The modern world and the main development trends. Global world trends in economics and politics. Meditation instead of punishment

Main development trends modern world

Relations between countries are unpredictable and chaotic. In politics, both unexpected partners and yesterday's enemies interact. The unwritten rule is: ʼʼ The state has no friends and enemies, but only permanent interestsʼʼ. At the beginning of the 21st century. The following trends have been noted in world politics:

1. Integration and globalization. Both trends indicate a desire to jointly solve pressing problems. It is especially noticeable that strong and influential states try to adhere to one foreign policy line, while often attacking the positions of weaker ones in the world economic system. Politics is becoming more and more transparent, international observers are invited to elections, neighbors are informed about troop movements, and invited to military exercises. Even terrorism in our time has acquired an international character.

2. In this regard, the understanding of strength and security is changing. In the modern world, there are 4 components of state security:

A) political– maintaining sovereignty, preventing infringement of one’s interests,

b) economic– cooperation and integration with other countries, access to world markets,

V) humanitarian– respect for human rights, provision of humanitarian aid suffering, the fight against drugs,

G) ecological– actions aimed at preserving environment, securing the reasonable from

wearing to nature

3. Transition to a unipolar world. About the beginning new era heralded the US policy announcement transnationalism . It literally means NATO intervention in affairs sovereign states in case of human rights violations. Since 2001 ᴦ. The United States is becoming the world's gendarme, motivating invasions of other countries by fighting international terrorism. The United States does not take into account UN resolutions (for example, the resolution condemning the start of the operation in Iraq) and ignores the opinions of other countries, even if they are in the majority. Military operations are carried out independently, without notifying even NATO partners. Russia made a proposal to turn the situation around and called on China, India and the Middle East to declare regional leadership, then the world will become multipolar, and the opinions of other countries will have to be taken into account. The current situation outrages the countries Latin America. Cuba and Venezuela are actively pursuing anti-American policies in the region

4. The European Union is expanding. The bloc almost always acts in the interests of the United States, portraying some semblance of a bipolar world, but the strategic partnership between the European Union and the United States is a priority. Partnership with Russia does not work out for many reasons

5. The democratic path is being imposed on peoples whose mentality is alien to everything connected with the American system of values. It is especially inappropriate to impose American culture on the Middle East and Central Asia. A common tendency is to accuse the Russian Federation and other countries “unwanted” by the United States of departing from democratic principles. Nevertheless, in the USA, the most democratic country, citizens' mail is opened and negotiations are eavesdropped. According to the American Constitution presidential elections not direct, but indirect, and resolutions of Congress are not binding on the President. In England, another stronghold of democracy, anti-war demonstrations have been banned for the last 2 years. Obviously, democracy is in crisis. In violation of democratic principles, the United States alone makes decisions, regardless of the positions of other countries, the European Union is preparing a resolution on a new mechanism for approving decisions, according to which “old” EU members will have advantages over “newcomers”. The opinion of the latter will be taken into account in extreme cases. The democratic election system allows political forces that have repeatedly tried themselves on the terrorist path to come to power legally. In Palestine, a group legally came to power ("Hammas", which is why a civil war broke out within six months).

A noticeable trend is multifaceted attack on Russia . The goal is to comprehensively weaken the state and prevent the return of products to world markets

Russian politics has been compared to a pendulum: Yeltsin, with his permissiveness and political course directed by the West, is one direction, Putin, with his desire to restore order and strengthen the state, is another.

· Much effort is being made to spoil Russia’s relations with former partners, allies and neighbors. In 1991. NATO promises not to expand its presence to the East, however: a) all countries of Eastern Europe are now NATO members, b) with the assistance of the West, country by country former USSR a wave of “color revolutions” has swept, c) the issue of the placement of elements is being discussed American system ABM in Eastern Europe, d) perhaps the West wants to provoke a revision of the borders and agreements concluded with the participation of the USSR, at least they are deliberately turning a blind eye to the fact that after World War II fascism was condemned

· In April 2007 ᴦ. The US State Department's report on support for democracy was released, which openly declared support for the press, non-governmental organizations and opposition parties in Russia. England condones Berezovsky's activities by refusing to hand him over to the Russian authorities. There is no doubt that the West will try to implement another “revolutionary” scenario, this time on Russian territory

· Selected facts indicating unfriendliness towards Russia and “double standards”

Human Rights Commission in Chechnya

Arrest of a Russian fighter plane at the Lebourg air show

Arrests of high-ranking Russian officials in the United States and the European Union (Borodin, Adamov), as well as injustice towards ordinary citizens

The case of football coach Gus Higging

Sports doping scandals

Actions aimed at introducing a moratorium on the execution of the death penalty in Russia on the one hand, and the use of the death penalty in the United States without restrictions, as well as the decision of the International Tribunal on the execution of Saddam Hussein and his associates

IN last years Russia's position is becoming tougher: at the EU-Russia Summit (Samara, May 2007), Putin said that all problems can be solved, and that the EU-US partnership is also not cloudless. The closest strategic partners do not even hide problems such as Guantanama, Iraq, the death penalty. All this contradicts European values

* Feeding – a method of maintaining officials at the expense of the local population (thus, they “feed” at the expense of the subject population)

* Otkhodniks are peasants with their own farms who temporarily go to work where there is seasonal demand for labor

* Fraction (from Latin fractio - breaking) - component political party or elected authority

* As income increased, so did interest rate tax

The main trends in the development of the modern world - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Main trends in the development of the modern world" 2017, 2018.

Global problems of the world economy are problems that concern all countries of the world and require resolution through the combined efforts of all members of the world community. Experts identify about 20 global problems. The most significant are the following:

1. The problem of overcoming poverty and backwardness.

In the modern world, poverty and backwardness are characteristic primarily of developing countries, where almost 2/3 of the world's population lives. Therefore this global problem is often called the problem of overcoming the backwardness of developing countries.

Most developing countries, especially the least developed ones, are characterized by severe backwardness, judging by the level of their social economic development. Thus, 1/4 of the population of Brazil, 1/3 of the inhabitants of Nigeria, 1/2 of the population of India consume goods and services for less than $1 per day (at purchasing power parity). For comparison, in Russia there were only such people in the first half of the 90s. was less than 2%.

The causes of poverty and hunger in developing countries are many. Among them should be mentioned the unequal position of these countries in the system of international division of labor; the dominance of the system of neocolonialism, whose main goal is to consolidate and, if possible, expand the position of strong states in liberated countries.

As a result, about 800 million people worldwide suffer from malnutrition. In addition, a significant portion of poor people are illiterate. Thus, the share of illiterate people among the population over 15 years of age is 17% in Brazil, about 43% in Nigeria, and about 48% in India.

The increase in social tension due to the exacerbation of the problem of backwardness is pushing various population groups and ruling circles of developing countries to search for internal and external culprits for such a disastrous situation, which is manifested in an increase in the number and depth of conflicts in the developing world, including ethnic, religious, and territorial ones.

The main direction of the fight against poverty and hunger is the implementation adopted by the UN The New International Economic Order (NIEO) program, which involves:

• - affirmation in international relations of the democratic principles of equality and justice;
• - unconditional redistribution of accumulated wealth and newly created world income in favor of developing countries;
• - international regulation development processes in underdeveloped countries.
• 2. The problem of peace and demilitarization.

The most pressing problem of our time is the problem of war and peace, militarization and demilitarization of the economy. A long-term military-political confrontation based on economic, ideological and political reasons, was related to the structure international relations. It has led to the accumulation of a huge amount of ammunition, has absorbed and continues to absorb enormous material, financial, technological and intellectual resources. Only the military conflicts that took place from 1945 to the end of the 20th century resulted in the loss of 10 million people and enormous damage. Total military spending in the world exceeded 1 trillion. dollars in year. This is approximately 6-7% of global GNP. For example, in the USA they amounted to 8%, in the former USSR - up to 18% of GNP and 60% of mechanical engineering products.

60 million people are employed in military production. An expression of the over-militarization of the world is the presence of nuclear weapons in 6 countries in quantities sufficient to destroy life on Earth several dozen times.

To date, the following criteria have emerged for determining the degree of militarization of society:

• - share of military expenditures in relation to GNP;
• - quantity and scientific and technical level of weapons and armed forces;
• - the volume of mobilized resources and human reserves prepared for war, the degree of militarization of life, everyday life, family;
• - the intensity of the use of military violence in domestic and foreign policy.

The retreat from confrontation and arms reduction began in the 70s. as a consequence of a certain military parity between the USSR and the USA. The collapse of the Warsaw Pact bloc and then the USSR led to a further weakening of the atmosphere of confrontation. NATO has survived as a military and political bloc, having revised some of its strategic guidelines. There are a number of countries that have brought costs to a minimum (Austria, Sweden, Switzerland).

War has not disappeared from the arsenal of conflict resolution methods. The global confrontation has given way to an intensification and increase in the number of various kinds of conflicts of a local nature over territorial, ethnic, religious differences that threaten to turn into regional or global conflicts with the corresponding involvement of new participants (conflicts in Africa, South- East Asia, Afghanistan, former Yugoslavia and so on.).

3. Food problem.

The world food problem is called one of the main unresolved problems of the 20th century. Over the past 50 years, significant progress has been made in food production - the number of undernourished and hungry people has almost halved. At the same time, a large part of the world's population still experiences food shortages. The number of people in need exceeds 800 million people. Hunger kills about 18 million people every year, especially in developing countries.

The problem of food shortages is most acute in many developing countries (according to UN statistics, these also include a number of post-socialist states).

At the same time, in a number of developing countries, per capita consumption currently exceeds 3000 kcal per day, i.e. is at a completely acceptable level. Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Morocco, Mexico, Syria and Turkey fall into this category, among others.

However, statistics show something else. The world produces (and can produce) enough food to provide it to every inhabitant of the Earth.

Many international experts agree that food production in the world in the next 20 years will generally be able to satisfy the population's demand for food, even if the planet's population grows by 80 million people annually. At the same time, the demand for food in developed countries, where it is already quite high, will remain approximately at the current level (the changes will mainly affect the structure of consumption and the quality of products). At the same time, the efforts of the world community to solve the food problem are expected to lead to a real increase in food consumption in countries where there is a shortage, i.e. in a number of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as Eastern Europe.

4. Problem natural resources.

In the last third of the 20th century. Among the problems of global development, the problem of exhaustibility and shortage of natural resources, especially energy and mineral raw materials, has emerged.

In essence, the global energy and raw materials problem represents two very similar problems in origin - energy and raw materials. At the same time, the problem of energy supply is largely a derivative of the problem of raw materials, since practically most of The currently used methods for obtaining energy are essentially the processing of specific energy raw materials.

The energy resource problem as a global one began to be discussed after the energy (oil) crisis of 1973, when, as a result of coordinated actions, OPEC member states almost simultaneously increased the prices of the crude oil they sold by 10 times. A similar step, but on a more modest scale, was taken at the very beginning of the 80s. This allowed us to talk about the second wave of the global energy crisis. As a result, for 1972-1981. oil prices increased 14.5 times. In the literature, this was called the “global oil shock,” which marked the end of the era of cheap oil and caused a chain reaction of rising prices for various other types of raw materials. Some analysts regarded such events as evidence of the depletion of the world's non-renewable natural resources and the entry of humanity into an era of prolonged energy and raw materials "hunger."

Currently, the solution to the problem of resource and energy supply depends, firstly, on the dynamics of demand, price elasticity for already known reserves and resources; secondly, from the needs for energy and mineral resources; thirdly, on the possibilities of their replacement with alternative sources of raw materials and energy and the level of prices for substitutes; fourthly, from possible new technological approaches to solving the global energy resource problem, which can be provided by continuous scientific and technological progress.

5. Environmental problem.

Conventionally, the entire problem of global degradation ecological system can be divided into two components: environmental degradation natural environment as a result of irrational environmental management and pollution by human waste.

Examples of degradation of the natural environment as a result of unsustainable environmental management include deforestation and depletion land resources. The process of deforestation is expressed in a reduction in the area under natural vegetation and, above all, forest. According to some estimates, over the past 10 years, forest area has decreased by 35%, and average forest cover by 47%.

Land degradation due to the expansion of agriculture and livestock production has occurred throughout human history. According to scientists, as a result of irrational land use, humanity has already lost 2 billion hectares of once productive land during the Neolithic revolution. And in the present, as a result of soil degradation processes, about 7 million hectares of fertile land are removed from global agricultural production annually and lose their fertility. 1/2 of all these losses in the late 80s. accounted for four countries: India (6 billion tons), China (3.3 billion tons), the USA (billion tons) and the USSR (3 billion tons).

Over the past 25-30 years, the world has used as much raw material as in the entire history of civilization. At the same time, less than 10% of raw materials are converted into finished products, the rest goes to waste, polluting the biosphere. In addition, the number of enterprises is growing, the technological foundation of which was laid back at a time when the possibilities of nature as a natural absorbent seemed unlimited.

An illustrative example of a country with ill-conceived technology is Russia. Thus, in the USSR about 15 billion tons were generated annually solid waste, and now in Russia - 7 billion tons. The total amount of solid production and consumption waste located in dumps, landfills, storage facilities and landfills now reaches 80 billion tons.

The problem is the decrease in the ozone layer. It was estimated that over the past 20-25 years, due to the increase in the emission of freons, the protective layer of the atmosphere has decreased by 2-5%. According to calculations, a decrease in the ozone layer by 1% leads to an increase in ultraviolet radiation by. 2%. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ozone content in the atmosphere has already decreased by 3%. The Northern Hemisphere's particular exposure to freons can be explained by the following: 31% of freons are produced in the USA, 30% in Western Europe, 12% - in Japan, 10% - in the CIS.

One of the main consequences of the environmental crisis on the planet is the impoverishment of its gene pool, i.e. decrease in biological diversity on Earth, which is estimated at 10-20 million species, including in the territory of the former USSR - 10-12% of the total. The damage in this area is already quite noticeable. This occurs due to the destruction of plant and animal habitats, overexploitation of agricultural resources, and environmental pollution. According to American scientists, over the past 200 years, about 900 thousand species of plants and animals have disappeared on Earth. In the second half of the 20th century. the process of gene pool reduction has accelerated sharply.

All these facts indicate the degradation of the global ecological system and the growing global environmental crisis. Their social consequences are already manifested in food shortages, increased morbidity, and increased environmental migration.

6. Demographic problem.

The world population has been steadily increasing throughout human history. For many centuries it grew extremely slowly (by the beginning of our era - 256 million people, by 1000 - 280 million people, by 1500 - 427 million people). In the 20th century The rate of population growth accelerated sharply. If the world's population reached its first billion around 1820, then it reached the second billion after 107 years (in 1927), the third - 32 years later (in 1959), the fourth - after 15 years (in 1974), the fifth - after only 13 years (in 1987) and the sixth - after 12 years (in 1999). In 2012, the world population was 7 billion people.

The average annual growth rate of the world population is gradually slowing down. This is due to the fact that the countries of North America, Europe (including Russia) and Japan have switched to simple population reproduction, which is characterized by insignificant growth or relatively small natural population decline. At the same time, natural population growth in China and the countries of Southeast Asia has decreased significantly. However, the slowdown in rates practically does not mean a mitigation of the severity of the global demographic situation in the first decades of the 21st century, since the noted decrease in rates is still insufficient to significantly reduce absolute growth.

The particular severity of the global demographic problem stems from the fact that over 80% of the world population growth occurs in developing countries. The countries currently experiencing population explosion are Tropical Africa, the Near and Middle East and, to a slightly lesser extent, South Asia.

The main consequence of rapid population growth is that while in Europe the population explosion followed economic growth and changes in the social sphere, in developing countries a sharp acceleration in population growth rates outpaced the modernization of production and the social sphere.

The population explosion has led to an increasing concentration of the world's labor resources in developing countries, where the labor force has grown five to six times faster than in industrialized countries. At the same time, 2/3 of the world's labor resources are concentrated in countries with the lowest level of socio-economic development.

In this regard, one of the most important aspects of the global demographic problem in modern conditions is to ensure employment and effective use labor resources of developing countries. Solving the employment problem in these countries is possible by both creating new jobs in modern sectors of their economy and increasing labor migration to industrialized and richer countries.

The main demographic indicators - birth rate, mortality, natural increase (decrease) - depend on the level of development of society (economic, social, cultural, etc.). The backwardness of developing countries is one of the reasons for the high rate of natural population growth (2.2% compared to 0.8% in developed and post-socialist countries). At the same time, in developing countries, as before in developed countries, there is an increasing tendency for socio-psychological factors of demographic behavior to increase, with a relative decrease in the role of natural biological factors. Therefore, in countries that have reached a higher level of development (South-East and East Asia, Latin America), there is a fairly stable trend towards a decrease in the birth rate (18% in East Asia versus 29% in South Asia and 44% in Tropical Africa.). At the same time, developing countries differ little from developed countries in terms of mortality rates (9 and 10%, respectively). All this gives reason to assume that as the level of economic development of the country increases developing world will move on to modern type reproduction, which will help solve the demographic problem.

7. The problem of human development.

The development of the economy of any country and the world economy as a whole, especially in the modern era, is determined by its human potential, i.e. labor resources and most importantly - their quality.

Changes in the conditions and nature of work and Everyday life during the transition to a post-industrial society led to the development of two seemingly mutually exclusive and at the same time intertwined trends. On the one hand, this is an ever-increasing individualization labor activity, on the other hand, the need to have the skills to work in a team to solve complex production or management problems using the “brainstorming” method.

Changing working conditions currently place increased demands on a person’s physical qualities, which largely determine his ability to work. On the processes of reproduction of human potential big influence are influenced by factors such as balanced, nutritious nutrition, housing conditions, environmental conditions, economic, political and military stability, health care and mass diseases, etc.

The key elements of qualification today are the level of general and vocational education. Recognition of the importance of general and vocational education and an increase in the duration of training have led to the realization that the profitability of investments in people exceeds the profitability of investments in physical capital. In this regard, the costs of education and vocational training, as well as healthcare, called “investment in people,” are currently considered not as unproductive consumption, but as one of the most effective types of investment.

One of the indicators of qualification level is the average total years of education in primary, secondary and higher school. In the USA it is currently 16 years, in Germany - 14.5 years. However, countries and regions with very low levels of education continue to exist. According to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, West Africa this figure is about two years, in the countries of Tropical Africa - less than three years, in East Africa-- about four years, i.e. does not exceed the duration of primary school education.

A separate task in the field of education is the elimination of illiteracy. In recent decades, the level of illiteracy in the world has decreased, but the number of illiterates has increased. The vast majority of illiterates occur in developing countries. Thus, in Africa and South Asia, more than 40% of the adult population is illiterate.

1. Stages of modern scientific and technological revolution

The term “Scientific and technological revolution” arose in the middle of the twentieth century, when man created atomic bomb, and it became clear that science could destroy our planet.

The scientific and technological revolution is characterized by two criteria:

1. There has been a fusion of science and technology in unified system(this determines the combination of scientific and technical), as a result of which science has become a direct productive force.

2. Unprecedented successes in the conquest of nature and man himself as a part of nature.

The achievements of the scientific and technological revolution are impressive. It brought man into space, gave him a new source of energy - atomic energy, fundamentally new substances and technical means (laser), new means of mass communication and information, etc., etc.

At the forefront of science are basic research. The authorities' attention to them increased sharply after Albert Einstein informed US President Roosevelt in 1939 that physicists had identified a new source of energy that would make it possible to create unprecedented weapons of mass destruction.

Modern science- “expensive pleasure.” The synchrophasotron, which is essential for particle physics research, costs billions of dollars to build. What about space research? In developed countries, 2-3% of the gross national product is currently spent on science. But without this, neither the country’s sufficient defense capability nor its production power are possible.

Science is developing exponentially: volume scientific activity, including world scientific information in the twentieth century, doubles every 10-15 years. Calculation of the number of scientists, sciences. In 1900 there were 100,000 scientists in the world, now there are 5,000,000 (one out of a thousand people living on Earth). 90% of all scientists who have ever lived on the planet are our contemporaries. The process of differentiation of scientific knowledge has led to the fact that there are now more than 15,000 scientific disciplines.

Science not only studies the world and its evolution, but is itself a product of evolution, constituting, after nature and man, a special, “third” (according to Popper) world - the world of knowledge and skills. In the concept of three worlds - the world of physical objects, the individual-psychic world and the world of intersubjective (universal) knowledge - science replaced Plato’s “world of ideas”. The third, the scientific world, became the same equivalent to the philosophical “world of ideas” as the “city of God” of St. Augustine in the Middle Ages.

IN modern philosophy There are two views on science in its connection with human life: science is a product created by man (K. Jaspers) and science as a product of being, discovered through man (M. Heidegger). The latter view brings us even closer to the Platonic-Augustinian ideas, but the first does not deny the fundamental importance of science.

Science, according to Popper, not only brings direct benefits to social production and the well-being of people, but also teaches how to think, develops the mind, and saves mental energy.

“From the moment science became a reality, the truth of a person’s statements is determined by their scientific nature. Therefore, science is an element of human dignity, hence its charm, through which it penetrates into the secrets of the universe” (Jaspers K. “The Meaning and Purpose of History”)

The same enchantment led to an exaggerated idea of ​​the possibilities of science, to attempts to place it above and in front of other branches of culture. A kind of scientific “lobby” was created, which was called scientism (from the Latin “scientia” - science). It is in our time, when the role of science is truly enormous, that scientism has emerged with the idea of ​​science, especially natural science, as the highest, if not absolute, value. This scientific ideology stated that only science can solve all the problems facing humanity, including immortality.

Scientism is characterized by the absolutization of the style and methods of the “exact” sciences,” declaring them the pinnacle of knowledge, often accompanied by the denial of social and humanitarian issues as having no cognitive significance. In the wake of scientism, the idea arose that there was no way related friend with a friend “two cultures” - natural sciences and humanities (the book of the English writer Charles Snow “Two Cultures”).

Within the framework of scientism, science was seen as the only future sphere of spiritual culture that would absorb its irrational areas. In contrast to this, the anti-scientist statements that loudly declared themselves in the second half of the twentieth century doom it either to extinction or to eternal opposition to human nature.

Antiscientism is based on the principle of the fundamental limitations of science in solving fundamental human problems, and in its manifestations it evaluates science as a force hostile to man, denying it a positive influence on culture. Yes, critics say, science improves the well-being of the population, but it also increases the danger of the death of humanity and the Earth from atomic weapons and environmental pollution.

Scientific and technological revolution is a radical revolution taking place during the twentieth century in scientific ideas humanity, accompanied by major advances in technology, the acceleration of scientific and technological progress and the development of productive forces.

The beginning of the scientific and technological revolution was prepared by the outstanding successes of natural science at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. These include the discovery of the complex structure of the atom as a system of particles, rather than an indivisible whole; discovery of radioactivity and transformation of elements; creation of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics; understanding the essence of chemical bonds, the discovery of isotopes, and then the production of new radioactive elements not found in nature.

The rapid development of natural sciences continued in the middle of our century. New achievements have appeared in the physics of elementary particles, in the study of the microcosm; cybernetics was created, genetics and chromosome theory were developed.

The revolution in science was coupled with a revolution in technology. Major technical achievements late XIX- beginning of the twentieth century. - creation of electric machines, automobiles, airplanes, invention of radio, gramophone. In the middle of the twentieth century, electronic computers appeared, the use of which became the basis for the development of complex automation of production and its management; the use and development of nuclear fission processes lays the foundation nuclear technology; rocket technology is developing, exploration begins outer space; television is born and widely used; synthetic materials with predetermined properties are created; Animal and human organ transplants and other complex operations are successfully carried out in medicine.

Significant growth is associated with the scientific and technological revolution industrial production and improving the management system. More and more technical advances are being applied in industry, interaction between industry and science is increasing, the process of intensifying production is developing, and the time required for the development and implementation of new technical proposals is being shortened. There is a growing need for highly qualified personnel in all sectors of science, technology and production. The scientific and technological revolution has a great impact on all aspects of society.

2. Transition to post-industrial civilization and internalization of the economy.

The term “post-industrial society” was born in the United States back in the 50s, when it became clear that mid-century American capitalism differed in many ways from the industrial capitalism that existed before the great crisis of 1929-1933. It is noteworthy that initially post-industrial society was considered in the rationalistic concepts of linear progress, economic growth, increased well-being and technicalization of labor, as a result of which working time is reduced and, accordingly, free time increases. At the same time, already at the end of the 50s, Erisman questioned the advisability of limitless growth of well-being, noting that among young Americans from the “upper middle class” the prestige of owning certain things was gradually falling.

Since the late 60s, the term “post-industrial society” has been filled with new content. Scientists highlight such features as the massive spread of creative, intellectual work, a qualitatively increased volume of scientific knowledge and information used in production, the predominance in the structure of the economy of the service sector, science, education, culture over industry and agriculture in terms of share in GNP and the number of employees , change in social structure.

In a traditional agrarian society, the main task was to provide the population with basic means of subsistence. Therefore, efforts were concentrated in agriculture and food production. In the industrial society that replaced it, this problem faded into the background. In developed countries, 5-6% of the population employed in agriculture provided food for the entire society.

Industry came to the fore. The majority of people were employed there. Society developed along the path of accumulation material goods.

The next stage is associated with the transition from an industrial to a service society. For the implementation of technological innovation, theoretical knowledge becomes crucial. The volume of this knowledge becomes so large that it provides a qualitative leap. Extremely developed means of communication ensure the free dissemination of knowledge, which makes it possible to talk about a qualitatively new type of society.

In the 19th century and until the middle of the 20th century, communications existed in two various forms. The first is mail, newspapers, magazines and books, i.e. media that were printed on paper and distributed by physical transportation or stored in libraries. The second is the telegraph, telephone, radio and television; here coded messages or speech were transmitted through radio signals or cable communications from person to person. Now technologies that once existed in different areas of application are erasing these differences, so that consumers of information have at their disposal a variety of alternative means, which also gives rise to a number of complex problems from the point of view of legislators.

Humanity has always been concerned about the mysterious and unknown flow of time, about the course of evolution of humanity, the world, the Universe. A state, a country, a civilization - they are all subject to theories, concepts that determine the type, periodization, and which quite clearly predict the final extinction or new round in the development of society.

Currently, the concepts of social revolutions and reforms, as well as social progress, are distinguished.

When considering the issue of social revolutions and reforms, it is necessary to take it as an axiom that truth is always concrete. Therefore, neither reform nor revolution can be absolutized. Both social revolution and social reform, although different, are interconnected aspects social development. Both of these forms lose meaning without each other. Both are known to history. We know great revolutions well, but there were also great, wonderful reforms. For example, the reforms of the ancient ruler Solon, reforms carried out under the leadership of American President Roosevelt, reforms initiated at the beginning of the twentieth century Russian minister P.A. Stolypin, reforms implemented in the 20-30s of the twentieth century by Turkish President Ataturk Eisenstadt S. Revolution and transformation in society. M., 1999. p. 36-37. .

In a modern democratic state, where there is civil society, great opportunities are opening up to prevent social conflicts and resolve them in a timely manner, avoiding the disintegration of society and social cataclysm. Revolutionary political and social explosions are most often the result of the inability of power structures, socio-political forces to carry out overdue fundamental reforms and social transformations Akhiezer A.S. Russia: criticism of historical experience (Sociocultural dynamics of Russia). T. 1, from past to future. Novosibirsk, 1997. p. 112-114..

As for the theory of social progress, classical ideas about it consider it as a gradual movement of humanity to ever higher levels of civilization. Moreover, the movement is inevitable and continues despite all the vicissitudes of history, deviations, and accidents. Complete prosperity of society, the achievement of this state in all structures of society - this is the goal of the progressive movement Eisenstadt S. Revolution and transformation in society. M., 1999. p. 63-67..

Social sciences have criticized the optimistic idea of ​​linear progressive development of humanity, which underlies the paradigm of sociocultural progress. The twentieth century, with its unprecedented catastrophes - political, environmental, military, gave rise to doubts and disappointment in the theory of progress. The idea of ​​a crisis, which gripped the minds of millions of people and became the leitmotif public opinion, helps to consolidate pessimistic forecasts for the future of humanity. If earlier the crisis situation was considered as a temporary phenomenon, now crisis processes are spoken and written about as a norm. Crises have become “normalized”; sociologists, political scientists, cultural scientists are discovering crises everywhere and in everything. Faith in progress is lost, optimistic reasoning about social evolution and the reasoning of Kirdin S.G. are not justified. Social changes. Sociological Encyclopedia, vol. 2, 2003, p. 68..

But can it be said that the idea of ​​progress, the only alternative to which can only be universal despair, has exhausted its purpose, because “no idea has been important or as important as the theory of progress” (R. Nisbet) for three millennia? What arguments do critics of linear, progressive theories of development have? First, the facts contradict existence. Any universal and eternal linear trends, universal stages of evolution that apply to all of humanity, to any communities and countries. Indeed, research by historians, archaeologists, and ethnographers has shown that most human societies existed and disappeared in the initial stages of development. And today there are societies that still remain at the earliest stages of evolution. Only a few peoples were able to create great civilizations. Secondly, the simplified scheme was criticized: ancient world- Middle Ages - Modern times. In the same way, the Marxist theory of “socio-economic formations” was rethought, striving to accommodate the complex, contradictory rhythm different cultures within the framework of a single scheme. In addition, in the twentieth century there came a full realization that the events that were of decisive importance for Europe were not at all such for other nations. For example, the fall of the Roman Empire, which meant the end ancient history and the beginning of the Middle Ages for European peoples, did not have such meaning for the population of Japan, India, and China. The same can be said about the Battle of Kulikovo, which was important primarily for the peoples of Russia. The stages of the history of various civilizations, as can be seen, do not fit into the concept of Eurocentrism, which emphasizes the presence of different historical periods and cultures, the presence of cultural pluralism in the world Sztompka P. Sociology social change. M., 1996. p. 43..

So, the very concept of progress has changed. “The progress of mankind,” as N. Danilevsky wrote, “consists not in going in one direction, but in the fact that the entire field that makes up the field of historical activity proceeds in different directions.”

Relations between countries are unpredictable and chaotic. In politics, both unexpected partners and yesterday's enemies interact. The unwritten rule says: " The state has no friends and enemies, but only permanent interests" At the beginning of the 21st century. The following trends have been noted in world politics:

1. Integration and globalization. Both trends indicate a desire to jointly solve pressing problems. It is especially noticeable that strong and influential states try to adhere to one foreign policy line, while often attacking the positions of weaker ones in the global economic system. Politics are becoming more and more transparent, international observers are invited to elections, neighbors are informed about troop movements, and invited to military exercises. Even terrorism in our time has acquired an international character.

2. In this regard, the understanding of strength and security is changing. In the modern world, there are 4 components of state security:

A) political– maintaining sovereignty, preventing infringement of one’s interests,

b) economic– cooperation and integration with other countries, access to world markets,

V) humanitarian– respect for human rights, provision of humanitarian assistance to those suffering, the fight against drugs,

G) ecological– actions aimed at preserving the environment, securing reasonable

wearing to nature

3. Transition to a unipolar world. The beginning of a new era was heralded by the announcement of US policy transnationalism . It literally means NATO intervention in the affairs of sovereign states in the event of human rights violations. Since 2001, the United States has become the world's gendarme, justifying its invasion of other countries by the fight against international terrorism. The United States does not take into account UN resolutions (for example, the resolution condemning the start of the operation in Iraq) and ignores the opinions of other countries, even if they are in the majority. Military operations are carried out independently, without notifying even NATO partners. Russia made a proposal to turn the situation around and called on China, India and the Middle East to declare regional leadership, then the world will become multipolar, and the opinions of other countries will have to be taken into account. Latin American countries are also outraged by the current situation. Cuba and Venezuela are actively pursuing anti-American policies in the region

4. The European Union is expanding. The bloc almost always acts in the interests of the United States, portraying some semblance of a bipolar world, but the strategic partnership between the European Union and the United States is a priority. Partnership with Russia does not work out for many reasons

5. The democratic path is being imposed on peoples whose mentality is alien to everything connected with the American value system. It is especially inappropriate to impose American culture on the Middle East and Central Asia. A common tendency is to accuse the Russian Federation and other countries “unwanted” by the United States of departing from democratic principles. Nevertheless, in the USA, the most democratic country, citizens' mail is opened and negotiations are eavesdropped. According to the American Constitution, presidential elections are not direct, but indirect, and resolutions of Congress are not binding on the President. In England, another stronghold of democracy, anti-war demonstrations have been banned for the last 2 years. Obviously, democracy is in crisis. In violation of democratic principles, the United States alone makes decisions, regardless of the positions of other countries, the European Union is preparing a resolution on a new mechanism for approving decisions, according to which “old” EU members will have advantages over “newcomers.” The opinion of the latter will be taken into account in extreme cases. The democratic election system allows political forces that have repeatedly tried themselves on the terrorist path to come to power legally. In Palestine, a group (“Hammas”) came to power legally, which is why a civil war broke out within six months.

A noticeable trend is multifaceted attack on Russia . The goal is to comprehensively weaken the state and prevent products from returning to world markets.

Russian politics has been compared to a pendulum: Yeltsin, with his permissiveness and political course directed by the West, is one direction, Putin, with his desire to restore order and strengthen the state, is another.

· Much effort is being made to spoil Russia's relations with former partners, allies and neighbors. In 1991, NATO promised not to expand its presence to the East, nevertheless: a) all countries of Eastern Europe are now members of NATO, b) with the assistance of the West, a wave of “color” revolutions swept through the countries of the former USSR, c) the issue of deployment of elements of the American missile defense system in Eastern Europe, d) perhaps the West wants to provoke a revision of borders and agreements concluded with the participation of the USSR; at least, they are deliberately turning a blind eye to the fact that after World War II, fascism was condemned

· In April 2007, the US State Department's report on support for democracy was released, which openly declared support for the press, non-governmental organizations and opposition parties in Russia. England condones Berezovsky's activities by refusing to hand him over to the Russian authorities. There is no doubt that the West will try to implement another “revolutionary” scenario, this time on Russian territory

· Selected facts indicating unfriendliness towards Russia and “double standards”

Human Rights Commission in Chechnya

Arrest of a Russian fighter plane at the Lebourg air show

Arrests of high-ranking Russian officials in the United States and the European Union (Borodin, Adamov), as well as injustice towards ordinary citizens

The case of football coach Gus Higging

Sports doping scandals

Actions aimed at introducing a moratorium on the execution of the death penalty in Russia on the one hand, and the use of the death penalty in the United States without restrictions, as well as the decision of the International Tribunal on the execution of Saddam Hussein and his associates

In recent years, Russia's position has become tougher: at the EU-Russia Summit (Samara, May 2007), Putin said that all problems can be solved, and that the EU-US partnership is also not cloudless. The closest strategic partners do not even hide problems such as Guantanama, Iraq, and the death penalty. All this contradicts European values

* Feeding – way of maintaining officials at the expense local population(thus, they “feed” at the expense of the subject population)

* Otkhodniks are peasants with their own farms who temporarily go to work where there is seasonal demand for labor

* Faction (from Latin fractio - breaking) - an integral part of a political party or elected body of government

* As income increased, the tax rate also increased