What is autonomy? The order and level of autonomy

The modern world is a multitude of states, most of which are multinational, so the question arises about the joint organization of people's lives that would suit everyone, or at least the majority. Many countries in the process of establishing powers and bodies allow a certain independence of the territories included in their composition. That's what autonomy is in the simplest sense.

The origin of the concept and its meaning

This word is of Greek origin. Why did it appear there? For this it is enough to recall the history of Ancient Greece. At that time, it did not represent one state, but was woven from numerous city-states and alliances between them. To function effectively, these entities had to reckon with the center tendencies prevailing in many policies. The invaluable help could be rendered by such system of joint existence which would allow to combine interests various on the size and influence of city-states. And the Greeks introduced the notion of autonomy. The word consists of two components: "autos" ("self," "self") and "nomos" ("law"). Thus, even the most insignificant policies of ancient Greece began to possess a certain degree of independence in solving certain issues, which, to a certain extent, allowed them to maintain political equilibrium. That's what autonomy is in the ancient Greek understanding.

The principle of autonomy in the formation of the state

Currently, this method is also used very widely, while it all depends on the traditions, the legislative framework and the way in which state power is organized. Nevertheless, in any country that applies autonomy, such a device primarily means some kind of independence of parts of a single state. The degree of this sovereignty in each case is determined individually and is based on the constitution of the country.

The formation and level of autonomous units are most often dictated by the national composition of the country. Using this method, the state guarantees the necessary level of national-ethnic needs of peoples. In addition, it is a way to observe the right of nations to self-determination without tragic consequences for the unity of the country. On this principle, a system of power and government in the Russian Federation has been built. All subjects of the Russian Federation have autonomous rights.

Types of autonomies

In political science, there are many interpretations of what autonomy is. The definition can be revealed as follows: it is self-management and independence of parts of a single state. The division into territorial and national-cultural autonomy is generally accepted. Both these species are represented in our country. The first means the creation of self-governing subjects within certain boundaries within which representatives of any ethnic groups reside (Tatarstan, Yakutia, etc.). All of them have actual features of the state, and therefore have their territory, flag, emblem, anthem, authorities, official language or languages, legislation.

National-cultural autonomy is an extraterritorial concept. This means that national groups are scattered across many subjects of the country, and to meet ethnic needs they can be created in any corner of the state. This concept is based on the national union and the preservation of language, traditions and other attributes of popular culture. That's what cultural-national autonomy is within Russia.

The method of interethnic cooperation

At the present time in the Russian Federation there are about nine federal, about one hundred regional and more than two hundred local national-cultural autonomies. In the US and some European countries this form is expressed in a slightly different plane: national municipalities are created there, which are called upon to solve all the necessary issues related to the development of the ethnos. However, in the United States there is no territorial autonomy, all issues are resolved by local national communities, to which the authority grants certain powers. New York is divided into many national quarters, to which the mayoralty granted the right of self-government. Thus, autonomy can exist even within a single city. Nevertheless, this allows to some extent neutralize the nationalistic sentiments among the population.

Features of the domestic state system in the light of recent events

Most recently, Crimea entered the structure of Russia. So what is the Crimean autonomy? The uniqueness of the situation is that the peninsula was originally part of the RSFSR as a self-governing unit, in 1954 it was transferred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which in turn was part of the USSR. The constitution of the latter was built on the principles of federalism. Although formally, the legislative framework was in place. After the collapse of the Soviet Union Crimea joined the united Ukraine, which was built on a unitary principle, but the peninsula retained its independence. Serious contradictions arose between Kiev and Sevastopol, which reached their apogee in 1996.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine abolished the constitution of the Crimea, the Supreme Soviet was deprived of all powers, but the Kiev government was forced to reckon with the population of the peninsula. Therefore, in 1998, the new Basic Law of Crimea was adopted, significantly narrowing the independence of this education, but the status of autonomy was preserved. In 2014, by referendum, Crimea was included in the Russian Federation, it received an autonomous administration represented by the Supreme Council and its chairman, in addition, the city of Sevastopol was allocated to an independent unit, having received the status of a city of federal significance. That's what Crimea's autonomy is.

The legal manifestation of the term

The concept of "autonomy" is used not only in the political and administrative spheres, it is also common in jurisprudence. Let's see what autonomy of the will of the parties is. Persons or organizations that conclude a contract automatically become subjects of international law. In its most general form, this means that the parties, by mutual agreement, have the right to choose the legislation of the country by means of which they intend to regulate the legal relationships that arise between them. Basically, this principle is applied in the field of international business law. The agreement should be expressed directly or follow from the logic of the concluded contract. If for any reason it is not available, then the legal system of the country to which the contract is most relevant applies.

Summing up

The variety of application of this principle in real life allows to significantly reduce tension both in interethnic and interstate relations, and its application in the sphere of international law promotes the revival of economic and, consequently, political links between the heterogeneous interests of the whole mass of social groups and state entities. That's what autonomy is in the complete contradiction of the modern world.