8.1. Socialization and participation in politics

An important political process in any society is the socialization of citizens. The concept of "socialization", which has long existed in sociology, has acquired the rights of citizenship in political science. Socialization means the process of introducing members of society to its norms and values. Political socialization takes place in any country and under any form of government, as the leaders of society strive to popularize among their citizens favorable behavior patterns.

To understand the essence of political socialization, it is important to keep two points in mind.

1. The process of socialization takes place continuously throughout the life of the individual. With the accumulation of social experience, there is a constant modification or hardening of the life positions of the individual.

2. Political socialization may take the form of explicit or implicit transfer of experience. It is explicit if it involves the direct transfer of information, feelings or values ​​regarding the objects of policy. Social disciplines at school are an example of obvious political socialization. Hidden political socialization is the transfer of non-political attitudes that affect attitudes and approaches to the corresponding objects in the political system. For example, a child learns a certain pattern of behavior towards others, aimed at reaching agreement or aggressive. Such an orientation will later influence his attitude towards political leaders or other citizens. He forms a view of politics, either as a process of struggle for domination, or as a means to achieve legitimate goals.

The process of political socialization is aimed at solving three main tasks:

• transfer to the new members of the political community of the main elements of its political culture;
• the transformation of some of these elements as a necessary condition for social change;
• creating a new political culture in special circumstances, for example, with the emergence of a new independent state.

Various forms of political orientation are woven into the mind of the individual and his emotional sphere as he gains experience from politics and public activity. This orientation can take shape gradually, under the influence of the conscious efforts of other members of the political community, or imperceptibly, under the influence of various events in life.

The process of socialization occurs due to different intermediaries , which in most cases have much in common, differing, however, in their specific characteristics and forms of influence.

The first and most powerful of these middlemen is a family environment . As a rule, the strongest values, norms and political preferences are assimilated under the influence of prevailing moods in the family.

Family contributes to:

• transfer to an individual of family values ​​and preferences;
• the formation of personality and the formation of preferences of a non-political nature;
• inclusion of family members in a more extensive network of social, economic, religious, cultural and other relations.

In many modern societies, school is a powerful mediator of political socialization . It is there that students are introduced to generally accepted political values ​​or principles of citizenship.

A significant role in the process of political socialization of youth is played by youth organizations . They usually act as universal socializing groups, but each of them pays a lot of attention to issues of political significance.

For the adult population of the country, political parties and interest groups play a certain role in political socialization . The information with which they supply the population relates to the goals and objectives of a particular group. They publish newsletters and newspapers to inform their members about political events, carry out campaigns aimed at engaging members of the group in politics, expand the scope of educational activities, preaching such values ​​as loyalty and civic participation.

Most people spend a lot of time in the environment of the so-called related groups - people of their own age, having the same status, sharing the same views as themselves. School friends, colleagues, and fellow “channels” are all examples of related groups. In developed countries, the socializing influence of parents and teachers is waning in early adolescence, and from this point on, related groups have a growing effect on the formation of political views and political behavior.

The powerful tools of socialization in the modern world also include the media , especially television. They are currently playing a decisive role in shaping the political positions of the majority of the population.

In order to influence public events, it is necessary for citizens to participate in certain political actions. In the system of democracy, the majority of citizens participate in the voting process, as well as in the election campaigns of certain candidates or even in the very procedure of their nomination. Another form of participation is the expression of one’s views by addressing members of the government or creating interest groups. But in any case, citizens are not equally involved in political life. Civil participation is greatly influenced by the norms established in the framework of the existing political culture. These rules concern both the duties of citizens and the restrictions imposed on their behavior. Political activity is characterized by a high or low degree of involvement in political decision-making.

Types of participation with low involvement include obedience to the law, observance of moral standards, protection of the country, participation in voting.

Types of participation with high involvement imply participation in political demonstrations, election campaigning, written appeals.

The modern state seeks to mobilize all citizens for the realization of national goals and aspirations. The implementation of this task causes a continuous relationship between the state and citizens, who must show an active interest in public affairs and be informed about the most important events and decisions.

Political scientist A. Inkeles notes that theoretically, there are several signs of participation:

• freedom from traditional authorities, i.e. commitment to leaders and organizations that go beyond local and traditional interests;
• interest in public affairs, supported by awareness and expressed in participation in civil actions;
• focus on political and governmental processes related to the recognition of the need for rational structuring of rights and regulations.

Political scientists in many countries note that the leading trend of political development is to increase the role of political participation. There are several reasons for strengthening this trend.

First , the functions of the state have increased significantly, and as a result, the government has become the main force for social and economic transformation in most countries.

Secondly , mainly under the influence of universal education, the media, the development of a network of communications, the evolution of ideas, goals and aspirations, an unprecedented growth of national and global consciousness occurred.

Third , our time is rightly considered the era of the onset of democracy. In all corners of the planet, totalitarian regimes are crumbling. Democratic ideas have influenced the masses by helping them realize their rights. The use of rights involves the performance of certain duties. And this not only implies political participation, but also underlines its inevitability.

Of course, in different countries the level of political participation of the population is different.

Political participation usually takes the following forms:

• election campaign activity, that is, participation in election campaigns, campaigning for certain candidates, etc .;
• lobbying activities involving individual or group efforts to establish contacts with officials and political leaders in order to influence their decisions in the interests of certain groups of people;
• organizational activity, causing participation as an ordinary member or official of an organization whose purpose is to influence the government decision making process;
• individual appeal to government officials to achieve certain results in the interests of a narrow group of individuals;
• Violence can also be a form of political participation to influence government decision making.

Thus, political participation is an important factor in political life, which is of great importance for the effectiveness of the system, a political process.