The beginning of modern time falls on the 20th century. This era, according to many historians, is one of the most controversial.
general information
For most countries of the world, this segment has become a milestone. The history of modern times is marked by national liberation and social revolutions, the emergence of new states as a result of the collapse of colonial empires. In addition, in this era there was a complex process of changing the state legal and social system. In some countries, socialist statehood has developed. Historians characterize this century as cruel, as it is marked by local, many civil and two world wars.
Between many world countries for a long time some alienation of a very different order remained: national, religious, ideological. This is largely due to the unevenness in the social, economic and historical development of states. Especially clearly alienation was manifested between the states of the capitalist and socialist camps. In modern times, military blocs that destabilize the international situation have been formed and partially preserved today. The relations between economically developed countries and former dependent and colonial states are characterized as sharp and quite contradictory.
The development of countries in recent times
Despite some instability in international relations, there was a certain rapprochement of states with approximately the same level of political and economic development. By the second half of the 20th century, the integration of regional communities of countries is marked. At the same time, the potential for further integration was noticeable. The most striking example of such integration is the formation of the European Union. The legal and state structure of a number of countries that influenced these processes underwent important and often very controversial changes. The historical development of many of them was saturated with critical situations, peculiar zigzags or jumps.
The main directions of development of states
By the end of the 20th century, the inevitability of choosing a democratic path in the world became apparent. Why did this happen? There are a number of main directions of the development of states in recent times. The periodization of the process includes the following stages: the evolution of the countries of liberal democracy, the formation of a social system, the temporary establishment of an authoritarian regime (one of the vivid examples is the fascist regime in Germany), the formation of socialist statehood, which was significantly different from both fascism and liberal democracy.
At the end of the 20th century, a fairly strong desire for democratization was noted. The prevailing then liberalism was not able to exclusively in its classical form solve many spiritual, moral, economic and social problems.
Democratization results
As a result, many countries managed to overcome the too elitist nature of liberalism. Thus, the newest time was marked by the introduction of equal universal suffrage, the creation of legislation that protected certain social and labor rights of the population. In the process, liberal democracy lost its role of protecting and not interfering in economic relations. Now the state can, albeit partially, invade the relations of private possessions, limit them in favor of a common national interest. Historians note the gradual introduction of regulation and planning of a market economy. As a result of all these processes, the legal and material situation of the main layers of citizens has significantly improved.
Europe in modern times
The desire of states to develop contributed to accelerating the pace of life, breaking old traditions. By the 20th century, the progress of construction equipment was expressed, due to the restructuring of cities. Rapidly developing industry and population growth demanded this. Technical development has made the life of the new European states different from what it was in previous eras. The activity of people was increasingly directed at mass, moving away from their own interests. At the same time, some events that took place after the Second World War are evaluated extremely ambiguously. So, for example, in Eastern Europe, the changes, according to some authors, were not caused by the countries' own needs, but to some extent were inspired by neighboring influential states. However, the true democratization of the state system that was taking place was manifested in the provision of the necessary quality of life for citizens, the real protection of the rights and freedoms of people.
Conclusion
In recent times, the reality of liberal democracy, all its sides (both negative and positive) has been revealed in Russia. In this regard, in the modern movement towards democratization, the conviction of the need for a special approach to state-legal institutions is increasingly strengthened. In this case, mechanical copying of foreign experience is not allowed. Against the background of development, the understanding of the need for a comprehensive deep reflection and consideration of national history, legal and economic principles that meet the interests of citizens is being confirmed. An assessment of the history of statehood allows you to see what should be left in the past and what needs to be adopted and developed.