The concept of power, its origin and types, on the one hand, do not cause difficulties. On the other hand, questions may arise on the formulation of a specific definition, since this concept can contain many meanings.
Thus, we approach the problem of approach to the concept of power.
Approaches to the Concept of Power
The problem of power, its origin and types directly emerges from the difficulties in accurately determining the very concept of power. It should immediately be clarified that there can be no single concept. There are different theories, depending on which the very formulation of the concept of power changes.
Based on these theories, an understanding of the origin of power is emerging . There are quite a few such theories; we consider only a few of them.
Class theory
Or, to put it another way, Marxist. According to this theory, political power expresses the will of the ruling class through the powers it has, through which it implements certain decisions. The ruling class has power over other classes, dominating in the economic sphere.
Theory of Elites
According to the elite theory, power comes from the division of society into an elite and the bulk of the population. This also includes the relationship between the elite (minority) and the subordinate masses (majority).
Theory of Social Contract
This theory suggests that power is a tool that emerged as a result of a social contract between different sectors of society, introduced in order to maintain order and protect the interests of various groups of the population.
As can be seen from these theories, there is no common understanding of the essence of power, but a generalized definition can be formulated in order to better understand the meaning of the activities of power as part of the policy structure.
Power is the ability of an individual or group of people to exercise their will, to influence the masses through various levers (authority, charisma, violence, wealth, etc.).
Based on this definition, another important aspect emerges - the problem of the legitimacy of power.
Legitimacy issue
Legitimacy is the voluntary recognition by the people of the right to power to carry out their activities to regulate public relations. It is worth considering that in the modern world, the concept of legality is often identified with the concept of legitimacy in the media, which is a mistake, since a legitimate ruler (that is, supported by the people) is not always legal (that is, one who comes as a result of legal actions), and vice versa.
The typology of legitimacy was developed by Max Weber, dividing it as follows:
Such power is characteristic of patriarchal societies. Power in them is based on a combination of customs and traditions that have developed over a long period. A striking example of traditional power is the monarchy. The history of power in Russia developed in its traditional form until 1917.
This type of power is characterized by the presence of a leader, who is a person with powerful charisma. Charismatic power is characterized by personal devotion of people and their willingness to follow their leader everywhere. History gives a ton of such examples. Charismatic power was possessed by Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan in the empires they created; the power of Napoleon in the First Empire and Charles de Gaulle in the Fifth Republic was charismatic. Charismatic leaders were Lenin, Stalin, Ernesto Che Guevara, Hitler, Fidel Castro. There are enough examples.
This type of power is characterized by the voluntary consent of the society to transfer part of the authority into the hands of individuals for a better functioning of the system as a whole. At the same time, the political activity of society will remain to a high degree.
Types of power
Again, the types of power, as well as its origin, represent a certain problem in political science. Having different grounds for classification, they distinguish different types of power.
On the scale of activity there are several levels of power:
- Mega-level - international bodies (UN, CIS, NATO).
- Macro level - the central organs of the state.
- Mesoscale - regional bodies.
- Micro level - organizations, groups, trade unions.
By function, power can be:
- Legislative - this includes those bodies that are responsible for the publication of laws. In Russia, power at the legislative level belongs to the Federal Assembly.
- Executive - is responsible for the implementation of adopted laws. The executive subject of state power in Russia is the Government of the Russian Federation.
- Judicial - is engaged in supervision, ensures that laws are complied with and not violated. In Russia, power in the judiciary is constitutional, civil, administrative and criminal proceedings.
By the way of interaction with the population:
- Democratic - the people in this case are granted broad autonomy and political rights.
- Non-democratic - there are no political rights and autonomies.
By fields of activity:
- Political - characterized by the legal use of force and coercion through specially created bodies.
- Economic - based on the use of material resources.
- Social - as a leverage, it uses the opportunity to raise or lower the status of a person in society, to give or remove privileges and privileges.
- Informational - for its purposes uses the media, which are often called the "fourth power."
- Forced - based on strength and physical coercion.
- Shadow - has a non-public character, a distinctive feature is a hidden board and backstage play.
By areas of focus:
- State - subjects of state power regulate relations in government agencies.
- Party - regulates relations in the sphere of parties.
- Trade union - includes power and leadership of trade unions.
- Family - regulates family relationships.
We examined the topic of the origin of power and its types. As you can see, there are many conventions in the theoretical framework that emerge from a different approach to the concept of "power."