What is power? This phenomenon worries not only political theorists, but also many others, including politicians and mere mortals. This interest is understandable, because with this phenomenon is associated the position that an individual or group occupies in the pyramid of society.
Understanding approaches
The classical definition says that power is a combination of those techniques and methods that allow one to control others. Moreover, techniques and methods, as a rule, are expressed in three classical forms: law, authority and / or violence. Needless to say, all of them can complement and sometimes interchange each other. This process of historical development of the phenomenon vividly demonstrates.
So, according to political analyst M. Duverger, in its formation, power manifested itself in four main forms. The first of them was called anonymous, or dispersed. It had its distribution at the very early stage of human civilization and, in fact, belonged to everyone. The second is individualized. It naturally transformed from anonymous, as evidenced by the formation of the council of elders, then the leader, and then the monarch.
The modern stage of development of power as a social phenomenon is usually called institutionalized. This is a kind of alloy of the first two
forms: theoretically,
power belongs to all, and in fact to certain institutions of society, for example, parties. Also today there is a peculiar type - supranational power. This phenomenon is characterized by the fact that supranational organizations have the ability to influence the processes taking place in a society formed within the territory of one state.
Each of the four types had at its disposal a certain set of means, which determined the types of power, both political and otherwise.
Types of power
The main division of power, including political, is carried out on the basis of its compliance with the legal principles in society and in the country. Therefore, two types are distinguished: legal and illegal. It is worth noting that in this case, legality cannot be associated with legitimacy. So, for example, using the whole range of opportunities provided, the party can gain power in the state by absolutely legal means. But at the same time, it does not receive the approval of the people, which automatically leads to its illegitimacy. In this regard, it will be appropriate to carry out the above division into legal, illegal and legitimate.
The second division of power is carried out by sphere of influence. So, consider the main state, market, political. Market power is a set of techniques that allow you to take a leading position in the economy. Political is an opportunity to influence the opinion of everyone in society. State, on the other hand, is a type of political, in which influence can be exercised by one or all of the above methods.
The third division is inherent mainly in state power as a subspecies, but, given the value of this type, it plays a significant role. As a rule, two features are distinguished: by the subject of power and by the method of its implementation. According to the subject, the division is carried out depending on the branches of power and the subject's affiliation to them.
But the value for lawyers, sociologists and political scientists is still a division according to the method of implementation: democratic power and undemocratic. The first case involves the use of legitimate means of influence - law, legal coercion and well-deserved authority. With regard to the second, there is no question of legitimacy. The most striking example here is absolute power. This statement is based on the fact that one subject, at his discretion, rules the lives of everyone else. However, the latter case is still rare, and in the modern world in relation to undemocratic power, the totalitarian, extremist-religious and authoritarian type is characteristic.
Thus, power is still a means of achieving its objectives, while it does not matter which sphere it extends to.