What are parties and what are they?

"Party" is a multi-valued concept. If you ask the question: "What is a batch of goods?", The answer will be one. And if we consider political parties, completely different concepts and definitions arise. What is a batch of products, we do not consider this topic. We are interested in precisely the concept related to politics. Let's consider it in detail.

The notion of "party" in politics

A special place in a number of subjects of this type of activity, like political, is occupied by parties. They act as intermediaries between the state and citizens. The answer to the question, what is the party, which became a classic definition, suggested Schwarzenberg to Roger Gerard (born in 1943), a French political scientist. In his view, the political party is an ongoing organization that exists both at the local and national levels. It is aimed at sending and receiving power, aspires to broad support of the masses for this purpose.

Signs of the Party

Let's continue our answer to the question, what is the party. Let us examine their characteristics in more detail. The party brings together the most active representatives of these or those social groups that have similar ideological and political views and seek, in one way or another, state power.

The following characteristics of the party can be distinguished:

- long-term functioning, organization, presence of rules of inner-party life and formal norms reflected in the charter;

- the presence of primary organizations (local offices), which maintain regular communications with the national leadership;

- the focus on the conquest of power and its disposal (pressure groups refer to those who do not have this goal);

- Voluntariness of membership, availability of people's support;

- the presence of a common strategy, goal and ideology, expressed in the relevant political program.

Batch Functions

They perform in a modern society a number of specific external and internal functions. This should also be mentioned, answering the question, what is the party. We distinguish both functions, let us dwell on them in more detail.

The internal ones concern the provision of financing, the recruitment of new members, the establishment of effective interaction between local branches and management, and so on.

External functions are the defining functions of the party's activities. It is the defense, defense and expression of the interests of large social strata and groups, the integration within them of people on the basis of common goals, and also the mobilization of the masses in order to solve important pressing social problems. They include the formation of public opinion, the development of ideology, the spread of political culture, the training of various personnel for acting political institutions, participation in the creation of the elite, as well as opportunities for the socialization of the individual in the sphere of politics. In addition, external functions - participation in election campaigns, their organization and struggle for governance, as well as for state power.

Types of parties

There are several typologies for which political parties are divided.

So, the ideological orientation is singled out as a communist, conservative, liberal party.

"What is the federal party?" - you ask. It is allocated according to the following, territorial sign. According to him, the parties are regional, federal and others. That is, this feature shows in what territory they exist.

On a social basis - entrepreneurial, peasant, workers and so on.

In relation to the transformations in society - reactionary and progressive, reformist and revolutionary, moderate and radical.

On participation in power - parliamentary and non-parliamentary, legal and illegal, ruling and opposition.

However, the most famous is the classification of the organizational structure, by which the mass and personnel parties are allocated.

Staffing parties

"What are the cadre parties?" - you ask. They are focused on the participation of parliamentarians, professional politicians and are united around a political committee - a group of leaders. They are usually elitist and few, financed from private sources. The activity of such parties is activated during the elections.

Mass Parties

On the contrary, mass parties are numerous, they are funded from membership dues. They are centralized organizations with statutory membership, distinguished by discipline and organization, carrying out wide propaganda work in the field, as they are interested in increasing their number (and, accordingly, the amount of contributions increased). The mass parties are eager to mobilize the masses, and the personnel parties are elites.

You can also divide them into "right" and "left". What are the "right" parties? They oppose radical reforms, for maintaining the existing regime. "Left" - for changing it, the accession of social equality, the implementation of large-scale reforms. These include the Social Democratic, anarchist, socialist and communist parties, as well as other political doctrines.

We examined theoretically what kinds are, and what a party is. "United Russia" refers to the "right" or "left"? Try to answer this question yourself. What is the Communist Party, we all represent approximately and without definition.

Pressure groups, public organizations, mass movements also belong to the group actors of such activities as political.

In the last few decades, there have also appeared so-called universal parties (in a different way - parties of all voters). In the strict sense of the word, they are not. Unlike traditional parties oriented in their activity to electoral groups, these associations tend to attract different groups of voters to their side. Their characteristic features are the following: a special type of the role of an ideological leader of an intellectual playing the role of an ideological leader, an optional fixation of membership in a given association, and the absence of any clearly defined social interests. The main function of universal parties is the protection of the current political course, and not aggregation and articulation of the interests of society. Therefore, they are connected more with the state than with the people.

Party concepts

Answering the question what is a political party, it is also necessary to define party concepts. The party is a non-profit voluntary social association for political principles and ideological reasons, striving to achieve certain political goals and applying political means for this.

It includes, as already noted, the most active members of society, this is their class or political association expressing their interests directly, consisting of the most active representatives, aware of these interests, fighting for the possession of power or holding it, as well as implementing common goals.

In the tradition of Marxism, parties are viewed as the highest form of class organization, embracing the most active part of it, reflecting political interests and pursuing long-term goals in its activities. As a political organization, the parties express their attitude towards the authorities, participate in social and political events, are created in the name of strengthening and preserving power or changing it.

In another tradition, liberal-democratic, they are treated as certain political forces organized, uniting representatives of a single political tradition and serving to participate in power or conquer it in order to realize the goals pursued by the party's adherents. They, embodying the right of the individual to political unification with other people, reflect some common-purpose goals and interests of different layers of society (religious, national, social, etc.). People through this institution put forward their group demands to the state and receive from him at the same time appeals for support in order to solve certain political issues.

Elements that are mandatory for any political party

In order to better understand what a political party is, we will single out elements that are mandatory for any of them. Any party is a bearer of some ideology, or at least it expresses a certain orientation of the vision of man and the world. This association is relatively long in existence, that is, an organization that has a certain territorial dimension (local, regional, national, and sometimes international) and structure. The goal of any party is to conquer power or to participate with others in it.

Each of the parties wants to provide for themselves the support of the population - from joining their ranks to the creation of a wide range of sympathizers.

Signs and the role of a political party

Among the main features can be identified: the existence of an organizational structure, the payment of membership fees, the existence of a charter and program, organizational communication between party representatives, party discipline, participation in the formation of government and parliamentary institutions, the creation of public opinion.

Its role in the life of society: it is the link between the state and the masses, the leader of the social class struggle, the regulator of socio-political public life.

The main task of the party is to take part in power and seize it.

Functions of a political party

1. Theoretical:

- analysis of the state, as well as a theoretical assessment of various perspectives of social development;

- identification of the interests of various social groups;

- development of tactics and strategies for the struggle to update the society.

2. Ideological:

- advocacy and dissemination among the masses of their moral values and worldview;

- propagation of its policies and objectives;

- involving the population in the ranks and on the side of the party.

3. Political:

- Struggle for power;

- selection of candidates for candidates, staff for promotion to local and central government, government;

- conducting various election campaigns.