Officials are who? Short educational program

The fact that the people are scolding officials, everyone has heard, no one is already surprised. Strikes another. Not every citizen is able to explain properly whom he criticizes. For many, officials are all who make decisions. Is it so? Who is the real official, and to whom this term can not be applied? Let's understand.

Define the concept

Digging into dictionaries, you can find a completely unambiguous definition. Officials are civil servants. That is, an official is not just a person with power. He is a person who manages on behalf of the state. It turns out that officials are employees, whose competence includes the implementation of the goals and tasks of the country. Important people!

There is another interpretation, not so formal, but more common. According to him, officials are those who are indifferent to their work, formalists, bureaucrats. This meaning is due not to the functional content of the post, but to the perception by the people of a particular stratum of the population belonging to this category. I must say that such a definition did not come about yesterday. To officials in Russia have long been hostile, scolded.

A bit of history

Considering the question in more detail, you will involuntarily be interested in where the term came from, when it was used and why. Approximately in the XVIII century. Russia entered the "world arena". Still in quotation marks. But certain ties with neighbors have become closer and more dynamic. In such conditions, people who engaged in all sorts of activities relating to the streamlining of state actions were needed. Peter the First, following the example of European powers, decided to streamline the activities of persons who served him. The Table of Ranks was adopted, which actually gave rise to officials. It can be said that on January 24, 1722 (the date of signing the document), it was the birthday of this class. Thus, Russian officials owe their existence to Peter the Great. The origin of the word is also not difficult to understand. Any person acting on behalf of the state, receiving from him the content, received the rank. The latter circumstance is one of the most important.

Eliminate confusion

In the people it is considered that an official is a deputy. At the root of the wrong statement. Do not repeat it if you do not want to be known as an ignorant person. Let's analyze it "on the fingers" to make sense. The official performs the functions of the state. He - his hands, eyes and brain.

The state, in principle, cares about its people. We will proceed from the fact that it is so. And how does the state learn about what the people want? For this there is a deputy, a people's choice. He, in fact, is an extras. Its task is to find out the will of the peoples and bring it to the state. The process itself occurs as a publication of laws. It turns out that an official and a deputy are two sides of the same coin. They to some extent counterbalance each other in the complex life of the state. But one must not be confused with one another!

And where to look for officials

Based on the definition, these gentlemen live in state institutions. Since there are many such organizations, they are continually born and die, and therefore they do not make sense. For thoughtful people, it is proposed to proceed from the definition of the functions of the state in order to understand who the official is. What it is? We are talking about legally mandated duties undertaken by education, called the state. For example, it is obliged to take care of all citizens, creating conditions for the realization of their rights. This is social policy. It turns out that officials sit in all organizations that serve citizens on behalf of the state. There is still a political function. Officials, regulating it, ensure observance of the freedoms of citizens in the sphere of influence on the work of the state, electoral law. And the country has external functions. Here we are talking about the diplomatic corps, any representative of which is a state official. This gives him the right to make decisions on behalf of the state, naturally, within the limits of his competence.

Complex life of an official

There is one more thing that you need to know in order to fully understand the essence of this class, which is not particularly beloved by the people. Since the official is on the maintenance of the state, he has to obey the will of the latter. That is, he is working not only with his work, but also with certain restrictions that are legislatively established. There is much that everyone can, but officials can not. For example, they are required to report their income. They are not allowed to earn extra money on the side (there are exceptions). The activities of these persons are regulated at every step by law. Said a rude word - can punish. Took the wrong decision - to court. And so on. Of course, officials are different too. Not everyone has a level of responsibility that is so great as to get to prison for the error. On the other hand, each of them is, figuratively speaking, "the master of destinies". Therefore, the responsibility on their shoulders is considerable.

Types of officials

Employees performing the functions of the state are divided into several categories. This refers not only to the difference between dignitaries and officials. No. For a common person, it is important that these employees sit in both state institutions and municipal ones. That is, understanding that the deputies are not officials, one should not treat employees who organize the activity of local self-government bodies. They just treat officials as the state entrusted them with one of the directions of their work. And they receive a salary from the treasury.

Understanding the question of officials, it is necessary to proceed from what a person does. If he acts on behalf of the state, then class him to this class. And if he works for a private person (corporation), then the term "official" to it is applicable only in a figurative sense.