In the process of evolution of human cognition, some social attributes acquired a completely different character. Already during the Middle Ages, people were aware of the fact that resources, lands, wealth are all secondary additions to the truth of value, hidden from an inattentive gaze. It is a powerful weapon in the hands of a craftsman, and at the same time a destructive force when used by a lay person. The name of this value is power. Starting from the Renaissance, absolutely all wars were fought with the goal of establishing dominance. In fact, all states were looking for power that would allow them to stand above other countries. 
Today, this concept has acquired a completely different color. Power has become available not only to states, but also to individuals. As for the political, state power of the sovereign, power, it has its own structures, sources, as well as the characteristics that will be described in the article below.
Deciphering the term
The word "power" in the broad sense means the ability to impose on someone their will, which directly affects the activity of the object of influence. The authorities rebuild the behavior of the object in such a way as to achieve the desired result contrary to his will and resistance. There are also other meanings of the word "power", for example: state, political, economic power. Each species differs not only in its beautiful and sonorous name, but also in the specificity of the object, in relation to which its own will is imposed. Some scholars also see power as an independent force. The types of this phenomenon can be classified using, as a basis, sources of power, of which there are many.
Emergence of power
Studying the social phenomenon of power, scientists concluded that a similar phenomenon arose as a result of the evolution of society, which, in turn, helped its development in every way. Power appeared because there is a constant need to control processes in the middle of society.
In other words, complete power would reign on Earth without power. Through power, people control absolutely all kinds of relationships with each other. There are specific types of power that developed in the "bowels" of various relations, for example, state power. Each nation or community of people has an individual understanding of the term “power” formed by the evolution of moral principles.
English version of authority
It is no secret to anyone that the British are lovers of rigor and conservatism. The historical events in the British Isles and the stiffness of the population largely determined the formation of a “purely English” kind of power. This value is used to illustrate the indisputable authority of state bodies. Many British scientists also view power as the ability to control the environment and people. It comes from top to bottom without using methods of state coercion. It follows that the "English" type of power is based on a deep awareness of the need for submission and control.
German interpretation
A completely different approach to the consideration of power was proposed by German scientists. They suggested that the only source of power is social structures or the individual. In other words, the focus is not on the authority of the state, but on the influence of some social groups consisting of people of different class groups.This approach is largely due to the trends of communism and National Socialism, which flourished on the territory of German-speaking states.
Russian features of power
The territory of the modern Russian Federation was once a mighty Russian Empire. For several centuries in a row a monarchy flourished in this state, which was overthrown in 1917.
The “Russian government” is in many ways similar to the British, because in the Russian Federation the executive authorities have the greatest authority. Nevertheless, the bearer of sovereignty and source of power in Russia is a multinational people. On the one hand, the trends in total state control of all spheres of social life have been preserved in the Russian Federation, and on the other, many trends have changed for the better under the pressure of democratic movements. This allows us to highlight the special importance of the people, society as the main regulator of state power. Such an understanding is completely atypical for Western countries, in which society is considered as an example of individual groups.
However, it is impossible to say that the only source of power in the Russian Federation is the people, because the state has a fairly strong politico-militarized structure of senior management, as well as a powerful bureaucratic apparatus. In order to study in more detail all aspects of power as a phenomenon of imposing will, you need to understand the sources from which it originates.
Power sources
When we talk about sources of power, what is meant? In this case, state power is implied, because practically everyone has a subjective opportunity to control the world around them. All known sources were isolated from the works of psychologists, philosophers, politicians and other scientists involved in the study of the phenomenon of power. There are three classic sources that Weber put forward, namely:
1) Immediate violence in any form, its manifestation.
2) The nature of social ties based on authority, which is supported by faith.
3) Right.
The sources of power presented have a real historical foundation. For example, violence is the most primitive source of power that mankind resorted to in the early stages of development. However, there is a qualified type of violence, supported by legal meaning. A similar thought was suggested by Niccolo Machiavelli. He believed that the state is the source of power and sovereignty. In the process of its activity, it may resort to violence if there is a state interest.
In many respects, authority as a source of power justifies itself. A better example is a family, a relationship coordinator, and whose undisputed leader is the homeowner or father. However, all other family members do not have a large number of rights. Everything is built on the will of the father. Similar power can be observed in criminal groups. The will of the organizer, chapter, don or other central person is undeniable.
Law as a modern source of power
The development of law as a science and the main regulator of social relations in many ways modified the understanding and essence of power. Today, law is the main source of power in any legitimate state, of which the Russian Federation is. The absolute form of regulation of social relations has outlived its own. In its place came the political, "power of the majority." The legal framework not only keeps power under control, but also divides it into the main components, which are commonly called the form of government. In total, there are three types of power, the source of which is law:
- executive
- legislative
- ship.
It should be noted that the rule of law is an indicator of the existence of democracy in a particular state.
Political power
If we consider power from the position of the state, then political power is the ability of one person or group to coordinate the activities of a complex socio-political mechanism - the state. Moreover, the only source of power is not necessarily the people. In states with an anti-democratic regime, violence may well be the main source.
Political power has its own functions (motivational, managerial, cultural, mobilization), as well as special subjects and objects of its influence. The main resource of political power is people, because it is precisely thanks to their activity or inaction that one or another political regime can exist. In the process of activity, political power is supported by special methods of influencing the object, for example, coercion, the use of force, manipulation, etc.
Political power in the Russian Federation
Above, we examined the main features of power in the Russian Federation. But one rather important question arises: "What is the source of state power in Russia?" The presence of a centralized system of executive authorities, as well as a wide range of powers of the security and law enforcement bodies, suggests that the Russian Federation has political power of a democratic nature, but the source is violence on a par with society. Democracy comes from the basic law of the Russian Federation, which states: "The people are the source of power."
This is quite proved by the presence of many democratic institutions. But the excessive force of the security and law enforcement agencies shows the development of the method of state coercion. Thus, we can conclude that the power in the Russian Federation comes both from the people and from the state in the person of law enforcement agencies. This is completely unacceptable, because there simply cannot be several sources of power in one state, since in the future a clash of interests between the people and the state is possible.
Conclusion
In the article we examined the essence and main features of the concept of "power". They also described sources of power that differ among themselves by the object and the nature of the influence on it. In conclusion, it is worth noting that power is an important component of the modern world, but it should not be all-consuming. It is impossible to single out any main source of this complex phenomenon, because each of them has its negative and positive points.