Radicalization and Political Radicalism (PDF)

Essay from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: MA, University of Oregon, language: English, abstract: The present work focuses on radicalization and political radicalism. In modern conditions, political radicalism is an integral component of the political life of many countries, manifested in the activities, value orientations of the ruling and opposition elites, as well as ordinary citizens. Being a multifaceted phenomenon, in the era of globalization, it is transformed and modified, assumes various types and forms adequate to new civilizational challenges and risks. Historical and modern events eloquently testify that radical methods of solving socio-political problems, especially those that are actualizing in the conditions of crises, are often used by the authorities even during periods of stable development.

In the situation of the current economic crisis, which became structural and went beyond the economic sphere, the radial moods of the actors in the political process, as well as the activities of various radical and extremist organizations, became much more active. Political extremism and radicalism, as its variety, are among the most ambiguous and multifaceted problems of modern political science. In recent years, researchers have been actively investigating the causes, essence, and content of this phenomenon.

Modern political realities necessitate the analysis of manifestations of radicalism burdened with negative meanings. In this context, it is necessary to analyze the concepts of "radicalism" and "extremism," reveal their similarities and differences. The similarity consists in rejecting compromises, demanding a radical reorganization of existing social and political institutions, and as soon as possible. The difference between these concepts is relative, conditional. Radicalism, as a phenomenon, is more a kind of political ideology, justifying radical actions. Extremism is a concept that characterizes mainly political practice.