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Tatyana Samsonova,
D. Sc. (Political Sciences), Moscow State University FORMATION OF CIVIL CULTURE IN MODERN RUSSIA
The question of forming civil culture in the conditions of democratic transformations in modern Russia is quite urgent. The construction of a democratic state requires not only the creation of new and reformation of existing political institutions, but also deep-going changes of the stereotypes of political thinking and models of political behavior of citizens.
The mechanism of the formation of political culture is complex and multifaceted. It is conditioned by the historic specific features of a country, the state and trends of its socio-economic development, the type of its political system, the dominating model of political socialization, etc.
The formation of civil culture should be facilitated by the system of civil education which should contribute to disseminating democratic values and civil rights and freedoms in the mass consciousness within the framework of a law-abiding state. The role of the state in the creation of the educational system in Russia has always been very great.
Political orientations forming political culture are closely connected with the general social and inter-personal orientations. The
latter play a major role in the creation of the atmosphere of trust in social surrounding and soften political positions.
Modern Russia is an unstable democracy which is distinguished by deep inner differentiation and a low level of the citizens' trust in political power. The absence of clear-cut aims of political development and the deficit of value orientations lead to the unpreparedness and inability of part of Russian citizens to integrate in the system of new political and economic relations.
The existing political and socio-economic conditions dictate the need to improve the system of civil upbringing and education. Its main aim is to provide knowledge about the basic laws, political and social structures of society, contribute to the formation of critical thinking and ethical positions of citizens, and inculcate the habits of civil participation in political life. The key aims of civil education are to foster legal consciousness in the individual, form civil identity and tolerant consciousness, and cultivate patriotism.
The priority direction of civil education is the formation of legal consciousness of the individual. Disrespect for law and negligence toward human rights are alarming features in Russian society. The rights of man and citizen remain in the periphery of mass consciousness and social practices, as well as in the practical activity of the authorities. Meanwhile, legal and ethical culture of the individual is an inalienable condition of the existence of a law-abiding state and civil society. Adoption or rejection of the law as the basic instrument of regulating social relations is connected, above all, with the personal interests of man. If his interests are protected by law, the latter is easily embedded in the system of value orientations of a person. Otherwise, the latter may formally accept legal standards, but observe them only through coercion. Surveillance results show that during the past twenty years most citizens of Russia (from 50 to 70 percent) believe that it is
impossible to live in the country without breaking the law. This is due to the fact that our people do not feel protected by law.
Russia has been living through a systemic crisis. Great social differentiation of society, the impoverishment of a considerable part of the population, etc, exert a negative influence on different generations of the Russian people. Meanwhile, the authorities do not show adequate responsibility for the situation in the country. The deterioration of the law and order, growing crime, arbitrariness and corruption of government officials undermine citizens' respect for the existing political institutions and state and government leaders and engender disillusionment, apathy and hopelessness in society. At present 52 percent of our citizens maintain that there is now much more crime and corruption in the country than a year ago.
Russia has always been distinguished by the trend to give aid to fellow-citizens and to establish collectivism and equality. General equality cannot create an economically effective system, there should be an economic system protecting the weak and the poor. However, an analysis of the words and deeds of politicians and business tycoons shows that a considerable part of the political and economic elite of the country does not want to sacrifice anything for the public weal.
In the conditions of the crisis and transition state of society and during the change of types of political culture the model of political socialization is of major importance. In a stable political system the education and training of the rising generation, including its political socialization and the fostering of civil qualities, ensures a comparatively harmonious transfer of basic political values and orientations from generation to generation. This makes it possible for the new generation to accept the existing political system and power as legitimate institutions. In Russia the socio-economic and political difficulties have pushed the problems of political socialization and civil
education of the younger generation into the background. Political socialization is not only the process of transferring the accumulated political experience, but also the process of realizing and accepting the new aspects of democracy. The level of political awareness and political activity of a person, the degree of his involvement in political life are the indices of the effectiveness of political socialization
The mass media, especially the Internet, play an ever greater role in the process of political socialization of civil upbringing and education. However, the role of mass information is dual. The mass media devote too much attention and space to the failures of leaders, scandals, etc. This, willy-nilly, creates a negative attitude to politics among the younger generation. And a shortage of trustworthy information leads to alienation of society from power and does not contribute to the formation of civil qualities of the individual.
In recent years traditional Russian patriotic consciousness has begun to wither away. The problem of fostering patriotic feelings in Russian people has become quite urgent. A way out of the present crisis in Russia is only possible with a combination of patriotic tendencies with civil education of the population and the development of civil society and a law-abiding state.
The role of the family and school in the upbringing and education of people is especially great. They are the two main institutions of the formation of a citizen. With a view to improving civil education and fostering patriotic feelings special courses have been introduced at schools, lyceums, gymnasiums and colleges teaching the foundations of law, political sciences, sociology and psychology.
There should be special programs on the radio and TV aimed at creating and promoting patriotic education of representatives of the various sections of society.
A gap between hopes and realities of our day and social hardships and difficulties encountered by the millions of our people in their everyday life, the difficulty of adaptation to the new market conditions sometimes cause the feeling of frustration and lead to cynicism and political apathy of a considerable part of the country's population. Individualistic sentiments are growing. This is especially true of young people. As a sociological surveillance carried out in March 2011 has shown, Russian people have displayed much less interest in politics during the past six years.
One of the concepts of civil culture is a type of a mixed political culture in which political orientations of participation are combined with patriarchal and citizen-wise. As a result, political culture is formed in which political activity, participation and rationality exist side by side and are balanced by submission, observance of traditions and adherence to community values.
Political participation and civic activity are connected with the realization of civil rights and freedoms, as well as knowledge, habits, and abilities.
Sociological polls show that most Russians admit the necessity of drawing citizens in solution of current problems facing the state. At the same time too many people express the view that political and social participation is of no great use.
The real status of citizen is determined by the correlation of the rights and freedoms of citizen, on the one hand, and the guarantees of their realization and legal sanctions of the authorities, on the other. The dominating value orientations and standards change along with time. As many experts and analysts note, this process is typical of post-communist countries which are in transition stage. Sociological observations of the trends in the sphere of mass orientations show that the period of primary adaptation of Russians to the new conditions is
coming to an end, and the potential of civic consciousness and participation is gradually merging in Russian society.
Today our society has come to the critical line when people will either search for ways and methods of greater influence on life surrounding them. On the whole, while remaining outside "big-time" policy and mistrusting most state and public institutions, Russian people, nevertheless, demonstrate interest in and real readiness for collective actions and self-organization. Young people and the middle sections of the population are awakening. It can be said with relative certainty that these groups and sections will not only join public and political life, but also will demand the creation of democratic institutions and procedures for the realization of their interests.
"Filosofskiye nauki," Moscow, 2013, No 1, pp. 55-61.
A. Martynenko,
D. Sc. (Hist.), Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute MUSLIMS OF MORDOVIA: PROBLEMS OF OVERCOMING INTERNAL CONFLICT
In the latter half of the 1980s - early 2010s there was a tumultuous development of religious life in the Republic of Mordovia, just as in entire Russia. The most influential and widespread confessions are Russian Orthodox Christianity and Islam (Sunna umma). However, there are also quite a few representatives of other confessions (Lutheran, Baptist, Adventist, Pentecostal, and others).
It should be said that stability and tolerance are inalienable features of the ethnopolitical and ethnoconfessional life of modern Mordovia.
