Introduction
To comprehend such a complex social institution as the state in the domestic theory of state and law, a special place is given to the study of the form of the state.
To study the form of the state, revealing its role in political processes, it is extremely important to approach the form as an organization of content. The concept of "organization" involves clarifying the originality of the internal aspects of the form in terms of the principles of combining the interacting elements of the whole in the system, as well as the external expression of these principles in the activity of both the elements of the system and the entire system as a whole (in relation to other systems). Through this approach in the general theory of state and law, the possibility opens up not only of solving new problems, but, no less important, also the possibility of a new approach to traditional, "old" questions of science. To consider the form of the state, attention should be paid to the following aspects.
Firstly, form in connection with the essence of the state as a social phenomenon. In this aspect, the form of the state is understood as a specific way of expressing the essence, a system of organs, a "machine" through which class domination is carried out as opposed to non-class, non-political, non-state ways. The existence of state power is reflected in its organs, army, administration, judges and other institutions that constitute the specific and permanent form of existence of the state.
Secondly, the form in its direct connection with the phenomenon (as the discovery of the essence of its manifestation outside). In the “form-phenomenon” ratio, the external form of the state acts, i.e. the manifestation of its certain organization (device) outside. Distinguish between the organization of the supreme authorities (monarchy, republic), the relationship of class authorities with the population, the territorial structure of state power.
Thirdly, the form in the form-content relationship acts as the internal form of the state as a form of a well-defined, given class content. The "form-content" of the state is based on the corresponding principles of the organization of power, which express the specificity of the class domination of a certain type at certain stages of its development. These principles are unique, they are rooted in the socio-economic system. Together with the elimination of the economic and political domination of historically certain classes, and the corresponding principles of the organization of state power. In the aspect of "form-content" the political regime is also expressed as an internal form of the state, covering mainly two sides: the mechanism of the state (the internal structure of power, the connection of elements of power in a given state system) and the functions of the state (methods and forms of implementation of the functions of this state power).

I. Form of government
The form of government is the structure of the highest bodies of state power, the order of their formation and the distribution of competence between them.
Forms of government are divided into:
- monarchical (sole, hereditary)
- Republican (collegiate, elected)

1.1. Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the supreme power is exercised solely and passes, as a rule, by inheritance. The main features of the classical monarchical form of government are:
- the existence of a sole head of state, using his power for life (king, king, emperor, shah);
- hereditary order of succession of supreme power;
- representation of the state of the monarch at its discretion;
- legal irresponsibility of the monarch.
The monarchy arose in the conditions of a slave-owning society. Under feudalism, it became the main form of government. In bourgeois society, however, only the traditional, and mostly formal, features of monarchical government were preserved.
In turn, the monarchy is divided into:
- absolute
- limited (parliamentary)
- dualistic
- theocratic
- parliamentary
An absolute monarchy is a form of government in which the supreme state power, according to the law, belongs entirely to one person.
A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which the power of the monarch is significantly limited by a representative body. Usually this limitation is determined by the constitution approved by the Parliament. The monarch does not have the right to change the constitution. The constitutional monarchy is parliamentary and dualistic.
Parliamentary monarchy is characterized by the following main features:
- the government is formed from representatives of a certain party (or parties) that received the majority of votes in parliamentary elections;
- the leader of the party with the largest number of seats becomes the head of state;
- in the legislative, executive and judicial spheres, the power of the monarch is virtually absent, it is symbolic;
- legislative acts are adopted by parliament and formally signed by the monarch;
Examples of such a monarchy can be considered - Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, etc.
Under a dualistic monarchy, state power is dual in nature. Legally and in fact, power is divided between the government, formed by the monarch, and parliament. The government in dualistic monarchies is formed independently of the party composition in parliament and is not responsible to it. At the same time, the monarch primarily expresses the interests of the feudal lords, while the parliament represents the bourgeoisie and other sections of the population. A similar form of government existed in Kaiser Germany (1871-1918), now in Morocco.

1.2. Republic
A republic is a form of government in which supreme power is exercised by elected bodies elected by the population for a fixed term.
Common features republican forms of government are:
the existence of a sole and collegiate head of state;
election for a certain period of the head of state and other supreme bodies of state power;
the exercise of state power not at his own will, but on behalf of the people;
legal responsibility of the head of state in cases provided for by law;
binding decisions of the supreme state power.
The republican form of government in its final form was formed in the Athenian state. As the public life it changed, acquired new features, and became more and more filled with democratic content.
There are several main varieties of republican government. In turn, they are divided according to the form of government into:
parliamentary
presidential
Parliamentary Republic - a variation modern form state government, in which the supreme power in the organization of public life belongs to parliament. In such a republic, the government is formed by parliamentary means from among the deputies belonging to those parties that have a majority of votes in parliament. The government is collectively responsible to the parliament in its activities. It remains in power as long as they have a majority in parliament. If the majority of members of parliament lose confidence, the government either resigns or, through the head of state, seeks the dissolution of parliament and the appointment of early parliamentary elections.
The presidential republic is one of the varieties of the modern form of government, which, along with parliamentarism, combines the powers of the head of state and head of government in the hands of the president. Most character traits presidential republic:
non-parliamentary method of electing a president and forming a government;
the government's responsibility to the president, not to parliament;
broader than in a parliamentary republic, the powers of the head of state.
Presidential form of government various countries has its own characteristics. In France, the President is elected by popular vote. The candidate who receives the absolute number of votes is considered elected. The same procedure for electing a president was established in Russia in 1991.

II. Form of government
The form of government is the national and administrative-territorial structure of the state, which reveals the nature of the relationship between its constituent parts, between central local governments, authorities. Unlike forms of government, the organization of the state is considered from the point of view of the distribution of state power and state sovereignty in the center and in the regions, their division between the constituent parts of the state.
According to the form of government, all states can be divided into three main groups:
- unitary;
- federal;
- Confederate.

2.1 Unitary state
A unitary state is a single integral state formation, consisting of administrative-territorial units that are subordinate to the central authorities and do not possess signs of state independence. A unitary state is characterized by the following features:
unitary structure presupposes single supreme executive, representative and judicial bodies, common for the whole country, which carry out the supreme leadership of the relevant bodies;
on the territory of a unitary state, there is one constitution, a single system of legislation, one citizenship;
component parts of a unitary state (regions, departments, districts, provinces, counties) do not have state sovereignty;
a unitary state, on whose territory small nationalities live, widely allows national and legislative autonomy;
Differences in the degree and forms of control of the central government over local governments make it possible to speak of centralized and decentralized unitary states, but these differences relate to a narrow sphere of government.
Unitary states include such states as France, Turkey, Japan, Finland.

2.2. Federation
Federation - is a voluntary association of previously independent state entities into one union state.
The federal state structure is heterogeneous. In different countries, it has its own unique features, which are determined by the historical conditions for the formation of a particular federation and, above all, by the national composition of the country's population, the originality of the way of life and culture of the peoples that make up the union state. At the same time, we can single out the most common features that are characteristic of most federal states:
1. The territory of the federation consists of the territories of its individual subjects: states, cants, lands, republics, etc.
2. In a union state, the supreme executive, legislative and judicial power belongs to the federal state bodies.
3. The subjects of the federation have the right to adopt their own constitution, have their own supreme executive, legislative and judicial bodies.
4. In most federations, there is union citizenship and citizenship of federal units.
5. Under the federal state structure, there is a chamber in parliament representing the interests of the members of the federation.
Federations are built on a territorial and national basis, which largely determines the nature, content, and structure of the state system.

3.3. Confederation
A confederation is a temporary legal union of sovereign states created to ensure common interests. Under a confederal structure, the member states of a confederation retain their sovereign rights, both in internal and external affairs. Unlike a federal structure, a confederation is characterized by the following features:
the confederation does not have its own common legislative, executive and judicial bodies, in contrast to the federation;
the confederal structure does not have a single army, a single system of taxes, a single state budget;
 retains the citizenship of those states that are in a temporary union;
states can agree on a single monetary system, on common customs rules, on interstate credit policy for the duration of the union.

III. Forms of state regime
Forms of the state regime are a set of ways and methods of exercising power by the state.
The state regime is the most important component of the political regime that exists in society. The political regime is a broader concept, since it includes not only the methods of state power, but also the characteristic modes of activity of non-state political organizations(parties, movements, clubs, unions).
State regimes can be democratic and anti-democratic (totalitarian, authoritarian, racist). Therefore, the main criterion for classifying states on this basis is the democratism of the forms and methods of exercising state power. Ideal democratic forms of state regime do not exist in reality. In a particular state, there are methods of official rule that are different in their content. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify the most common features inherent in one or another type of state regime.

3.1. Anti-democratic regimes
Anti-democratic regimes are characterized by the following features:
 determines the nature of state power - this is the ratio of the state and the individual;
 anti-democratic regime is characterized by complete (total) control of the state over all spheres of public life: economy, politics, ideology, social, cultural and national structure;
 it is characterized by the nationalization of all public organizations (trade unions, youth, sports, etc.);
 A person in an anti-democratic state is actually deprived of any subjective rights, although formally they can be proclaimed even in constitutions;
An anti-democratic regime can be established both under a monarchical and a republican form of government, however, being a denial of the principles of parliamentarism, it is not consistent with a parliamentary monarchy and a republic. Leading to a strong centralization of state power, the authoritarian regime does not agree with bourgeois federalism.

3.2. Democratic regime
The democratic regime is formed in the rule of law states. They are characterized by the methods of the existence of power, which really ensure the free development of the individual, the actual protection of his rights and interests. Specifically, the regime of democratic power is expressed as follows:
the regime represents the freedom of the individual in the economic sphere, which is the basis of the material well-being of society;
real guarantee of the rights and freedoms of citizens, their ability to express their own opinion on state policy, to actively participate in cultural, scientific and other public organizations;
creates an effective system of direct influence of the population of the country on the nature of state power;
History knows various forms of democratic regimes. The regime of parliamentary democracy, based on the transfer of power to the parliament, is currently the most widespread. There is also a liberal democratic regime.

Conclusion
The considered three aspects of the form of the state (the form of government, the form of the state structure, the political regime), although they are different, still belong to the same phenomenon, they have unity, are organically interconnected, interdependent in their features. Depending on the specific historical conditions of development, the class struggle may unfold around one or another aspect of the form of organization of state power.
Thus, taken in unity, the three organizations of state power form the form of the state. In the process of development of the state, there is a dialectical interdependence of all aspects of the manifestation of its content and all facets of the structure and organization of this content.
In the course of the historical development of the state, its content changes faster than its form, which, despite its active service role, is the more conservative side of the phenomenon. There is an objective contradiction between the new content and the old form of the state. This contradiction is resolved in favor, ultimately, in favor of the content of the state: the form undergoes changes in accordance with the needs of the new content of power.
WITH scientific point of view, such a situation is impossible in which the form of the state would remain unchanged, despite the change in the content of this state. The form of the state serves a well-defined content and ceases with the liquidation of this content. In the process of the historical development of statehood, there is a constant process of throwing off the old form, a process of its constant renewal, dictated by the objective laws of the development of political struggle in society and changes in the class content of state power.

List of used literature
1. Jurisprudence: Textbook / Z.G. Krylova, E.P. Gavrilov, V.M. Gureev and others; Ed. Z.G. Krylova. - M .: Higher. school, 2003. - 560s.
2. Komarov S.A. General theory of state and law./ Textbook. M., 2000. - 468s.
3. Alekseev V.S. Theory of law. M., 1995. - 370s.
4. Vengerov A.B. Theory of Government and Rights. In 2 parts. M., 1995. - 580s.
5. General history of state and law. / Ed. K.I.Batyra. M., 2000. - 630s.
6. Marchenko M.N. Theory of Government and Rights. M., 1996. - 563p.

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State forms- ways of organizing state power. The form of the state includes: the form of government, the territorial structure and the political regime.

Form of government- a way of organizing the highest power, the structure of the highest bodies in the state and the separation of powers between them. Forms of government:

monarchy(from Greek autocracy) - a form of government in which power is held by one person (monarch) and is inherited according to the law of succession to the throne. There are four types of monarchy: absolute(the unlimited power of the monarch); constitutional(power limited by the constitution); dualistic(legislative power is divided between the monarch and parliament); parliamentary(the power of the monarch is minimal, the laws are issued by the parliament, the government executes them). Examples: Absolute monarchy exists in Oman. Saudi Arabia; dualistic - in Jordan and Kuwait; parliamentary - in England, Japan, Spain;

republic(from Lat. power of the people) - a form of government in which state power is in the hands of the people and is transferred by election. Types of republics: presidential, parliamentary and mixed. presidential- power is in the hands of the president, as, for example, in the United States. Italy, Germany. IN parliamentary In a republic, the head of state is a president (or chancellor) who shares power with the government, as, for example, in France and Russia. In a mixed form of government, the features of presidential and parliamentary republics are combined.

Territorial device- the internal structure of the state, its division into parts, as well as the relationship between the state and its parts. There are three forms of territorial structure:

unitary state– a simple association with a centralized territory and a single control center. Example: Germany, France, Czech Republic;

federation- Union of states (subjects of the federation). The subjects of the federation are independent, but accountable to the center. An example of such an association is the Russian Federation. Types of federations: national, territorial, mixed. National- each nation is allocated in a separate subject of the federation. Territorial- division into special territories. mixed- several nations and nationalities can live on the territory of republics and territories;

confederation- a permanent union of free states, created to achieve common goals (foreign policy, trade). The participating states have their own territory, population, domestic policy, laws.

Political regime- a set of methods and means of exercising state power.

Types of political regime: democratic- the rights of citizens are the highest value, there is elective power, freedom of speech and a market economy; antidemocratic- rights and freedoms are not the highest value, power is not elected, there is no freedom of speech, command-administrative economy.

Forms of the state: forms of government, forms of government, political (state-legal) regimes

The form of the state is the organization of the highest bodies of the state, the territorial structure of state power and the methods of its implementation. The form of the state consists of three elements: forms of government, forms of government and political (state-legal regime).

Form of government- this is an element of the form of the state, characterizing the organization of the supreme state power, the procedure for the formation of its bodies and their relationship with the population.

According to the forms of government, states are divided into monarchies and republics.

Monarchy - a form of government in which the supreme state power is exercised, as a rule, individually and is inherited.

Signs of a monarchy:

• 1) power is inherited;
• 2) is carried out indefinitely;
• 3) does not depend on the population.

Types of monarchy: a) absolute- the supreme state power, according to the law, belongs entirely to one person - the king, king, emperor; b) constitutional- the power of the monarch is significantly limited by the representative body. Such monarchies are divided to parliamentary(in which the government is formed from representatives of the party, winners in elections) and dualistic(where power is divided between the government, formed by the monarch, and parliament).

Republic- a form of government in which the supreme state power is exercised by elected bodies elected for a certain period

Signs of the republic:

• 1) elective power;
• 2) urgency;
• 3) dependence on voters.

The main types of the republic: presidential; parliamentary, mixed combining the properties of these republics . Presidential and parliamentary differ depending on which of the authorities - the president or parliament forms the government and exercises direct leadership over it. A mixed (semi-presidential) republic is characterized by a combination of the main features of both types of republican form of government, as well as new features not known to any of the types of republic considered above. There are also super-presidential republics in which the maximum amount of power is concentrated in the hands of the president, and the parliament, although formally a body legislature, controlled on many issues by the president.

Forms of national-state and administrative-territorial structure

Form of national-state and administrative-territorial structure- this is an element of the form of the state, characterizing the internal structure of the state, the method of its political and territorial division, which determines certain relationships between the organs of the entire state and the organs of its constituent parts.

There are the following forms:

• 1) unitary(a simple, unified state, parts of which are administrative-territorial units and do not have signs of state sovereignty; it has a single system of higher bodies and a single system of legislation, such as in Poland, France);
• 2) federal(a complex, union state, parts of which are state entities and have, to one degree or another, signs of statehood); in it, along with the highest federal bodies and federal legislation, there are the highest bodies and legislation of the subjects of the Federation, as, for example, in Russia, the USA; federations can be built on a territorial basis (for example, Germany, the USA) or on a national-territorial basis (for example, the modern Russian Federation); in a federal state system, one of the chambers of parliament represents the interests of the subjects of the federation; the main national foreign policy activity in the federations is carried out by the union state bodies, which officially represent the federation in interstate relations. The subjects of the federation, as a rule, cannot unilaterally withdraw from the federation.

If a federation is a union state, then A confederation is a union of states.

The confederation has the following features:

• a) is created to achieve certain goals (political, military, economic);
• b) the creation is fixed by the contract;
• c) each subject retains its sovereignty.

After achieving the goals of the confederation, either disintegrate or turn into sovereign states - unitary or federal.

Political (state-legal) regimes

The political (state-legal) regime is a system various methods, techniques and means used in the exercise of state power. It is often argued in the literature that the concept of "political regime" is broader than "state-legal regime", because it includes not only the methods of state power, but also the methods used by other elements. political system(parties, social movements, etc.).

According to the degree of concentration of power in the hands of one state body or person and the level of freedom of civil society institutions, authoritarian, totalitarian and democratic political regimes.

At authoritarian regime the degree of concentration of power in the hands of the head of state is great. Parliament plays a secondary role in the life of society. Various institutions of civil society retain some independence, but under the control of the state. Under such a regime, the principle of separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial is not fully implemented. Quite often the president, executive bodies mend other state structures. Accordingly, the scope of the principles of election of state bodies and officials, accountability and accountability to their populations.

Totalitarian regime characterized by an extreme degree of concentration of power in the hands of one body, person. This regime is characterized by total state control over all spheres of society, including interference in the privacy of citizens. State power is formed in a bureaucratic way, through channels closed to society, inaccessible to control by the people. The domination of one party is being carried out, the actual merging of its professional apparatus with the state, the prohibition of opposition-minded forces. The rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen in such conditions are declarative, formal, and there are no clear guarantees for their implementation. The presence of one official ideology is also noteworthy; various forms of manifestation of pluralism, etc., are actually eliminated.

States differ from each other not only in terms of area, population, and the level of well-being of citizens. Their internal organization can also be very different. What are the main features of the political structure of the country? What forms and regimes are distinguished in the modern theory of the state? This will be discussed in this article.

What is a state?

The state is a voluminous multifaceted category, which is studied by a number of scientific disciplines: from geography to sociology. Unlike a specific territory or geographical country, this formation is difficult to perceive empirically, being an abstract rather than a real object of study.

The phenomenon of the state, its political structure, form of government - these questions disturbed the minds of many philosophers and scientists in a variety of ways. historical eras. Thus, such thinkers as Aristotle and Plato, Thomas Aquinas and Confucius, John Locke and Herbert Spencer were engaged in the study of various aspects of the state.

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato devoted one of his works (dialogues) under the same name "State" to this problem. This work contains several interesting ideas which have not lost their relevance even today. So, he talked about the fact that at the head of the state should be wise philosophers, because only they are able to properly care for citizens. Plato was also not very fond of the democratic type of political structure. He called democracy just and at the same time unjust majority rule.

Signs and functions of the state

The state is a very complex social structure, the idea of ​​which can be formed through the main features of this formation. There are seven in total:

• a territory strictly delineated in geographical space;
• certain population;
• existence and laws (norms of behavior);
• the presence of a system of law enforcement and judicial bodies that monitor the implementation of established laws;
• the presence of an army;
• functioning of the system of taxation of citizens;
• existence of state sovereignty (independence).

Based on these signs, the state is obliged to perform several functions, namely:

• political;
• economic;
• social;
• defensive;
• law enforcement;
• cultural and educational and some others.

In this article, we will dwell on the first of these functions in more detail, examining in detail the forms and regimes of the political structure of the country. Which of them are the most popular today?

The political structure of the state and its main forms

Different scientists, philosophers and thinkers assessed the role of the state in different ways. Sometimes these assessments were polar in relation to each other. Thus, Vladimir Lenin argued that "the state is an apparatus of violence in the hands of the ruling class." But the famous Russian existentialist Nikolai Berdyaev was sure that it was the state that allowed earthly human life not to turn into a final hell.

Both statements are equally valid. The effectiveness of the education considered in this article largely depends on the specific form of the political structure of the state. Indeed, in some countries of the planet, we see how the rulers are really trying to work for their people. In other states, the apparatus of power only oppresses and uses its citizens.

The socio-political structure is a process and at the same time the result of the organization of power in a particular country. It includes both the type of state structure and the political regime.

The form of political structure is a way of national as well as territorial organization of the state. It provides for the establishment of certain relationships between central and regional (local) authorities.

Political organization can take three main forms. It is a unitary state, a federation, and also a confederation.

Unitary state: characteristics and features

A unitary state is understood as such a political structure of a country in which its individual administrative-territorial units do not have sovereignty. Among the main features of this form are the following:

• single citizenship and lawmaking system;
• leadership of the country from a single center (capital);
• unified financial and tax system;
• unified army;
• common state symbols - the flag, coat of arms and anthem.

In modern political science, there are several types of unitary states. This:

• strictly centralized;
• decentralized.

Unitary states may include one (examples: Tajikistan, Ukraine) or several autonomies (examples: Moldova, Spain).

In quantitative terms, modern world dominated by unitary states. This is clearly visible on the map, where they are all marked in blue. As a rule, these are small countries with a predominance of one nation. Although there are exceptions among them. One of them is China, which includes several different levels of autonomy.

characteristics and signs

A federation is a special political structure in which certain parts of the state have some kind of sovereignty, which is legally enshrined. The word itself has Latin roots and is translated as "union" or "association".

One of the distinguishing features of a federal state is the so-called dual legislation. What does it mean? Laws can be created by both central and regional authorities. At the same time, bills adopted at the level of individual subjects of the federation should not contradict the general federal legislation.

In federations, as a rule, there is a single currency, but the tax system can be two-channel. This means that a particular subject of the federation has the right to form its own regional budget and distribute its funds.

In the world, there are symmetrical and Firstly, territorial subjects have equal rights, but secondly, their legal status is not the same.

Federations on the modern political map of the planet are distributed evenly (there are 28 in total). Among them - almost all the largest countries in the world: Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, India.

Confederation: essence and historical examples

A confederation is a union of several states created to achieve some goal: military, economic or other. The countries that make up the confederation, as a rule, retain their sovereignty both in domestic politics and on the global stage.

The main features of confederations are the absence of:

• common boundaries;
• unified system of lawmaking;
• unified financial system;
• single constitution;
• single citizenship.

All decisions in the confederation are made by consensus. At the same time, each of its participants reserves the right to freely withdraw from such an alliance.

Confederations were common throughout the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. In the last century, there were still several classical confederations: this is also Senegambia. However, they existed for a rather short time. Today, the features of a confederation can be seen in the example European Union or organizations of the CIS (Commonwealth Independent States).

The main forms of the state-legal regime

Those in power in each of the countries of the world can exercise their powers in different ways. The totality of methods and means of exercising power is the state-legal regime. He performs essential element, a criterion for determining the essence of a state.

There are several types (forms) of the state-legal regime. It can be democratic or non-democratic (authoritarian, totalitarian, fascist, etc.).

It can be very difficult to distinguish from a totalitarian one. So, for example, the leadership of the Soviet Union positioned itself before the whole world as an "island of democratic rights and freedoms." And many peoples of the planet sincerely believed in this lie.

Authoritarianism and its signs

"The power of the founder" - so you can roughly translate this term from Latin. Under this political regime, absolutely all power is in the hands of one person (or group of people).

• powerful centralization of power;
• command-planning method of governing the country;
• strict control of various aspects of public life by the state;
• lack of real on separate branches (legislative, executive, judicial);

Under this regime, they are selective, they are directed against only the most active opponents of the authorities. Pluralism of thought is, in general, allowed, but only if it does not cause tangible harm to the system. These two features distinguish authoritarianism from totalitarianism.

Totalitarianism and its signs

Few people know that this term was coined by the dictator Mussolini in the 1920s. Totalitarianism means complete (total) control of the state in all spheres of public life. Despotism, tyranny, repression and mass denunciations are all typical features of this political regime.

Society as a whole and each person individually under totalitarianism are completely absorbed by the state. Pluralism of opinions is not acceptable in any of the spheres of life. Another distinguishing feature of totalitarianism is a rigid vertical of power.

In world history, examples of both "left" and "right" totalitarianism are known. The first was characteristic of the Soviet Union, the second - for fascist Germany or the dictatorial regime of B. Mussolini.

Democracy and its main features

Democracy is (literal translation from ancient Greek). Under such a regime, the people, or rather, the majority, act as the bearer of power in the state.

It should be noted that the outstanding thinker Plato did not like democracy. He considered it one of the worst forms of government. But the famous politician Winston Churchill once described it as follows: "Democracy is the worst form of government, apart from all the others that are known to history." So the British Prime Minister subtly emphasized the lack of alternatives to this political regime.

The most important features of democracy are:

• universal suffrage, as a result of which power is formed;
• recognition of the supreme power of the people at the legal level;
• absolute equality of the rights of all citizens, regardless of gender, age or nationality;
• subordination of the minority to the majority;
• public control over the actions of the executive branch of government.

The political structure of Russia

Modern Russia is a federal state. This is a presidential-parliamentary republic, in which the president is endowed with fairly broad powers. The main institutions of power in the country were formed in the early 1990s, immediately after the collapse of the USSR. At the beginning of this century, minor amendments were made to their functioning.

Russia has a complex administrative-territorial structure. The state consists of 85 subjects of the federation, which are endowed with equal rights and powers. Each of them has its own legislative body, as well as its own regional government. In addition, Russia is divided into nine more federal districts.

The modern political structure of Russia has the features of both a territorial and a national federation. Formations of the national type in the Russian Federation are represented by republics. Territorial formations are regions, territories, autonomies, as well as cities federal significance. Such a mixed nature of the political system requires a fairly flexible and well-thought-out policy on the part of the authorities.

Finally…

The form of the political structure of the state refers to the way the country is governed. In the modern theory of the state, it is customary to distinguish three such forms: a unitary state, a federation and a confederation. Each of them has its own characteristics and characteristics.

Unitary states dominate the political map of the planet in the 21st century. There are much fewer federations, but there are, in fact, no confederations at all.

Form of government- this is the internal structure of the state, the administrative-territorial organization of state power, which determines the nature of the relationship between the constituent parts of the state, between central and local authorities.

The form of government is closely related to the territorial feature of the state. It makes it possible to understand what territorial units the state consists of, what is the legal status and relationship between themselves and the central government bodies.

There are three forms of government - unitary, federal and confederal.

unitary state- this is an integral state, the administrative-territorial units of which do not have signs of sovereignty.

The signs of a unitary state are:

1) a unified system of legislation. Parts of the state do not have the right to make their own laws;

2) a unified system of authorities. The highest bodies of state power carry out direct management of local bodies;

3) a single monetary unit;

4) unified financial, tax, credit system;

5) single citizenship;

6) unified armed forces;

7) uniform attributes of the state (flag, coat of arms, anthem);

8) the constituent parts of the state do not have signs of sovereignty, i.e. are not state entities and cannot pursue an independent policy.

Most modern states are unitary. The unitary form of government preserves the unity of the state and ensures the effectiveness of management. As a rule, unitary states are small in territory and have one National composition(France, Japan, Sweden, Estonia, etc.) - However, there are unitary states with a multinational population (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, China, etc.), and some of them, such as China, are large territorial entities .

federal state - it is a complex union state, the constituent parts of which are state formations and have signs of sovereignty.

hallmarks federations serve:

1) a dual system of legislation. The constituent parts of the state (subjects of the federation) have the right to issue their own laws, which must not contradict federal legislation;

2) a dual system of authorities, consisting of central
federal state authorities and state authorities of the subjects of the federation;

3) a single monetary unit;

4) two-channel financial and tax system. Subjects
federations have the right to form their own budget and collect
taxes that must not conflict with federal tax policy;

5) dual citizenship. Along with federal citizenship
there is citizenship of the subject of the federation, which, however, matters only within the country;

6) unified armed forces;

7) subjects of the federation can establish their own attributes of state power, which exist along with federal ones;

8) the main restrictions on the sovereignty of the subjects of the federation are a ban on the implementation of foreign policy activities and a ban on secession from the federation.

There are territorial and national federations. When forming territorial federations population density, terrain, and other territorial and economic features are taken into account. The subjects of the territorial federation have significant limitations in their powers (USA, Mexico, Germany). in national federations the principle of territorial division is the national composition of the population of the region. National federations are built on the basis of a voluntary association of subjects, which ensures national sovereignty and the right of nations to self-determination (Yugoslavia).

Russia has mixed a territorial structure that combines the features of both a territorial and a national federation. National state formations within the Russian Federation are republics, territorial - regions, territories, cities of federal significance. Autonomies have a special status - autonomous okrugs and autonomous regions. The mixed nature of the territorial structure of Russia requires a flexible and thoughtful policy on the part of the highest federal authorities.

Confederation- it is a state-legal union of sovereign states, created to achieve certain goals. A confederation combines the features of an international legal and domestic organization. The states that are part of the confederation retain sovereignty in domestic and foreign policy. The goals of the association are mainly foreign policy problems (defense, foreign trade, customs policy, etc.).

Confederations are characterized by the following features:

1) the confederation does not have a unified system of legislation.
The states that are part of the confederation have their own laws. Relations between members of the confederation are regulated on the basis of treaties;

2) in the confederation there is no single system of authorities. Each state within the confederation has its own state mechanism. Nevertheless, common confederal bodies are being created to coordinate the solution of common problems;

3) the confederation, as a rule, does not have its own currency, but the example of a united Europe shows that a single monetary system with a common currency can be created;

4) the financial and tax systems remain specific in
for each individual country, however, a general monetary fund is created to finance activities related to the achievement of the goals of the confederation;

5) there is no citizenship of the confederation, but the movement of citizens of one state that is part of the confederation to the territory of another can be simplified;

6) each state maintains its armed forces. If a confederation is created to achieve military goals, then the armed forces of the member states of the confederation are united by a single command;

7) states that are members of the confederation remain sovereign subjects of international relations. They have the right not to recognize the acts adopted by the confederal bodies. Subjects of the confederation have the right to freely secede from the confederation;

8) confederations are unstable. Upon reaching their goals, they either disintegrate or transform into a federation.

Most confederations existed in the XVIII-XIX centuries. These are, for example, the Netherlands, the USA, the Swiss Union, the German Union, etc. On their basis, united states were created. In the 20th century, confederations were the unification of the Soviet republics during civil war in Russia, and in the middle of the century - the United Arab Republic (Egypt and Syria) and Senegambia (Senegal and Gambia). The last two did not last long and broke up. At present, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the European Community have signs of a confederation.

Form of political regime - it is a set of ways and methods of exercising state power. In a broad sense, the political regime determines the functioning of the entire political system. The political regime is the most dynamic form of the state. With its change, even if the form of government and the form of government remain the same, a change in the course of domestic and foreign policy may follow. Depending on what methods are used by the state to implement political power, distinguish between democratic and anti-democratic regimes.

A democratic political regime ensures the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens and their real participation in government. It is characterized by the following features:

1) electivity of public authorities, their responsibility to voters;

2) separation of powers;

3) the priority of law in all spheres of state and public life;

4) the reality and guarantee of the rights and freedoms of citizens;

5) political pluralism, multi-party system, legality of political opposition;

6) maximum consideration of the interests of all segments of the population.

The anti-democratic political regime rejects equality in the relationship between the state and the individual and establishes the dictate of the state over society. The signs of an anti-democratic regime are:

1) the formation of government bodies in a non-elected way or through pseudo-elections;

2) lack of separation of powers, strengthening the role of the executive branch of government;

3) the predominance of the state over law, the dominance of lawlessness and arbitrariness on the part of the state;

4) lack of real rights and freedoms (they can be declared, but in reality they are not implemented);

5) a one-party system, the dominance of a single state ideology, a ban on political opposition, persecution for dissent;

6) ignoring the interests of the population, its individual strata

The division of the political regime into democratic and anti-democratic is not exhaustive. There is a more detailed classification.

Varieties of the democratic regime are liberal-democratic and actually democratic regimes. Liberal Democratic Regime implies the exercise of power by humane and democratic methods, not allowing actions aimed at changing the existing system. Proper democratic regime proclaims and guarantees democracy, political pluralism, the opportunity to elect and be elected to representative bodies of state power.

There are several types of anti-democratic regime. totalitarian regime characterized by the complete intervention of the state in the life of society, up to the private life of citizens. At authoritarian regime the state limits its intervention in the life of society to the political sphere, allowing freedom in art, science, economics, i.e. in areas that do not affect the interests of the state . Fascist regime proclaims the superiority of one nation over another, militarization of public life takes place; the state is conducting an aggressive foreign policy. Racist regime based on the idea of ​​the inequality of human races.

In today's world, most states are democratic. Democracy - translated from the Greek "rule of the people". This word has several meanings. First of all - in the sense of democracy, i.e. such public self-government throughout the country, which does without state levers of influence. This, in essence, is about democracy as an ideal that is difficult to achieve. The term "democracy" is used to refer to a broad social movement - environmental, peace movement, popular front, movement for a nuclear-free world, etc. - as an organizing principle. Therefore, intra-party, intra-trade-union democracy, etc. are singled out. But mainly and most of all, democracy is understood as a kind of state.

One of the hallmarks of democracy in its latest sense is the election of public authorities. In this regard, the concept of " electoral system". In a broad sense, the electoral system is understood as the procedure for the formation of elected bodies of the state and local governments. In a narrow sense, the electoral system is the procedure for distributing deputy mandates among candidates depending on the results of the vote. The procedure for elections is determined by the Constitution and constitutional laws, which include the norms of the electoral law

Suffrage - this is a set of norms governing the formation of the elected bodies of the state. The term "suffrage" also refers to the right of citizens to participate in elections. Distinguish active suffrage - the right to vote, and passive - the right to be elected to government bodies.

Principles suffrage are universality, freedom, equality, immediacy, secret ballot. Universal suffrage means granting active suffrage to all adult citizens of the country, as well as passive suffrage to all citizens who meet additional requirements (electoral qualifications). The electoral right under the Constitution of the Russian Federation is deprived of persons recognized by the court as incompetent, and lime, who are serving a sentence of imprisonment by a court verdict.

A citizen of the Russian Federation can elect and be elected regardless of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, attitude to religion, beliefs, membership in public associations.

The constitution of the state may establish electoral qualifications, i.e. conditions for obtaining or exercising the right to vote. age limit - the requirement of the law, according to which the right to participate in elections is granted only after reaching a certain age (in Russia - 18 years for active suffrage). Settlement requirement - a requirement established by the Constitution or law, according to which a citizen's right to vote is conditional on a certain period of residence in the country by the time of the elections. Educational qualification - the requirement of the law, according to which the electoral right (mostly passive) is granted only to those citizens who have a certain level of education, fixed by the corresponding document. Service qualification - provisions of the law restricting the electoral rights of citizens on the basis of their position, professional activity or spiritual order. In Russian legislation, the qualifications for residence, education and official position are not established.

Equal suffrage means that each voter must have the same number of votes (usually one). A voter cannot be included in more than one voter list. He votes in person, and in order to receive a ballot, the presentation of a document proving the identity of the voter is required, and a mark is made in the list of voters that the ballot was issued.

The participation of a citizen of the Russian Federation in elections is voluntary. Free voluntary participation in elections means a ban on influencing a citizen in order to force him to participate or not to participate in elections, as well as to influence his free will. The free expression of the will of voters during elections is also ensured by the fact that campaigning on election day in the polling station is not allowed. Non-participation of voters in elections is called absenteeism.

Suffrage is direct and indirect. Direct suffrage means the direct submission by the voter of his vote for a particular candidate or list of candidates. Indirect suffrage means that the voter chooses only members of the college (electors), who, in turn, elect representatives or any other persons. Russia has a system of direct elections. An important advantage of direct elections is that all elected bodies of state power are directly representative bodies of the people.

Secret ballot - it is the principle of suffrage, meaning the exclusion of external observation and control over the will of the voter. IN Russian Federation the secrecy of the vote shall be ensured in every possible way. The voter is given the opportunity to use a special room or a closed booth to fill out a ballot. In these premises, during the filling of ballots, the presence of anyone, including members of the election commission, is prohibited. The ballot is dropped into the ballot box personally by the voter.

In the Russian Federation, the elections of the President of the Russian Federation (in 2004) and the State Duma (in 2003) are held in accordance with the electoral laws adopted in December 2002. In May 2005, the new law on the election of deputies of the State Duma.

The electoral process in Russia - it is the preparation and conduct of elections. First, voter registration takes place, i.e. their inclusion in the electoral roll. The basis for the inclusion of a citizen of the Russian Federation in the list of voters at a particular polling station is his residence on the territory of this polling station.

Electoral commissions serve as bodies providing practical preparation and conduct of elections. In our country, these include the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, election commissions of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, territorial (district, city, etc.), precinct election commissions.

The activities of election commissions are carried out publicly and openly, on the basis of collegiality. In preparing and conducting elections, election commissions, within the limits of their competence, are independent of state bodies and local self-government bodies.

Prior to the elections, candidates and their representatives have the right to campaign. It is the dissemination of information to induce voters to vote for a particular candidate. Election campaigning begins from the date of registration of candidates and ends one day before election day.

Voting - the main stage of the electoral process. It takes place on a weekend. Voting is carried out by entering on the ballot paper a sign in the square either opposite the name of the candidate or the name of the party, or opposite the phrase “against all”. Each voter votes personally, voting for other persons is not allowed. If the voter good reason cannot arrive at the polling station, for example, due to illness, the members of the precinct election commission must provide him with the opportunity to vote outside the polling station. To do this, they go to the voter's house with a portable ballot box.

The counting of votes of voters is carried out by members of the precinct election commission on the basis of ballot papers submitted by voters. After the votes have been counted, the precinct election commission fills in the protocol on the results of voting and sends it to the territorial election commission. Based on the protocols of the precinct and territorial election commissions, the district election commission establishes the results of elections in the constituency.

Allocate the following classification of elections. General Election - these are elections in which the voters of the entire country participate (for example, presidential and parliamentary elections). Partial (by-election) elections - these are elections that are held in a separate constituency due to the early departure of a deputy. Repeat elections - this is the second and subsequent rounds of voting, which are used in the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

By the time of holding elections are divided into regular and extraordinary. next elections - these are elections held within the time limits specified in the Constitution or the law, as well as with the expiration of the term of office of the elected body. Extraordinary elections are held in case of early dissolution of Parliament.

There are several types of electoral systems in the electoral law. Majoritarian electoral system is an electoral system in which the candidates who receive the most votes are considered elected. Majoritarian system of relative majority is an electoral system in which a candidate who receives largest number votes, i.e. more votes than other candidates. Majoritarian system of absolute majority - This is an election system in which the candidate who receives the absolute majority of votes is considered elected, i.e. more than half of their total number (50% plus one vote).

proportional electoral system - this is the procedure for determining the results of voting, in which the distribution of deputy seats among the parties that put forward their candidates for a representative body is made in proportion to the number of votes they received. Such a system is used in the elections of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. In accordance with Electoral Law I, adopted in May 2005, electoral associations participating in elections must overcome the seven percent barrier, i.e. gain more than 7% of the votes of the voters participating in the elections. Seats in the State Duma are distributed in proportion to the votes cast for each electoral association.

There are also mixed electoral systems – these are electoral systems based on a combination of two systems of representation - majoritarian and proportional. An example of such a system is the system of elections of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, which existed before the adoption of the electoral law of 2005. One half of the deputies (225 people) were elected by the majoritarian system, and the other (225 people) by the proportional system.

Questions and tasks

1. Define the form of government.

2. What is the difference between a unitary state, federation and confederation?

3. Give examples of states from history and modernity, describing them according to the form of government.

4. What is a political regime?

5. Conduct a comparative analysis of democratic and anti-democratic regimes.

6. Give examples of states from history and modernity, describing them according to the form of the political regime.

7. What is the electoral system? Explain the concepts of active and
passive suffrage.

8. What are the principles of suffrage?

9. Describe the electoral process in Russia.

10. Give the classification of elections.

11. What electoral systems do you know?

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