David Iston

POLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES

The ideology - the articulated set of ideals, the purposes and problems which help members of political system to interpret the past to understand the present; she also offers an image of the future.

In political sphere character of functioning of institutes of the power, the form of behaviour of various subjects and all other displays of activity of the person directly depend and are formed on the basis of its ideas, views, feelings and other spiritual phenomena. The most general category reflecting all set of sensual and theoretical, valuable and standard, rational and subconscious representations of the person which mediate its relations with political structures, “the political consciousness” is. In a political science there were two points of view on essence of political consciousness:

- cторонники бихевиорального the approach consider political consciousness as the form of rational thinking of the person, all that set of its views and representations which it uses at realisation of the roles and functions in power sphere;

- Adherents аксиологического (valuable) approach concern political consciousness as to certain level of social thinking. Ability and ability of people to isolate their group interests to compare with requirements of other groups, and also to see ways and ways of use of the government for the decision of problems on realisation of own interests makes, in their opinion, an essence of political consciousness.

Formation of political consciousness is carried out in difficult process of critical judgement by people of the social validity: generalisation and gradual rationalisation of sensual representations; comprehension of the purposes of party or other political movement; joinings to already formulated estimations and norms of political process; familiarizings with belief in justice of those or other political ideals. The political consciousness cannot be developed exclusively “a book way”, without the introduction of the person into real political relations. Development of political thinking depends not so much on an increment of special knowledge, how many from various forms of political participation of citizens in real processes of a political competition.

The political consciousness carries out three major functions: когнитивную function of reflexion of requirement of a society in constant updating of knowledge for performance and updating of functions of political subjects; communication function of maintenance of the realised interaction of subjects among themselves and with power institutes; ideological function of comprehension of interest of subjects in finding and popularisation of own vision of the political world. Political consciousness, being it is twisted in various kinds of activity, it is internally structured, being divided into different elements and formations.

II. Political ideologies (from греч. idea - the concept and logos - knowledge) is represented by the most influential forms of political consciousness. From the moment of occurrence of the term "ideology" (it the French philosopher Antoine Destjut де Trassi in 1801 has entered into a scientific turn) in a science there were different views on its maintenance. Synthesising the basic approaches, it is possible to tell that the political ideology represents, first of all, the certain doctrine justifying claims of this or that group of persons on the power (or its use), achieving according to these purposes of submission of public opinion to own ideas. At the same time the political ideology is a system of ideas, sights, the representations, containing theoretical judgement of political life from the point of view of interests, requirements, the purposes and ideals of certain social groups and layers, national educations.

Differently, the political ideology is the version of corporate consciousness reflecting the group point of view on a course of political and social development of a society and consequently different certain bias of estimations and propensity to spiritual экспансионизму. It is mainly the tool of elite circles which with its help consolidate group associations of citizens, provide communication with bottoms, build certain sequence of actions in political space. The ideology at the same time is socially significant, theoretically issued system of ideas in which interests of certain layers are reflected and which serves fastening or change of public interests. But ideology - not simply theoretically issued comprehension by a social stratum of the life in its development. The system of values which is fixed in ideology, creates reference points for social action. These reference points will mobilise people, supervise over their public activity and define it.

The basic functions of political ideology are: ориентационная, mobilisation, интегративная, standard, amortisation, function of expression and protection of interests of certain social group. Distinguish also three levels of functioning of political ideology:

Teoretiko-conceptual on which the substantive provisions opening values and ideals of a certain class, the nations, the state or adherents of any definite purpose of political development are formulated. It is level of political philosophy of the group expressing the basic tsennostno-semantic reference points of its development, those ideals and principles for the sake of which revolutions are made;

Programmno-political on which socially-philosophical principles and ideals are translated in programs, concrete slogans and requirements of political elite, forming, thus, a standard basis for acceptance of administrative decisions and stimulation of political behaviour of citizens;

Staticized which characterises degree of development by citizens of the purposes and principles of the given ideology, a measure of their embodiment in their practical affairs and acts.

Falling of influence of ideologies on public opinion or distribution of the texnocratic representations denying possibility of influence of social values on political connections and the relations, conducts to деидеологизации politicians. So, in the beginning of 60th ХХ century D.Bell and R.Aron have come to a conclusion about “the ideology end”, but it is literally in a decade they have started talking about реидеологизацииpublic life. Violent introduction of ideology in a society carries the name индоктринации and can lead to strengthening of public intensity.

IV. The Basic ideological currents in the modern world. Thepolitical history throughout centuries has shown origin and decline of many ideological doctrines. We will short stop on the characteristic only those ideological designs which last one and a half-two centuries played the most appreciable role political arena:

- Liberalism and neoliberalism.As an independent ideological current liberalism was generated on the basis of political philosophy of English educators of J. Lock, T.Gobbs, J. Милля, A.Smith in the end of XVII - the beginning of XVIII centuries Having connected a personal freedom yours faithfully natural human rights, and also with system of private possession, liberalism has put ideals of a free competition, the market, business in a basis of the concept. According to these priorities, leading political ideas of liberalism were and there is a legal equality of citizens, the contractual nature of the state, belief about равноправности competing in the politician “the professional, economic, religious, political associations any of which cannot have the moral superiority and practical prevalence over others”. The ideologically-moral kernel of "classical liberalism” was formed by following positions:

1) absolute value of the human person and primary (from a birth) equality of all people;

2) an autonomy of individual will;

3) initial rationality and virtue of the individual;

4) existence of certain inaliennable human rights, such, as the right to life, freedom, the property;

5) creation of the state on the basis of the general consensus and for the only purpose to keep and protect the natural rights;

6) contractual character of relations between the state and a society;

7) leadership of the law as tool of social control and “freedom in the law” as the right and possibility ”to live according to the constant law, the general for everyone in this society not to be dependent from changeable, uncertain, unknown autocratic will of other person” (J. Lock);

8) restriction of volume and state fields of activity;

9) security-first of all from the state intervention - private human life and freedom of its actions in all spheres of public life;

10) existence accessible to reason of the individual of the higher trues which should play a role of reference points in a choice between good and harm, rather and anarchy.

Adaptation of traditional values of liberalism to realities of second half ХХ century has carried out neoliberalism. In a basis of its political program ideas of a consensus operating and operated, necessities of participation of weights for political process, democratisation of procedure of acceptance of administrative decisions have laid down. Unlike former propensity mechanically to define democratic character of political life on the majority, neoliberals began to prefer pluralistic forms of the organisation and government realisation.Ideas of strengthening of a role of state structures in public life, creations of "the social state” have appeared it not alien. In the field of economy they defend necessity of preservation of position of the different patterns of ownership equal in rights which viability the market should define. At the same time development of the market and its mechanisms is provided to be carried out under state control. The neoliberalism which has fixed outstanding position of this ideology in the world, more and more gets character not so much the accurate program, how many attitude, outlook, semantic orientations in which on the foreground there are general ideals and cultural principles;

- Conservatism and neoconservatism.Conservatism (the term has used for the first time François Shatobrian [1768-1848] in the beginning of XIX century) Represents the double spiritual phenomenon. On the one hand, it is psychological installation, the style of thinking connected with domination of inertia and a habit, certain vital temperament, the system of guarding consciousness preferring former system of board, irrespective of its purposes and the maintenance. On the other hand, conservatism is an and corresponding model of behaviour in the politician and life in general, and a special ideological position with the philosophical basis, containing known reference points and principles of political participation, the relation to the state, a social order and associating with certain political actions, parties, the unions. Reaction of Zhozefa де Mestra (1753-1821), Lui де Bonalda (1754-1840), Edmunda Berk (1729-1797) on Great French revolution of XVIII century became the precondition of occurrence of these base representations Caused in founders of conservatism of thought about противоестественности conscious transformation of social usages. Conservatism, thus, is the ideological and political doctrine focused on preservation and maintenance of historically developed forms of the state and public life, in particular its valuable foundations embodied in a family, national features, religion, the property.

Conservatives ХIХ started with century a full priority of a society over the person: “people pass as a shade, but the general welfare” (E.Berk) is eternal. In their opinion, freedom of the person was defined by its duties before a society, possibility to adapt to its requirements, and the main point about transformations to a society was reduced to spiritual transformation of the person as past preservation in the present should be considered as a moral imperative before the future generations. The system of views of conservatives was based on a continuity priority before innovations, on a firmness recognition a natural way of the developed order of the things, given over hierarchy of human community, and also the corresponding moral principles underlying a family, religion and the property.

In first half 70th years ХХ century conservatism has turned to neoconservatism. Its most known representatives Irvin Kristol, Deniel Bell, Zbignev Bzhezinskyhave formulated a number of the ideas which have become by the answer to an economic crisis of that time, for expansion of influence of ideas of John Keynes (1883-1946), mass youth protest movements. In particular, neoconservatism began to recognise that only market relations conduct to real development of a society and the person; that freedom and equality are incompatible; that classical democracy is impracticable or harmful, in this connection it is necessary to combine in public life democracy with the power of elite; what is the right of the person is the right to have the property and freely to dispose of it; that the state has the limited right of intervention in economic life; that conservatives should head scientific and technical progress of the present.

- Social democratic ideology. It the roots leaves at the time of II Internatsionala (1889 - 1914) and is connected with Edward Bernstein's (1850-1932) creativity, Charles Kautsky (1854-1938), etc. Unlike K.Marx and its followers, Bernstein denied inevitability of wreck of capitalism and any communication of arrival of a socialism with this wreck. The socialism as this theorist considered, is not reduced to replacement of a private property public. The way by a socialism is a search new “companionable modes of production” in the conditions of peace development of capitalist economy and political democracy.“ Ultimate goal - anything, movement - all ”- such became the slogan of a reformist socialism. Its basic political ideas consisted in the following: negation of any dictatorship as forms of the political power; adherence to principles of democratic parliamentarism; the account of political pluralism and orientation to a consensus at the decision of the major problems; a priority of peace means of achievement of the socialist purposes; participation of the state in regulation of economy and development of market mechanisms; fidelity of the concept of social security of workers of weights; orientation to peaceful co-existence of the various states and their sufficient safety.

Social democrats in the western countries, being in power or influencing the power, in many respects promoted democratisation of the societies, expansion and fastening of the rights and freedom of workers. And that historical dispute which within more than 100 years was conducted among themselves by social democrats and communists, meanwhile it is possible to consider solved in favour of social democracy;

- Ideology of anarchism. Themodern anarchism represents set enough diverse political trends, moods and the orientations, making certain impact on world political process. Max Shtirner (1805-1856), Michael Aleksandrovich Bakunin (1814-1876), Peter Alekseevich Kropotkin (1842-1921), George Sorel (1847-1922) were ancestors of anarchism, etc. the Common feature of all forms of anarchism is representation about the state as the basic source of harm in a society, and its elimination, destruction - as the main condition of radical perfection of social relations. Anarchists also negatively concern political means and struggle tools, including to parties, the organisations as their activity concentrates round influence problems on the government or its gains;

- технократизмin political sphere appears as set of theories and the methods of interpretation based on them and decisions of the political problems which are starting with confidence what exactly the technician and its evolution has solving influence on definition of concrete shape of political systems. Evolution технократизма as political direction is connected with T.Veblenom, the American economist and the sociologist who has put forward idea of "revolution of engineers” - transition in their hands of the power not only on manufacture, but also in a society where the traditional policy turns in техновластие. Arisen in 70th years of the XX-th century the theory of a postindustrial society focused attention on such phenomena, as introduction of computer systems and technologies, active use of electronic technics in manufacture, a life, management, communication and formation. The theory of a postindustrial society departs from many traditional postulates технократизма.

V. In modern Russia there is a crystallisation of ideologies, preferences and formation bipolar (or bipolar) ideological system - liberalism on one pole and communism to social democratism in its various forms - on other. Centrist orientations remain till now rather inexpressive. The basic groups of political ideologies in the Russian Federation look as follows:

Demokratichesko-liberal, supporting continuation of radical market reforms in the western spirit (its adherents consider itself to 20 % of interrogated citizens);

National patriotic or ideology of "Russian nationalists”, offering to the supporters certain independent “Russian way” developments (its supporters consider itself to 10 % interrogated);

Kommunistichesko-patriotic ideology of supporters of a socialism, its adherents believe itself to 20 % interrogated;

Moods of "centrism"are shown by the people who are not supporting the extremely right and left extremist groupings, in polls they occupy 17-20 %. It is that part of the electorate, which else waits for occurrence of the ideas, capable to lead to the power of representatives of middle class.

Interaction of these groups of ideologies on political space of Russia forms a phenomenon known in a science as “an ideological discourse”. In polemic of representatives of three basic doctrines - socialist, nationalist and liberally-democratic, - in their direct rivalry there are factors which define both rates of reforming, and character of the economic and sociopolitical device of our country.