FOREIGN SCHOLARLY DISCOURSE ON THE FUNCTIONING OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Abstract

The development of the theory of political parties at different historical stages has been accompanied by the search for effective and rational mechanisms for transforming private interests into public, societal ones. This dilemma concerns not only the external function of parties as instruments of representation but also their internal organization and the interaction among their members. It is within party life that the complex process of reconciling diverse positions takes place, ensuring the transition from a multiplicity of individual or group aspirations to the formation of a unified political will that can be legitimately presented to society. In this sense, party organization emerges as a kind of laboratory where the private is transformed into the public, and the mechanisms of interaction determine the party’s ability to fulfill its key function – serving as a channel between citizens’ interests and the public sphere of politics. The evolution of party theory is closely intertwined with the development of fundamental philosophical and political concepts. At the early stages of its formation, the theory of the social contract served as a primary reference point, shaping the idea of legitimacy of power as the result of reconciling citizens’ interests. With the spread of democratic ideas, parties increasingly came to be viewed as institutions designed to ensure citizens’ participation in the political process and to transform their individual aspirations into collective will. An important milestone was the integration of the theory of interest groups, which emphasized the role of parties as mechanisms for reconciling and representing various social and economic communities. Their effectiveness began to be defined by the ability to balance multiple private interests and to formulate broadly significant political programs. Thus, the history of party theory reflects broader intellectual processes – from the search for legitimacy of power through the social contract to modern concepts of democracy, pluralism, and civil society. Within this framework, political parties appear as key institutions that provide communication between the private and the public, between individual interest and the common good.