Political activity: concept, forms, goals and examples

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

The main problem in the definition of political activity is its frequent replacement with a completely different concept - political behavior. Meanwhile, not behavior, but activity is a form of social activity. Behavior is a concept from psychology. Activity, on the other hand, implies a social, public or political context.

Before proceeding to the main terms in the article, it is necessary to revise the concept of "politics". If we consider politics from the point of view of activity, then this is an integrated concept: managing people, and science, and building relationships - all for the sake of gaining, retaining and exercising power.

One of the main signs of politics, as well as political activity, is rationality, which determines the levels of political activity. Rationality is always understanding and awareness, planning of terms and means. Rationality is usually supported by a strong ideology: people and communities should have a good understanding of why and why they engage in this or that political activity. strongideology determines the vector and speed of activity of subjects in the political arena.

Fundamentals of political activity

There are countless definitions, theories and currents associated with this concept. Therefore, instead of another "author's" formulation, it is better to present existing ones. The reader will have to be patient, there are three of them:

This is a systematic conscious intervention of individuals or groups in the system of public political relations in order to adapt it to their interests, ideals and values.

There is less "cannibalism" in the second option:

This is the action of policy subjects to achieve political goals, characterized by a holistic unity of its constituent elements (goals, object, subject, means).

And the most appropriate wording in the context of this article:

This is the management and management of public relations with the help of institutions of power. Its essence is the management of people, human communities.

Goals and means

It is easier to understand the goals of political activity: they are always associated either with the preservation or with a change in socio-political relations. All politics, as well as political activity, exists and is aimed at fulfilling goals. Ends, means and results are the main and only components in political activity.

The means of political activity include various resources and tools, with their help political goals are achieved. Variety of politicalfunds are huge, they can be of a completely different nature and scale: elections, uprisings, finances, ideology, lies, legislative acts, human resources, bribery and blackmail - the list is endless.

Today, new media have joined this list - the Internet and social networks with the brightest results and examples of political activity: the Arab Spring, the UK's exit from the European Union or the referendum for the independence of Catalonia.

It is impossible not to recall the famous saying that "the end justifies the means." The sad history of this statement is connected, first of all, with the Bolshevik terror. This approach is characteristic of totalitarian regimes, radical groups and other communities prone to extremism and violent methods of influence.

On the other hand, participants in political processes find themselves in situations where it is necessary to decide on very tough measures to preserve, for example, security. It is difficult to determine where the absolute limit of morality lies in such cases. Therefore, politics is often called the art of compromise and exclusive solutions - each case must be considered separately, taking into account all external and internal factors of influence.

One thing is for sure: the ends of political activity do not justify any means.

Objects and subjects in the political interior

This paragraph contains the highest concentration of philosophical content, because objects and subjects are a deeply favorite philosophical topic duringlong time. It is not always easy to make sense of the labyrinths of high scientific reasoning, but it is possible to make an attempt.

An object is a part of the political reality, to which the activity of political subjects is directed. The objects in this case can be both social groups with different institutions and political relations. A person can also be an object - as long as this person is included in the political context.

The subject of political activity is a source of activity directed at an object (groups, institutions, relationships, a person in a political context, etc.). It is interesting that the same persons can be subjects: individuals, institutions, various groups of people and their relationships.

Objects and subjects of political activity are quite interchangeable and not only. They mutually influence each other. The object of political activity determines the space and methods of influence of the subject, which, in turn, also changes the object.

Options for political activity

A huge number of types of political activity is explained by the subjectivity of this concept. They can be grouped into three major varieties:

Political alienation (escapism). Despite the exotic name, it is much more common than one might think. Moreover, escapism of various colors can be found among representatives of society that are completely opposite in their attitudes - from Sergei Shnurov with his manifestations from the category “I put it on your fuss” to the ruling parties that are inpower for a long time

"Shnurovski don't care" is a convenient and advantageous position: you are clean and free from choice and responsibility. In fact, such behavior cannot be attributed to the positive aspects of social life. Seasoning in the form of courage is not political heroism, but quite the contrary - it is nothing but political alienation.

The alienation of the ruling party is manifested precisely in the reduction of the political component of its activities. Actions come down to serving their own interests, which are increasingly isolated from public political ones (often such alienation comes unnoticed by the ruling elites).

On the other hand, alienation can occur on the other side - if these are civil groups, then their alienation from political life can become a very unpleasant and even dangerous fact for the authorities.

Political passivity (conformity) - consciously or unconsciously, the subject is under the complete influence of social stereotypes or the opinions of others. No initiatives and hints of independent behavior. If we talk about the political aspect of conformism, then this is pure opportunism: without principles and own positions. One of the most interesting varieties of conformism is “subordinate political culture”: the authority of the authorities is fully recognized, participation in political life is zero

The most fertile ground for political passivity has long been totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. Conformism has not gone away even now. It includes political opportunists - partyfunctionaries in considerable numbers who move from party to party in search of the most profitable "place in the sun."

Political activity is, first of all, the realization of political views. This is the optimal way of political activity, to which you need to be able to "grow". This is not about simple activity, but about political activity, which implies purposeful, conscious and time-consuming actions

Agree or I'll kill you

Violence is the oldest political tool for resolving many social conflicts. In the ancient world, there was only one form - direct physical violence, the destruction of opponents and those who simply interfered with life. The second, more progressive stage was the realization that it is more profitable to force the enemy to do what is needed. “Agree, otherwise I will kill” - this was not only slave labor, but also agreement with political conditions. The third and most advanced stage was mutually beneficial economic motivation and social exchange: do this and I will do that.

It would seem that the volume of violence in general should decrease in parallel and in proportion to the change in social methods of conflict resolution. Unfortunately, logic does not work here, political violence is still a "method".

Political extremism is also a political activity with the achievement of its goals. It's just that the means are a little different - violence. The objects of extremism are either the existing state system, or existing parties, or parts of the existing society.

If we talk about political terrorism, then first you need to separatehim from the concept of "terror". Terror is individual, when objectionable people involved in the political process are eliminated. The death of the victim in this case suggested the end of this process. Mass terror has always had a preventive character - instilling fear in the broad masses of the population through the execution of certain groups.

Modern political terrorism is a "mixture" of individual and mass terror. “The more, the better” - destroy an objectionable person and “hook” more people around. Over time, terrorism as a political activity had an increasingly pronounced ideology.

One of the varieties is state terrorism, when the government uses violence against the civilian population with the help of a repressive apparatus.

Processes in politics

The political process is a set of interactions of subjects on the political stage. These subjects realize their political interests and play their political roles. One gets the impression that as many political scientists were engaged in the theory of the political process, so many concepts remained after them. Some associate the process with the struggle of groups for power, others with the reaction of the political system to external challenges, and still others with a change in the status of subjects. All interpretations are somehow based on changes.

But the most common and logical concept is the concept of conflict - the source of most options for the interaction of political subjects. In this case, the conflict should be considered as a competition of political parties for power,powers and resources.

The main actor of the political process is always the state. His counterpart is civil society. The secondary actors are parties, groups and individuals.

The factors that determine the scale and speed of political processes are divided into:

Internal - the goals and intentions of the actors, their personal characteristics, the actual distribution of resources, etc.
External - political events, game rules, etc.

Political changes

Political changes are always associated with a new regulation of power in society. This new can appear as a result of gradual transformations, or maybe as a result of a complete change from one system to another. Such political changes are called revolution, the most radical form.

Revolution should be distinguished from a coup d'état. The coup does not bring deep and fundamental changes in the political structure of countries - it is just a violent change in power elites.

The most optimal and common form of change is gradual adjustments in political influence or constitutional amendments - all that can be summed up in two words - legitimacy and evolution.

The main actor is the state

The political activity of the state is internal and external - this is a classic of the political genre. It seems that these two incarnations are clearly separated both in terms of goals and functions that are performed by completely different state bodies. ActuallyThe international relations of any state are an exact mirror reflection of both domestic and foreign policy. Domestic political activities include:

Protection and policing.
Taxation.
Social support of the population.
Economic activity.
Support culture.
Protecting the environment.

The objectives of foreign political activity are as follows:

Defense (security, sovereignty, territorial integrity).
World order (regulation of international conflicts).
International cooperation (economic, cultural and other ties).

It would be a mistake to think that the political activity of the authorities and the state is fundamentally different from that of the opposition political forces. The structure, ends, means and desired results remain unchanged, such is the nature of political activity. Of course, we are talking about civilized states with democratic principles of governance.

Modern states also have new functions within the framework of political activity:

Total support for entrepreneurship, especially small and medium-sized businesses.
Influence on economic processes through administrative means.
New social services, especially digital formats of such services.

Political leadership

Political leadership is one of the most important areas of political activity. It is carried out usingstate or party activities and always consists of stages:

Defining goals in terms of a political subject.
The choice of methods, tactics and means to achieve the planned goals.
Communication and people management.

An important concept in modern political science is the political platform. This is an integral part of the political leadership, it contains the main ideological provisions, political course, programs, demands, slogans, etc. Usually, the political platform is created by state and party bodies jointly. The political strategy contained in the platform outlines long-term objectives, ways to achieve them and expected results over time, developed on the basis of analysis and political forecasts.

Strategies differ in their areas: scientific, economic, foreign policy, cultural, etc. In turn, each of the profile strategies can also consist of subsections.

Political life in society

In this case, the name speaks for itself. Public associations of citizens of various persuasions can act as both political subjects and political objects. They are quite difficult to classify, so you can start with simple examples.

The most common forms of political activity of citizens are demonstrations, pickets, rallies and many other campaigns. Events of this format are now observed on the streets much more often than just a few years ago. All this -social and political activities of parties and other organizations. The main goal is to draw attention to a certain social problem or to express a certain mood in public life on this or that occasion.

Social and political leadership is a very common kind of political activity. Such leadership involves the recognition by large masses of citizens of one person or group of people, this is a way of interaction between leaders and the masses.

Another type of political activity is elections. Sometimes elections resemble only a ritual and do not affect the public political life of the society - such a situation is observed, unfortunately, in many states even today. If we talk about real elections with high competition between candidates, unpredictability and pronounced intrigue, then this kind of political activity can compete with popular TV shows and entertainment shows.

Elections are always accompanied by voting. The political role (significance) of elections depends on the method of voting in the country. If these are direct forms of democracy, then the majority wins the vote, and the significance of the elections is relatively low.

The importance of elections as a type of human political activity cannot be overestimated: it often happens that general elections are the only political event and real participation of people in the political life of the country. Elections in a country are watched all over the world - this is a sensitive indicator of the social landscape in society.

Features of modernpublic political activities are as follows:

The growth of alternative formats of political activity in the form of social movements instead of the usual party organizations with their rigid guidelines and codes of conduct.
The interaction of the concepts of "political activity and society" today is no longer focused on some party, but around a certain problem. People with different ideologies can unite. They are interested in something else - possible political solutions to a common problem.
Extremely interesting social transformation among the young population. This is an independent individual politicization, which has become the main format of the process of political awareness. Citizens are active, but tend to act independently, outside the framework of any political forces. First of all, social networks give them such an opportunity.

What is the motivation of people stepping on the political path? It is believed that today's political phenomenon of civic engagement has three reasons:

Implementation of self-interest is an instrumental model.
High mission - the desire to help others, improve the quality of life around.
Socialization and realization of personal qualities - "educational" motive.

Most often mixed motivation, it is always rational and at the same time instrumental. Citizens are trying to influence both the adoption of government decisions and the search and selection of the best representatives of power at all levels.

Every citizen has the right to participate in political activities. To do this, you need very little: political awareness, rationality and ideological motivation. The most important factor is the situation in society and in the state itself. Only with the interaction of subjects is possible effective political activity, which will lead to the modernization of processes and common benefits.