes?
5) What types of democracy exist? How do they differ?
6) What are the most important features of the rule of law?
7) What is called civil society?
8) How can citizens participate in political life society?
2. Complete the tasks and answer the questions. For each question, circle the number of the one correct answer.
a) The field of activity associated with the implementation of generally significant interests with the help of power is called
1) law 3) economics
2) politics 4) sovereignty
b) Are the following statements about the separation of powers correct?
A. The principle of separation of powers presupposes the dominance of the legislative power over the executive.
B. The principle of separation of powers is mandatory for a democratic state.
1) only A is true
2) only B is true
3) both judgments are correct
4) both judgments are wrong
c) What distinguishes the state from other political organizations?
1) the exclusive right to legislate
2) determining the prospects for the development of society
3) development of political programs
4) nomination of political leaders
d) What characterizes a democratic regime?
1) command-administrative management methods
3) the dominance of the executive branch
4) equality of citizens before the law
e) Are the following statements about the referendum correct?
A. The referendum is aimed at the free expression of the will of citizens on the most important issues for the whole society.
B. A referendum, like an election, involves voting for candidates or parties.
1) only A is true
2) only B is true
3) both judgments are correct
4) both judgments are wrong
3. In each of the tasks, write down the correct answer.
a) The above list shows the similarities and differences between the absolute and constitutional monarchy. Select and write down in the first column of the table the serial numbers of the similarities, and in the second column - the numbers of the differences.
1) legislative power is concentrated in the hands of the monarch
2) sole head of state
3) hereditary order of succession of power
4) the responsibility of the government to parliament
b) Find in the list below the features characteristic of a parliamentary republic, and circle the numbers under which they are indicated.
1) The President is elected by popular vote; 2) the government is formed by the party that won the elections; 3) the president is not given the right to dissolve parliament; 4) the president is the head of state and executive power; 5) the government is responsible to the parliament; 6) there is a post of prime minister. Write the circled numbers in ascending order.
Answer:________________
c) Establish a correspondence between signs and forms state structure: for each position given in the first column, match the corresponding position from the second column.
Name two functions of political parties not named in the text.
Read the text and complete tasks 21-24.
AT modern science political parties are defined as organizations seeking the election or promotion of their leaders to public office. Modern legislation provides the following signs political party: it is a freely created autonomous organization operating on the principles of self-government; a sustainable organization that unites citizens on a permanent basis; association in the party occurs on the basis of ideological factors - the commonality of beliefs and goals of its members, which is expressed in its program provisions; this is non-profit organization, which does not pursue the goals of making a profit, although its individual divisions can do production activities to meet the needs of the party; an organization built and operating on democratic principles and on the basis of publicity, publicity, openness; parties contribute to the formation and expression of the political will of the people, using peaceful and constitutional means, in particular participation in elections. In countries of totalitarian socialism, civil servants are expected to be members of the ruling communist party, although there is no such legal obligation.
Laws on political parties contain rules on the finances and property of parties. First, they establish the sources of funding: contributions, property income, gifts, loans. Secondly, parties are required to keep records of all incoming contributions and donations, income and expenses. Third, the laws of many countries provide for public financial support election campaigns conducted by the parties. For this, funds are allocated from the state budget. Such funding can be provided to all parties or only to parties that receive a certain percentage of the vote in an election.
Classification of parties is possible on a variety of grounds. These can be conservative parties that advocate the preservation of the old order, oppose reforms (the Conservative Party in the UK); clerical (religious) parties (Christian Democratic Union in Germany); liberal parties for freedom economic activity, non-intervention of the state in public life; reformist parties that act under the slogans of socialism for social justice while maintaining private property (social democratic parties in Europe); radicalist parties advocating a radical reorganization of state power. From point of view organizational structure It is customary to distinguish between cadre parties, mass parties and movement parties. From the point of view of the peculiarities of the legal status, parties are distinguished between registered and unregistered, legal and illegal. Legal parties are parties that operate legally. The party becomes illegal if it is prohibited by law, by a court decision, but continues its activities underground.
Explanation.
Functions of political parties:
− present their candidates to constituency voters;
− campaign for the election of their candidates;
- Attract the masses to their side.
Other features:
- political socialization (citizen N. began to understand politics, to understand it better when he became a supporter of the party);
− a political party represents the interests of a certain ideology ( conservative party country Z stands for respect for traditions, the importance of religion).
Political parties perform a number of functions that can be grouped into three groups: political functions, ideological, social.
Political functions: struggle for power, recruitment of political leaders and the ruling elite. Parties participate in all political processes and are, in fact, one of the main mechanisms for the distribution and redistribution of political power. They have as their main goal the conquest and use of political power to achieve the goals that are set in their programs. From the leadership of political parties, selection is carried out in political elite all levels. In addition to the professional politicians put forward by the parties, party analysts and experts quite often participate in the management of society (in particular, in the creation of state programs, in the development of a strategic state course, etc.).
Ideological functions: creation of party ideology and political doctrines, party propaganda. Each party develops and corrects its own ideological and political orientation. At the same time, it can put forward its own ideologists who offer new, original views, but it can also come out with the support of well-known ideals in the field of social development. The ideological and political orientation of parties to certain concepts and ideals: democracy, socialism, authoritarianism, liberalism, conservatism and others - allows us to judge the attitude of parties to basic social values, and, consequently, classify their programs as progressive or reactionary, conservative. In this group of functions of political parties, an important role belongs to party propaganda. Its purpose is very broad and includes, first of all, the active informing of the masses about the advantages of the program put forward by this or that party, as well as the formation of a favorable public opinion towards this party.
Social features: social representation and socialization. Each political party relies on certain groups and strata of the population and expresses their interests. Many parties in the recent past tried to emphasize this. Examples include the Bulgarian Agricultural Union and the Polish United Workers' Party. However, in modern conditions, almost every political party seeks, as far as possible, to unite and represent the broad strata of society. Obviously, those parties that express not narrow group, but national interests can count on success.
Among the social functions of political parties, an important role belongs to socialization of citizens. It is about the inclusion of the individual in the world of politics. Fighting for the voter, contributing in every possible way to the awareness of the population, parties contribute to the assimilation of certain knowledge, norms, and values by citizens. This allows citizens to become full participants in political relations. The process of socialization is structurally represented by a number of elements. It:
1) assimilation by the population of certain political knowledge and skills of socio-political activity;
2) the transformation of the acquired knowledge into beliefs;
3) formation of the ability to defend this knowledge;
4) acquisition by citizens of political orientation;
5) development of behavior adequate to the emerging political conditions.
When are the parties most energetically fulfilling these functions? During the period of pre-election and election campaigns. At this time, parties not only nominate their candidates for various government bodies, but also actively disseminate certain political ideas. Even small political parties that cannot nominate competitive candidates use the election campaign for ideological purposes, trying to form a positive image of their tasks and programs among the population.
For the parties that won the elections (or those that received a certain number of seats in the legislature), the most favorable period begins to perform one of their main functions - strengthening in power and using it to achieve their goals. They acquire a real opportunity to promote their cadres to power structures, to participate in the formation of the political elite. As a result, they get the opportunity to take part in the process of making state decisions and monitoring their implementation. After the election campaign, political parties usually become more active in terms of the formation of alliances and blocs of the winning parties, various party coalitions, and the conclusion of numerous inter-party agreements.
However, most parties carry out their main functions almost constantly. In particular, they constantly strive to:
Convince voters of the correctness of their choice;
Provide support for the ruling (or opposition) course by organizing appropriate media campaigns, marches, rallies, etc.;
Expand your membership;
Strengthen your financial position.
Consideration of the functions performed by political parties allows us to draw a conclusion about the socially important tasks that they solve quite effectively. Let's name some of them.
First, political parties provide a connection between the population and state structures. Thus, they replace spontaneous (and therefore unpredictable) forms of political activity of the population.
Secondly, parties are one of the most effective forms of overcoming political apathy and passivity of citizens.
Thirdly, advocating the distribution and redistribution of political power, modern parties most often provide a peaceful way for the implementation of these processes, and allow avoiding social upheavals.
Questions and tasks.
1. Describe the political party and show its place in society.
A political party is an organized group of people who share their common political program and seek to legally come to power by appointing their own president and forming their own government.
It represents a political organization that expresses the interests of social groups and unites their most active representatives.
The party leadership is elected at party meetings or congresses. All party members make monetary contributions, they support the party apparatus, hold party events, publish party literature, etc. The more massive the party is, the more money in the party treasury. Thus, the vital interest for any party is its mass character, popularity. Small parties that do not enjoy broad support disintegrate over time, merge with larger ones, transform, hoping to survive in an updated form.
There is a fierce political struggle going on between the political parties. The strong absorb or drive out the weak.
Political parties are organizations that seek control over the government of a country. They are one of the main sources of political influence. Parties act as intermediaries between the individual and the government, while being at the same time mechanisms for promoting their leaders to power.
The main functions of political parties in society include the representation of social interests, social integration, political socialization, the creation of ideological doctrines, the struggle for state power and participation in its implementation, the development of a political course, the formation public opinion etc..
2. * Do two characteristics of a political party conflict with each other - to be organized group like-minded people and serve as a representative institution of democracy? Express your point of view.
The main goal of a political party is to seize power by legal means. And the political party consists of like-minded people pursuing the same goals set out in their program. Representative Democracy - political regime, in which the people are recognized as the main source of power, but the government of the state is delegated by various representative bodies, whose members are elected by citizens. Parties are precisely the institution of representative democracy.
Thus, these two characteristics do not conflict with each other.
3. * What stage in the development of democracy does the abundance of political parties indicate? Explain your answer.
The abundance of political parties indicates the beginning of the formation of democracy in the state. These parties have a lot in common, often they differ only in accents. However, they are in no hurry to unite with each other.
There is no such multi-party system in countries with a long democratic tradition. For example, in the USA and England, there are only 2 leading political parties.
4. What is a multi-party system and how does it manifest itself in different countries?
Multi-party system - a party system in which more than two political parties exist and legally operate in the country.
Some countries have only one party system (China, Cuba, countries North Africa), in others a two-party system (USA, England, Canada). Majority European countries have a multi-party system (Germany, Italy, Belgium). In authoritarian regimes, one party is in power. The rest are either banned or semi-legal (Mexico - more than 12 parties registered, only one rules).
The Constitution of the Russian Federation recognizes political diversity and a multi-party system (Article 13).
5. * Why are there only two leading parties in the USA and England, but the quality of democracy does not suffer from a small number of parties, while in Russia there are many of them, but democratic transformations are going on with great difficulty?
In those countries where multi-party system only just beginning to take shape, there are dozens and hundreds of political parties and associations. There is no multi-party system in countries with a long democratic tradition. In England and the USA there are two leading parties. In Russia, the lines of demarcation are still being formed. Numerous parties have much in common, often differing only in accents. So SPS and "Yabloko" express the interests of democracy and the market with a Western orientation, but do not want to unite with each other. When they go to the polls, the intelligentsia, who usually vote for them, do not know who to give preference to. As a result, the electorate is divided, each party separately receives fewer votes than they would receive together.
6. How can political parties exercise control over a country? Can you illustrate this with the example of our country or foreign countries.
Parties achieve control over the government by delegating a larger number of their representatives to it than their opponents. The intermediate station is usually parliament. It is in it that the party tries to get the largest number of seats. If in a given country the government is formed by the party of the parliamentary majority, as in England, then the way up goes directly through the victory in Parliament. If the power of the president is strong in the country, who, according to the constitution, must stand above party interests and not support any party, but form a government that is subordinate to him, and not to parliament, then control can be achieved indirectly - through the adoption of laws beneficial to the government, a negative assessment of its activities in parliament, sabotage of its decisions, criticism in the press, etc.
In authoritarian regimes, one party is in power. The rest are either banned or semi-legal. More than 12 parties are registered in Mexico, but the government controls one; USSR, where all power was concentrated in the hands of one party.
In the UK, the government is formed after parliamentary elections. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons. On his recommendation, the head of state (the Queen of Great Britain) appoints the rest of the government. If the House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence in the government, it must resign.
7. What functions does a political party perform? Which one do you consider the most important? And if one function begins to contradict another, does the authority of a political party suffer from this?
Political parties perform the following functions:
1. Political - the mastery of state power.
2. Representative - the expression of the interests of certain groups and segments of the population.
3. Electoral - organization and participation in election campaigns.
4. Socializing - the education of loyal members and the formation of the political culture of citizens.
5. Recruiting - selection and nomination of politically literate leaders for parliament and government.
I cannot say that any of these features will be the most important. A political party must perform all these functions, otherwise it will not succeed in gaining power.
If, for example, a political party ceases to perform a representative function, then it will lose its authority. That is, it has entered the government and parliament, but is not going to fulfill the interests of its supporters. Consequently, she will lose her votes in the next election.
?Problem. Do you think young people should participate in the work of political parties?
Youth should participate in the work of political parties. We need young people with new views, with new ideas, with new solutions to emerging problems. In my opinion, only youth can know about the problems of youth. It is also an opportunity to gain some experience, because in the future someone will need to lead the state.
Workshop. Compare the contents of the two columns of the table describing the functions of a political party. (table corrected)
LECTURE #7
Topic: Political parties and party systems.
Target: reveal the concept, origin, functions of political parties. Give a classification of political parties. Analyze the types of party systems. To characterize the process of forming a multi-party system in Ukraine.
Lesson type: lecture.
Plan
1. Concept, origin, classification and functions of political parties.
2. Party systems and their typology.
3. Formation of a multi-party system in Ukraine.
1. Concept, origin, classification and functions of political parties.
In the life of modern society, one of the most prominent places belongs to political parties. The parties act as a very essential, and sometimes decisive element political system society. They are the spokesmen for the interests and goals of certain classes and social groups. Parties take an active part in the functioning of the mechanism of political power or have a certain influence on it. An essential aspect of their activities is the ideological impact on the population, the formation of political consciousness. Political Party - This is a voluntary association of people based on ideological and political values, representing certain social classes, social groups and strata, striving to realize common interests and goals by conquering political power or participating in it.
Power is the ultimate goal of any party, a tool for realizing the interests of those social groups or classes that are its social base. Whatever tasks the party sets for itself - building communism or saving environment- it achieves with their help power, the formation of its own government or the inclusion of its representatives in the coalition government. Being the ruling party, the party strives to use all state power in the interests of those social-class forces that it represents. This party differs, for example, from public organizations and movements, lobbying formations that are also actively involved in political life, but do not aim to gain and use political power. Thus, the fundamental difference between parties and social movements is that parties fight for participation in the exercise of state power, while movements do not claim direct participation in it and do not take on the duties associated with it. In addition, political parties, compared with social movements, are a higher and more stable organizational form.
To main features political parties are:
Active participation in political struggle;
Having a membership;
A certain social base;
Presence of a political program and charter;
The commonality of interests and the closeness of the ideological views of people united in the party;
The presence of one or more leaders.
The first ideas about parties are associated with the names of such great thinkers and politicians, like Ch. Montesquieu, J.-J. Rousseau, E. Burke and others. The problem of political parties took an important place in the works of famous scientists of the early XX century: M. Weber, M. Ostrogorsky, R. Michels, G. Mosca.
When did political parties emerge?
Information about the first party formations refers to Ancient Greece. Thus, Aristotle speaks of the parties of the valley, of the mountain, meaning, of course, not parties in the modern sense of the word, but political alliances. These were relatively few and narrow unions or groupings that were not stable and were not firmly institutionalized. This kind of education existed in the Middle Ages.
Political parties in their modern sense first arose in Europe in the second half of the 19th century, and then in other parts of the world. The introduction of universal suffrage, the emergence of parliaments and parliamentarism as a form of organization and exercise of state power had a direct impact on their birth. Initially, in capitalist society, political parties were created mainly by various groups of the bourgeoisie, as well as by its opponents from among the feudal-aristocratic strata. Subsequently, mass parties began to emerge to defend the interests of wage earners. In a democratic society, parties are the most important link connecting people, parliament and government. It is through parties that state bodies can turn to the masses for support, and the masses, in turn, can influence the work of parliament and government, and the process of their formation.
In the history of the formation of parties M. Weber identifies three stages: aristocratic group, political club, mass party . Such a division of parties in political science is generally recognized. However, we note that only two English parties passed through all the stages of development according to this classical scheme: the liberal (Whig) and the conservative (Tory). For the most part, the formation of parties followed different paths. The first mass political party was founded in England in 1861. It was called the Liberal Election Registration Association. One of the first political organizations The proletariat was also the "Union of Communists", created by K. Marx and F. Engels in 1847. in London. His program was written by K. Marx and F. Engels "Manifesto of the Communist Party", published in 1848. The motto of the "Union of Communists" was the slogan "Proletarians of all countries, unite!". An important milestone On the way to the formation of the parties of the working class was the creation in 1864. International Association of Workers - I International.
Classification (typology) of political parties.
Here, much depends on the criteria that are taken as the basis of typology: character, goals, tasks, conditions of activity, class interests, etc.
If, for example, the character, the tasks of their activities (orientation) are taken as the basis for the classification of parties, then all existing parties are usually reduced to the following types: revolutionary, behind deep, fundamental changes in public relations; reformist, advocating moderate changes in various spheres of society, not encroaching on the foundations of the system; conservative, standing in positions of conservation , standing on the positions of maintaining the main features modern life; reactionary, setting themselves the task of restoring old structures.
There is a Marxist analysis of parties and a party classification. The defining role in them is assigned to the class character of the criteria, according to which bourgeois, petty-bourgeois, peasant and proletarian parties.
Depending on participation in the exercise of power, parties are divided into ruling and opposition parties. ruling parties have the majority of seats in parliament, form the government, are distinguished by great conservatism. They strive to preserve the status quo, to prevent sudden and rapid changes. Opposition parties , on the contrary, they are dynamic. They tend to criticize the current government and advocate for reform.
Political parties can also be divided into parties worldview and interest parties . In the first case we are talking about the establishment of a certain social order. They, as a rule, clearly imagine one or another model of social structure and strive to put it into practice. An example of a party of this kind can be considered the Bolshevik Party, which sought to destroy the "old world" and build a fundamentally new society on its ruins.
main goal parties of interests can be considered upholding the positions of one or another social group. It is a matter of honor to win a "place in the sun" for those sections of society on the basis of which it was created. This allows, in turn, to divide the parties of interest into workers, peasants, intelligentsia parties etc. Such parties are becoming last years less and less. This is due to the fact that people gradually come to realize their common interests, regardless of their social affiliation.
Parties are often placed on the scale of the political spectrum from right to left: right, centrist, left . AT contemporary politics "leftists" it is customary to consider parties that advocate the implementation of communist, socialist, social democratic ideals, the transfer of the means of production to public ownership, and firm social guarantees. "Rights" parties traditionally advocate a strong state that preserves private property and the established social system. An intermediate place between the "left" and "right" is occupied by the parties "center".
According to the conditions of activity, parties can be divided into legal, semi-legal and illegal . The first are officially allowed, registered and operate within the framework of the law, the second are not registered, but not prohibited, and finally, the third are prohibited by the state and operate non-traditional methods often in conflict with constitutional norms. The latter include, as a rule, those parties that come out with slogans of forcibly changing the existing system.
Functions of political parties
First, the definition of the development goal. In developing their programs, the parties seek to justify the direction of the strategy for the development of society and the ultimate goal;
Secondly, the expression and association of public interests. Individual groups of citizens can also express interests, but only parties bring them together and in a form that directly influences decisions. government agencies;
Thirdly, the mobilization and socialization of citizens. The parties are called upon to strengthen the political activity of citizens and create the basis for a long-term political activity;
Fourthly, in the conditions of a democratic political system, the formation of the ruling elite and the composition of the government (the latter is of decisive importance, without this function, the effective operation of any party is impossible);
Fifth, holding election campaigns. The parties are called upon to act as the main organizers and actors, without handing over this matter to the power structures, the bureaucratic apparatus (officialdom);
Sixth, exercise control over power. This means not allowing one person or group of people to usurp power. Democracy does not bind the future to one person, it is the expression of the will of the majority, its realization through this majority.
The main way to carry out these functions is the pre-election struggle, the nomination by the party of its candidates for legislatures, to the government. Let's say, with the beginning of the election campaign, each party launches an agitation and propaganda campaign, during which it seeks to most attractively present its program goals and objectives, its candidates, and win over as many voters as possible to its side. In this case, various forms and methods of work are used: oral and printed propaganda and agitation, television, radio, etc. Elections are the most active phase of activity.
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