A democratic society is quite complicated. This allows every active citizen to take part in the political process. It is only necessary to find the point of application of effort. Let's see what parties are, why they were invented, and what benefits ordinary citizens have. The fact is that one person is not able to influence the decisions of the government. But associations of citizens are the force that politicians reckon with.
People create parties. But often we are adjacent to the movement, not understanding what its main functions are, what are the goals, structure, tasks. That is why an educational program is needed on the topic: “What are parties?” Every patriot is obliged to know the basics of social work, to interpret its meaning to others.
A bit of history
We will not go deep into the past. To understand the issue, we need to learn that the parties did not arise from scratch, are not artificially invented entities. People began to unite due to circumstances to confront the ruling circles, in order to influence the organization of public life.
The approximate time and appearance is considered to be the end of the eighteenth century. In bourgeois Europe, by that time groups began to form, characterized by interests, influence, and ideas. The creation of a primary civil society began.
The concept of the party took quite a while. Politicians came to the conclusion that the support of citizens is necessary for the implementation of the project. And it is easier to get if you unite people with an understandable and close idea. That is, a party is a group of citizens who have similar views on the political structure of the state. They work together to bring their idea to life.
Definition
Let's look at the dictionaries of what parties are. As you know, any study begins with the formulation of basic terms. A party is a voluntary union of citizens, interconnected by a common ideology. They create a special organizational structure that plans and conducts activities to achieve the stated goals.
Parties are political and social. It depends on the goal setting. Each association has its own aspirations. The functions of political parties, for example, always include the struggle for power. Other associations may not seek leadership. It is enough for them to influence the development of society, directing it in the direction corresponding to the stated ideas. The party is a part of the political system of the state. She makes efforts to gain power, subordinate to her views the largest possible part of society.
Political Party Functions
It should be understood that we are talking about serious organizations that obey strict rules. Each party has a goal, structure. The functions of political parties are as follows:
- The struggle for power. Each party seeks to occupy a dominant place in society, to influence its development.
- Identification of interests of certain social strata and groups represented by a given political force.
- The formation of public opinion in accordance with the stated ideology. Work with the public, promoting their views.
- Education of personnel base for party and state activity.
- Stimulating the political activity of the population.
All the above functions are interconnected. They are implemented simultaneously. The main objective of the party is to form people's views, attracting new members and sympathizers.
Organizational structure
Parties conduct their work in various ways. But for its organization and coordination, an apparatus is needed.It can be formed both on a public and on an ongoing basis. Party members at the congress or meeting elect leaders and the secretariat. These people keep the necessary documentation, carry out organizational activities, control the collection and spending of funds, formulate tasks for the long term, plan work. Each association has a party program. It includes the basic ideological principles and objectives of its activities.
The party program is its main document. If you want to join a certain organization, then the first thing you should study is it. The program outlines how, according to the views of party members, a society should be organized, by what principles to function, and so on. An organization cannot be officially registered without this document.
Types of parties
Since each association represents certain social groups, it is built on the basis of the situation. Separate cadre and mass or public parties. The first include a few (elite) organizations. Their members are actively involved in politics, have wide and close ties with financiers, parliamentarians, and civil servants. They rely on the support of people who sympathize with stated ideas. Moreover, those who vote for them may not be related to the party itself. In politics, a different type of organization is distinguished. These are mass parties. They are usually numerous. They attract into their members all whose views and social status are similar to the ideology of this force. For example, the labor parties that began to emerge after the introduction of universal suffrage. They defended the interests of workers and had some success.
Other classification
You should be aware that parties are divided by membership (fixed, free), political views (communist, democratic and others), by means of achieving goals. Let us dwell on the latter in more detail. Parties are revolutionary and reformist. By the name one can guess that they have a different attitude to the development of society. The revolutionary believe that the old mechanisms should be completely destroyed and new ones should be created in their place. Reformists do not want such upheavals. They are sure that society should develop gradually, through reforms. That is, the rules of life of the state can be completely changed if new principles are introduced step by step by the adoption of legislative acts. There are many political parties in the Russian Federation. Their main goals include:
- the formation of certain views in people;
- participation in the work of representative bodies;
- the struggle for the occupation of deputy seats during the vote;
- upholding the views of citizens on any issues in society.
Conclusion
We have examined in general terms what parties are. The minimum set of knowledge that is necessary for any active citizen and educated person is given. To participate in the political life of the country, it is not necessary to join the party, it becomes a member. But choosing a social movement in accordance with internal convictions is necessary if you want to influence the development of the state. At the same time, a party member is always an active participant in public life. But choose you!