Everyone has heard that people scold officials, no one is already surprised. It strikes another. Not every citizen is able to clearly explain who he criticizes. For many, officials are all who make decisions. Is it so? Who is the official, and to whom this term cannot be applied? Let's get it right.
Let's define the concept
Rummaging through the dictionaries, you can find a completely unique definition. Officials are civil servants. That is, an official is not just a person with power. He is a person disposing on behalf of the state. It turns out that officials are employees, whose competence includes the implementation of the goals and objectives 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 no longer due to the functional content of the post, but to the perception by the people of a particular segment of the population belonging to this category. I must say that such a definition did not arise yesterday. They have long been hostile to officials in Russia, scolded.
A bit of history
Considering the question in more detail, you will inevitably be interested in where the term came from, when it was used and why. Around the 18th century Russia entered the "world arena". Quoted so far. But certain ties with neighbors have become closer and more dynamic. In such circumstances, people were needed engaged in all kinds of activities related to streamlining the actions of the state. Peter the Great, following the example of the European powers, decided to streamline the activities of the people who served him. A Table of Ranks was adopted, which actually spawned officials. We can say that January 24, 1722 (the date of signing the document) was the birthday of this class. Thus, Russian officials owe their existence to Peter the Great. The origin of the word itself is also not difficult to understand. Any person acting on behalf of the state, receiving content from him, received the rank. The latter circumstance is one of the most important.
Eliminate Confusion
It is generally accepted that the official is a deputy. A fundamentally wrong statement. Do not repeat it if you do not want to pass for an ignorant person. Let's take it “on the fingers” to make sense. The official performs the functions of the state. He is his arms, eyes and brain.
The state, in principle, cares about its people. We will proceed from the fact that the way it is. And how does the state know what the people want? To do this, there is a deputy, the people's deputy. He is, in fact, an statistician. Its task is to find out the will of the peoples and convey it to the state. The process itself takes the form of issuing laws. It turns out that the official and the deputy are two sides of the same coin. They to some extent balance each other in the complex life of the state. But one cannot be confused with the other!
And where to look for officials
Based on the definition, these gentlemen live in public institutions. Since there are many similar organizations, they are constantly being born and die, and therefore it makes no sense to list them. 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 the legislatively approved responsibilities undertaken by an entity called the state. For example, it is obliged to take care of all citizens, creating conditions for the exercise of their rights. This is social policy. It turns out that officials are sitting in all organizations that serve citizens on behalf of the state. There is still a political function. The officials regulating it ensure the observance of citizens' freedoms in the field of influence on the work of the state and suffrage. But the country has external functions. Here we are talking about the diplomatic corps, any representative of which is a government official. This gives him the right to make a decision on behalf of the state, naturally, within the framework of competence.
The difficult life of an official
There is one more point that you need to know in order to fully understand the essence of this class, which is not particularly beloved among the people. Since the official is on the maintenance of the state, he has to obey the will of the latter. That is, he fulfills wages not only with his activities, but also with certain restrictions legally established. There is much that everyone can do, but no officials. For example, they are required to report on their income. They are forbidden to earn extra money on the side (there are exceptions). The activities of these individuals at almost every step are regulated by law. He said a rude word - they can punish. He made the wrong decision - in court. Etc. Of course, officials are also different. Not everyone has a level of responsibility so high as to go to jail for a mistake. On the other hand, each of them is, figuratively speaking, “the arbiter of fate”. Therefore, the responsibility on their shoulders lies 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. Not. For an ordinary person, it is important that these employees sit both in state institutions and in municipal ones. That is, understanding that the deputies are not officials, one should not treat the same workers who organize the activities of local governments. They are just related to officials, since the state entrusted them with one of the areas of their work. And they get their salaries from the treasury.
Dealing with the question of officials, it is necessary to proceed from what a person does. If he acts on behalf of the state, then classify him in this class. And if he works for a private person (corporation), then the term "official" is applicable to him only in a figurative sense.