Political power is the immediate and obligatory content of politics. However, it is not enough to ensure the indivisibility of society, to coordinate among themselves various interest groups, to keep the system stable, while promoting its development, and to respond quickly in the event of imminent danger. The main thing in politics is not what kind of power, but what functions it performs and how well. But this is actually expressed in the work of parties, enforcement agencies and state institutions. The whole process of organizing political power and its functioning is defined by the term “political system”. Its content includes a set of institutions that exercise power. It also includes all forms of communication between the subjects of management and its objects.
When the concept of “political system” came into use, it meant that politics began to be understood as an independent field in science. The interconnection of all processes and structures has also become recognized. To find out what changes have occurred, whether it is able to ensure stability and maintain balance in interest groups, it is necessary to take into account some circumstances. First, only interaction with the non-political world gives politics meaning. And secondly, it is that it is a sphere almost independent and has the features of a system. Moreover, all its elements are so interconnected that a change in one will entail a change in their entirety.
Introduced the concept of "system" into scientific use at the beginning of the 20th century, a German biologist. He presented it as a set of interacting elements. But more than a decade passed before a systematic approach was put into practice in the social sciences .
Its development in political science was due to a change in ideas about the processes taking place in the political sphere, about its inextricable connection with the non-political world. This theory was a response to the then prevailing practice of considering all elements individually, and not in combination. Indeed, the awareness of the connection of politics with other areas of life did not immediately come to political science. The whole life of society fit into its framework and was subordinate only to the state. It was solely engaged in the distribution of values and resources. But along with the emergence of civil society institutions, many interests of all population groups appeared.
On this basis, specialization within the society of political functions and roles began to take place. It is impossible to understand the reasons for this distribution without taking into account the cultural life of society and its mentality. The concept of “political system” replaced the concept of the state and allowed to take into account the influence on the functioning of the political world of informal mechanisms. It also provided an opportunity to understand the mutual influence and interconnection of civil society and political behavior and culture.
This concept was first introduced by American scientists. The political system is widely understood by them and denotes the totality of all structures of society in their political manifestations, and also characterizes the interaction of society with the government. The American political scientist G. Almond made some additions to the definition of this concept. According to him, the political system contains not only political institutions, but also economic, social structures. In addition, it includes those values and traditions of society that have developed historically, as well as the background of its cultural development.
Modern political systems existing in the world are very diverse. This indicates that their subsystems, forming integrity, are interdependent and interconnected in various ways. The mechanism that dominates this interaction is the basis for the typologization of a particular political system.