Extremism is ... Reasons, manifestations, types and concept of extremism. Methods of struggle and prevention of extremism

The problem of extremism has affected many countries. The phenomenon of discriminatory violence has a long and tragic history. The colonial past of many states led to the emergence of mixed societies in which the color of a person's skin, national, religious or ethnic identity determined his legal status. But even today, among the factors that cause particular concern, there is a steady increase in crimes related to violence motivated by racial, religious, and national intolerance. The fight against extremism is very important. Because xenophobia and racism against foreigners often take on the scale of social phenomena, and a number of murders and cases of ill-treatment raise great concern over the growth of destructive aggression in society. Counteraction to extremism is one of the main tasks of any state. This is the guarantee of his safety.

The notion of "extremism"

This concept is closely connected with extremes. Extremism is a commitment to ideology and politics to extreme positions in views and the choice of the same means to achieve certain goals. The term means in translation "ultimate", "critical", "incredible", "extreme". Extremism is a current that opposes existing communities, structures and institutions, trying to break their stability, to liquidate to achieve their goals. This is done primarily by force. Extremism is not only a neglect of generally accepted rules, norms, laws, but also a negative social phenomenon.

Characteristics of extremism

Simultaneous adherence to extreme actions and views is possible in any sphere of public life. Each crime is also an extreme degree of antisocial behavior, an acute form of social conflict, a way out of the norm, but we do not call all criminality an extremism. Because these concepts are different. Extremism should be understood as a clearly defined phenomenon. Some researchers define extremism as attachment, devotion to extreme measures and views (usually in politics). They note that extremism manifests itself in various spheres of human life: politics, interethnic and interethnic relations, religious life, environmental sphere, art, music, literature, etc.

Who is an extremist?

The term "extremist" is often associated with a person who uses and protects violence as opposed to the generally accepted norms of society. Sometimes people are called people who try to impose their will on the society with the help of force, but not like the government or the constitutional majority. There is also another opinion, according to which extremism is not simply and not always a current, which is identified with a violent factor. For example, an English researcher in his work notes that the non-violent struggle (satyagraha) of Mahatma Gandhi in India is an example of a new type of extremism. So, extremism can be considered as a way of radical objection to not only legislative rules, but also social norms - established rules of conduct.

Youth extremism

Youthful extremism in Russia - a relatively new phenomenon, in contrast to Britain, in which it appeared in the 50-60's of the XX century. This predetermines the insufficient level of development of this topic in the legal literature. In our opinion, there are a number of unsolved problems related to research and prevention of crimes of an extremist nature committed by young people within the group. Extremism in the youth environment is constantly gaining momentum. This, for example, such movements as skinheads, antifa.

Criminality and Extremism

Criminal extremism is an illegal, socially dangerous act of a person or a group of persons aimed at achieving their goals (goals), based on extreme ideological, political and other views. Following this understanding, it is quite justified to assert that virtually every crime is a manifestation of extremism. The criminality associated with the manifestation of its various forms can not be fully considered without exploring extremism as a negative social factor and its correlation with the mechanism of state power and social management.

Racial-nationalist extremism

As studies of social reality confirm, one of the most common types is national extremism. As a rule, this is a manifestation of extreme views in the sphere and about the mutual coexistence of various ethnic groups and races. One of the components of the object of these encroachments is precisely the ethnos in all their diversity, and not the nation, as is often noted in journalistic, scientific and other sources. Extremism has been known to mankind since ancient times, since power over surrounding people began to bring material benefits and therefore turned into the object of aspirations of individual individuals. They tried to achieve the desired goal by any means. At the same time, they were not bothered by moral principles and barriers, generally accepted rules, traditions, interests of other people. The goal always and always justified the means, and the people who aspired to the heights of power did not stop even before using the most brutal and barbaric measures, including destruction, open violence, terrorism.

Historical reference

Extremism has existed since the emergence of an organized society. In different periods he appeared in different forms. In particular, in Ancient Greece extremism was presented in the form of intolerance to other peoples. Thus, in the works of the famous ancient Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato, the use of the name "barbari" (barbarus) or "barbarians" with respect to neighboring peoples is observed. This they showed disrespect to them. The Romans used this name for all peoples of non-Greek or non-Roman origin, but at the end of the Roman Empire the word "barbarian" was used in the context of various Germanic tribes. The same trend was observed in ancient China, when the neighbors of the Celestial Empire were perceived as wild and cruel tribes of foreigners. The latter were called "food" ("dwarfs" and "dogs") or "these" (the "four barbarians").

Specialists in the fields of sociology and jurisprudence believe that the causes of extremism lie in human psychology. It arose at the time of the formation of statehood. However, modern extremism in Russia is conditioned by many social, legal, political, religious, administrative, economic and other processes occurring in a certain geographical space during the last century. Analysis of the special literature on this problem shows that in any state, extremism has different social and criminological characteristics. In addition, extremism, like every social phenomenon, is characterized by historical variability.

Virtually all the conspiracies and mutinies, which are rich in both domestic and world history, represented, in terms of the then current legislation and the existing social order, nothing more than peculiar types of criminal groups that sought to achieve political goals. But at the same time there were cases of group spontaneous-impulsive outbursts of tyranny, vandalism and violence against the person, and there were also associations of criminal orientation. The opinion that in the 1920s organized crime (at least in its modern sense) did not take place, it can hardly be recognized as correct. After all, historical studies indicate the existence of a branched structure of criminal groups, for example, in the pre-revolutionary and Odessa civil war times, and it is pointed out that the activities of these criminal extremist groups were of a nature and all signs of power (along with the gubernatorial and French occupation). Extremism and crime are related. Only criminals tend to material benefit or power, and extremists defend political, religious or racial beliefs, which also does not exclude the desire for material.

Crime in the Soviet Union as the progenitor of extremist movements in Russia

During the twenties of the last century, during the implementation by the leadership of the Soviet Union of the so-called New Economic Policy (NEP), organized criminal groups operated mainly in the economic sphere. Covering their activities, they carried out under the guise of pseudo-cooperatives and other similar economic structures. Common crime has only restored its influence after the harsh measures taken by the authorities with the aim of the aforementioned cessation of looting and murder.

The curtailment of economic transformations in the late 1920s and during the 1930s resumed the dominance of ordinary organized crime. The same period is characterized by the emergence of a criminal community of "thieves-in-law", and in science and journalism they express various assumptions about its formation - from spontaneous emergence to deliberate creation by state security agencies in places of deprivation of liberty with a view to providing a counterweight to possible associations of political prisoners and control over them . During the Second World War and in the post-war years, there was a second surge of organized crime in the form of banditry. In scientific studies that state that organized crime is not a new phenomenon for society, it is said about its appearance in the 1950s ... To combat gangs, military units were employed, special units for combating banditry were set up in internal affairs bodies , Which successfully operated until the mid-50's, when the level of banditry as a result of the hard measures taken by the authorities decreased significantly, and the units were liquidated.

Soon there were theses about the extinction of crime under socialism and the liquidation of professional criminals and banditry in the USSR. The last postulates that dominated the criminology of the Soviet era, in fact, concealed the real gradual latentization of organized crime of the general criminal nature, the emergence, against the background of the deformation of economic relations of organized crime, economic or, as it was long termed scientists, "economic-mercenary" orientation.

Youth movements in the US and the USSR

In the 60s of the XX century. In the United States arose a new youth movement, which is closely associated with musical groups. Extremism in the youth environment has been taking off since that time. Members of the new movement were called hippies, or "children of flowers." In the late 70's - early 80's a similar phenomenon occurs in the USSR. Hippies in the US proved to be quite a viable force during the struggle against the retrogrades and conservatives. Unlike the American "flower children" who protested, fought the war that was going on in Vietnam, the Soviet hippies fought against the communist repressive system. In contrast to the power system, the Soviet youth created their own. Since the mid-1970s, the hippie movement in the United States has declined.

The youth movement in the USSR, in fact, became the ancestor of all subsequent youth trends, including extremist ones.

Post-Soviet time

The next wave of extremist organized crime was outlined on the territory of the post-Soviet space at the end of the 20th century. Due to known social upheavals and social transformations. This was largely due to factors such as the release of a significant number of prisoners, the destruction of old police structures, the small number and low professional competence of new ones, the decline of the economic sphere, the devaluation of established social values, the disorientation of society. Racket and banditry swept the society. Along with this, various youth movements began to appear: anarchists, metalworkers, rappers, and so on. Religious and political extremism flourished in the national subjects of the federation. The wars in Chechnya further exacerbated the situation. Religious and political extremism began to represent many Islamist terrorist groups. As a reaction of society, various nationalist extremist movements of the Slavic type began to appear: skinheads, national Bolsheviks, nationalists, etc. To all this, in addition, gangster and prison romance were mixed. After a while, the struggle against fascist extremism begins to gain momentum in society. The movement "Antifa" appears. Also there is a transformation of fan organizations of football clubs into "ultra" groups. The ideology and principles of this movement were borrowed in Britain (as well as by fans of almost all football clubs in the world). Since the mid-90s, the expansion of gangster social structures began to acquire a defiant character. Organized criminal groups entered a period of rapid development. Good technical equipment and armament, the establishment of international relations between the TSO and OCG made the police virtually uncompetitive with them. The causes of extremism and banditry of the 1990s are associated with socio-economic, political and military turmoil. Such a large-scale manifestation of extremism and banditry in the vastness of the country forced the state apparatus to take some measures.

Two thousand years

In the XXI century. The situation is changing with the beginning of the crisis of ideologies. The old forms of ideological politics lost their significance. First of all, this means their restructuring, development and transition to new forms. The authorities were able to curb banditry and began to take measures to prevent extremism, especially Islamic movements. In the new decade boldly stepped skinheads, their opponents - "Antifa", nationalists. Movement "ultras" gained even greater speed. Counteraction to extremism on the part of the state was more concerned with Islamic terrorist organizations and organized crime. This is understandable, since they represented the greatest danger. Therefore, the prevention of extremism has not affected the Slavic youth movements. At the same time, the crisis of political ideology leads to the formation of protest movements. He mobilizes a variety of opposition structures, namely active minorities, whose purpose is to attract public attention to certain ideas and social problems. Here the leading role is played by protest, not counter-ideology. In response, pro-government organizations appear. There is also consumer extremism.

World Trends

In the world radical movements of protest are aimed at changing the human consciousness. So, now three main types of such movements are singled out: antiglobalists, neoanarchists and environmentalists. Antiglobalists are a separatist movement for national liberation and the preservation of ethnic uniqueness. Neo-anarchists stand for resistance to the centralized state apparatus from the bottom up and the domination of society over the state. Environmentalists, as the English researcher of political ideologies, John Schwarzmantel, noted, is a movement aimed at solving one of the problems - survival. It is aimed at criticizing enlightenment and anthropocentrism, which received the highest level of development in an industrial society in which man is postulated as the supreme being in nature. These movements can act in two forms: as a super-ideology of the future or a narrowly directed ecological movement. The fight against extremism takes a lot of time and effort from all the world's special services and law enforcement agencies.

Types of extremist movements

To distinguish extremist communities and criminal associations that encroach on the individual and the rights of citizens, follows the following features.

1) Extremist movement created for the purpose of carrying out crimes, as well as developing plans and / or conditions for their commission.

The purpose of creating a criminal association is self-violence against citizens, harm to their health, motivation to refuse to fulfill civil obligations or to commit other unlawful acts.

2) Extremist community created for the commission of crimes of small or medium gravity.

The activity of a criminal association is connected with the commission of crimes of all degrees of severity.

3) Extremist movement created to prepare for the commission of extremist crimes on the basis of ideological, racial, political, religious or national hatred.

The presence of these motives is a mandatory, constructive sign of an extremist community. A purely criminal association can be formed for various reasons that are not determinative.

Results

So, summing up, we can conclude that modern extremism is one of the most destructive phenomena. It affects not only the sense of justice, but also the way people think and live. For the necessary numerous reforms being carried out today in virtually all segments of the state, extremism is a significant threat to success. In this regard, any research in this direction is nothing more than an attempt to assess the situation and understand this phenomenon, and on the other hand - the development of effective measures to neutralize the most dangerous manifestations of the negative current. Preventing extremism of all explanations (including pro-governmental ones) is the key to the success of the development of any society. Any movement of this kind begins with a protest. When the mass of the protest electorate is greatly increased in society, the atmosphere in it is heating up. The emergence of extremist organizations is already the next stage. In fact, in a society a certain valve is triggered. That is, this way, tension is relieved. However, there is a certain threshold, followed by a social explosion. The fight against extremism should not be based only on force methods. As a rule, they give only a temporary effect.