POLITICAL ASPECT OF SOCIAL CONFLICTS

Understanding social conflict is one of the key problems of contemporary social sciences. This article views the phenomenon of social conflict as an important form of social interaction. Social conflict is seen as a manageable process, which can be controlled by an external force. Modern Russian society is characterized by an increase in the number of citizens expressing their dissatisfaction with governmental response to social demands. This article is an attempt to analyze social conflict in modern society as a phenomenon that also has a political component. Pertaining to the stated goal, the article focuses on the problems of social inequality in present-day reality. It is stated that mitigation of socio-political tensions is related to government policy, and a high level of social differentiation of society can pose a threat to political stability. The increase in the degree of social inequality is related to inequitable social interchange that takes place in society. Exceeding the permissible degree of inequality leads to a large difference in the standard of living of social groups, which is regarded as discrimination and infringement of rights of certain demographics. This circumstance causes social tensions and serves as a ground for the emergence, development and spread of social conflicts. The novelty and practical significance of the work consists in presenting a comprehensive analysis of how social and political conflicts are interrelated and, in case of contemporary Russian reality, intertwined. The author examines the specific character of social conflicts in modern Russia and points out the need for development and use of methods - adequate to the current state of information technology - that would effectively regulate social conflicts.