Sets of people permanently residing in a certain territory, formed on the basis of social-territorial differences in specific. social formations that act as carriers of locally manifested connections and relations that prevail in this society. The very fact of the connection between the resettlement of people and social. development recorded by sociology in the late XIX - first quarter of XX centuries. F. Tennis, K. Bucher, R. Mackenzie considered the territorial community of Ch. arr. through the prism of people living together in a particular territory. At the same time, the “locality” of the community, in contrast to the community, and “territoriality”, in contrast to the factors of formation of other social groups, turned out to be in the foreground. groups. O.s.-t. - one of the key categories of the sociology of settlement, because it expresses a certain section of the social. differentiation of people, emerging on the basis of historical. due to the territorial-settlement organization about-va. O.s.-t. - Historical category. Its emergence is associated with the transition from a primitive communal system based on personal blood ties to a class society, one of the signs of which is that it divided the people for societies. goals not by related groups, but by living in the same territory. Since that time, the place of residence of a person, as well as resettlement in general, has become a link in the social. determination and at the same time a factor and environment soc. development. The premise of O.S.-T. is a kind of attachment of the individual to the settlement, which finds its external expression in the phenomenon of permanent residence. This phenomenon is due to the division of labor. An integral part of the latter is the distribution of people according to one or another of its types. Naturally, it also exists at the level of the settlement: firstly, the connection of the worker with the means of production presupposes a certain territorial "binding"; secondly, the nature of the development of technology and technology up to a certain time presupposes the direct inclusion of the individual in the production process, which is always territorially defined; Finally, the very attachment of the worker to the type of labor limits the possibility of his movement both in space and in the social. respect. Thus, the permanent nature of the place of residence means that the settlement of people is "tied" to production, and their resettlement as a whole follows the location of this production. Thus, the settlement becomes a direct environment for human activity. From the sociologist t. sp. this means that the society social-economic conditions that determine social the development of communities and the individual, perform their function not only at the level of the society as a whole, but also at the level of a certain settlement, because it is there that a person (and the population as a whole) acts as a subject of labor, a subject of consumption, etc. Conditions for the life of people , starting with the form of connection of the worker with the means of production, are specific in the settlement, determining the possibilities for the development of people and the satisfaction of their needs, i.e., they perform the function of the actual basis of their social. development. This means that the settlement plays a certain role in the socialization of the individual. But the mere attachment of people to a settlement and the transformation of the latter into the immediate environment of their life activity is still not enough for the formation of an OS-t. A community of this kind can be formed only on the basis of differences in the conditions of life of people in such and such a place from the conditions of another place and the formation of common interests on this basis. Differences in living conditions in the settlements - a manifestation of uneven economic. and social development of certain territories, regions. It is due to differences in the level of development of productive forces, the degree of economic development of territories. On this basis, differences in living conditions in settlements exist not only in economic terms. areas, but also in the field of social life. According to their societies. meaning they represent nothing more than social-territorial differences. A particular case of such differences is the differences between the city and the countryside, but social-territorial differences can also be traced between the urban (as well as rural) settlements themselves. The social-territorial community is not only the population of a city, village, agglomeration. Due to the fact that the settlements are included in more complex territorial-administrative formations - district, region, republic - and the latter also differ in the specifics of economic. and social development. At the same time, in the hierarchy of O.S.-T. settlement plays a special role: in the basis of territorial differences in the context of any administrative units, there is always the state of living conditions in the places of settlement, where they become the direct basis for development. Therefore, the population of a separate settlement acts as the primary O.s.-t., and the totality of primary O.s.-t. objectively is the lower, primary level of the structure of the socio-territorial (see). Lit .: Staroverov V.I. Socio-demographic problems of the village. M., 1975; Baranov A.V. Socio-demographic development of the city. M., 1981; Lanno G.M. Cities on the way to the future. M, 1987; Large city: problems and development trends. L., 1988. M.N. Mezhevich.

Territorial communities are aggregates of people characterized by a common attitude towards a certain economically developed territory, a system of economic, social, political and other ties that distinguish it as a relatively independent unit of the spatial organization of the life of the population. Sociology studies the regularities of the influence of the corresponding socio-territorial community (city, village, region) on the social relations of people, their way of life, their social behavior.

The core of one or another unit of the socio-spatial organization of society, even in our age of intense migratory mobility, is quite stable. Therefore, it retains specific features acquired under the influence of the peculiar circumstances of the formation and development of a territorial community. Among these circumstances are the following:

historical past. It is precisely with the history of the territorial community that the persistently preserved certain labor skills of the population, traditions, certain features of life, views, relations, etc. are associated;

economic conditions, namely the structure of the national economy, the capital and energy intensity of labor, the duration of the functioning of industries and enterprises, the development of services, etc. They determine the social and professional composition of the population, the level of its qualifications and culture, education, the structure of leisure, the nature of life etc.;

natural conditions that have a significant impact on working conditions, the content and level of material needs, the organization of life, forms of interpersonal communication and many other features of the population's lifestyle.

Each territorial community has all the elements and relations of the general structure of a concrete historical social organism - productive forces, technological, organizational and production relations, classes and social strata, social relations, social management, culture and life, etc. Thanks to this, these communities can function as relatively independent social formations.

The territorial community unites people who, despite all the diversity of class, professional, demographic and other differences, have some common social traits. Taken together, the characteristics of all population groups living in a certain territory make it possible to judge the relative level of development of a particular community.

Territorial communities are of different levels. The highest is the Soviet people, a new historical community of people. It is the object of study of general sociological theory and scientific communism, and its individual components are studied by special sociological disciplines. The next level is national territorial communities, which are the object of ethnosociology and the theory of nations.

Initial in the system of territorial units is the primary territorial community, which has the properties of integrity and indivisibility according to the functional criterion. In other words, its constituent parts cannot perform those specific functions that are inherent in a given socio-territorial unit. Of the various functions of the primary, territorial community, the system-forming function is the function of sustainable socio-demographic reproduction of the population. The latter is ensured by the daily exchange of the main activities of people and thus the satisfaction of their needs.

Socio-territorial and national (ethnic) communities

Socio-territorial communities

All the versatile and multifaceted activities of people, which constitute the content of social processes, are carried out on the scale of certain territorial communities, which, in this regard, are important conditions and forms of social life.

Socio-territorial communities can be defined as a set of people who have the same type of attitude towards a certain economically developed territory. The main essential features of such a community are stable economic, political, social, spiritual and moral ties and relationships that distinguish it as a fairly independent system of spatial organization of people's life. Socio-territorial communities existed and exist in different historical conditions. Their appearance meant an important stage, a qualitative leap in the history of mankind. This was once pointed out by F. Engels, who noted that “the old society, based on tribal relations, explodes as a result of a collision of newly formed social classes; in its place is a new society organized into a state, the lowest links of which are no longer tribal, but territorial associations. In other words, it is the territorial communities that are the fundamental links of any state.

Specific properties of territorial communities determined by: economic conditions, primarily the historical division of labor; social-class, professional and national structure of the population; environmental conditions that have an important impact on the nature of labor activity, organization of life and many other aspects of people's lifestyle.

In principle, each territorial community bears certain common features characteristic of the social organism as a whole.

In the total set of territorial formations, the primary territorial community is the initial one, which has the properties of integrity and indivisibility according to the functional criterion, and its constituent parts cannot independently perform specific functions that are inherent in this socio-territorial community.

Such an initial territorial community is region.

There are important differences between socio-territorial communities: according to the level of development of productive forces, population density, the nature of economic activity based on one form of ownership or another, according to the way of life and the mode of social reproduction.

Social reproduction - it is the process of evolution of the system of social connections and relations, social structure, social institutions and organizations, values, norms and behavioral standards.

The basis of social reproduction is the social reproduction of the population living in a certain territory. The latter includes demographic, ethnic (national), cultural, spiritual and legal, professional components. In their totality, they provide not only the physical reproduction of people, but also the reproduction of certain social qualities necessary for the participation of the population in social life.

Social reproduction does not have the character of "simple repetition", i.e., both quantitatively and qualitatively at different historical stages of the development of society, it is different. Therefore, the term "expanded" or "narrowed" social reproduction should reflect these circumstances in its content.

In the reformed Russia in the 90s. 20th century in regions with a predominantly Russian population, there was a clear decline in the birth rate and an increase in the death rate of the population. Practically in all Russian regions at the same time, the marginalization of the population increased, social apathy and various forms of deviant behavior became widespread. In general, the differences in the socio-economic development of the regions have become more tangible. The increase in the scale of migration, the complicated situation in a number of regions and districts of the country, also had an effect.

Territorial gradation of Russian society is reflected within certain limits in its administrative-territorial division into republics, territories, regions, an autonomous region, autonomous regions, federal cities, large, medium, small cities, urban-type settlements, villages, auls, farms, etc.

Along with the functions of social reproduction, some of the socio-territorial formations perform socio-political functions, being subjects of the Federation. The latter have developed historically and in the conditions of the new democratic Russia are a kind of legacy of the Soviet past.

In the most general terms, the modern Russian state is a combination of a federal organization (the dominant feature) and elements of a confederation, as well as a unitary state, i.e. "such an organizational structure that reflects the scale of the country, its diversity, the Soviet legacy" . According to the Constitution of Russia, the federation initially consisted of 89 subjects, including 21 republics, 49 regions, 6 territories, 10 autonomous regions, an autonomous region and two federal cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg. Since the spring of 2000, all these diverse administrative-territorial units have been united into 7 federal districts. This innovation is intended to help strengthen the centralized state power; it makes Russian federalism even more specific. Talking about its features, A. G. Zdravomyslov notes the following points:

• a) the impossibility of directly borrowing the experience of federal construction from other states and peoples;
• b) the absence of a historical tradition of federative relations both in the pre-Soviet and Soviet periods;
• c) the presence of a much greater variety of regions than in other federal states of the world;
• d) the complication of federal relations with national-ethnic aspects, which are an important problem of modern political reality.

“The current stage in the development of Russian federalism,” the sociologist emphasizes, “is connected with the current constitution, which, on the one hand, proclaims the Russian Federation as a Federal State, and on the other hand, contains certain deviations from this principle.” These “digressions” legitimize, in particular, the different statuses of the regions. Moreover, making up the Russian Federation in the aggregate, the regions (its subjects), having different status, have a different impact on the socio-political processes in the country, on the functioning of the state power itself.

The regions represented by the national republics, in accordance with the Constitution, are sovereign states that have their own constitutions, their own legislation, their own state paraphernalia, while all the rest, being also subjects of the Federation, do not have such a status.

The nature of relations between the federal center and the regions is determined not only by the Basic Law of the country, but also by local legislation and the system of agreements on the division of power and jurisdiction. The optimal solution to this problem ensures both the integrity of the federal state and the sufficient independence of the subjects of the Federation in resolving issues that fall within their competence. The effectiveness of the functioning of the entire state depends on how the subjects of jurisdiction are delimited between the federal center and the subjects of the Federation.

“The first steps in the formation of genuine federalism, in particular, the redistribution of power functions from the center to the region,” notes A. A. Zhirikov, “are perceived by many as a sign of the weakening of the state, infringement of its sovereignty, and even as a threat to territorial integrity. There are very serious grounds for such fears - in the course of political restructuring, many politicians built their careers precisely on the separatist slogans of fighting the federal government. And this could not but affect the very principle of the formation of democratic federalism and the political stability of society.

Due to certain features of the development of post-Soviet Russia, the delimitation of the subjects of jurisdiction and powers between the Federation and its subjects went in two ways: constitutional and contractual. The conclusion of the Federal Treaty in March 1992 marked the beginning of the process of development of precisely contractual relations. The adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation not only did not stop this process, but also gave it a new impetus.

International experience shows a possible triple approach (three ways) to distinguish between subjects that are jointly administered by the Federation and its subjects. The first is that the Constitution enumerates all issues subject to joint jurisdiction of the Federation and its subjects. Then, for each of these issues, the range of problems that are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federation is determined in detail. The second approach (method) consists in listing the issues on which the Federation determines the general principles of legislation, and the subjects of the Federation issue laws specifying these principles. The third approach (method) consists in the widespread practice when, on issues that are in the joint jurisdiction of the Federation and its subjects, the legislative bodies of the subjects of the Federation are given the right to adopt laws only if there is no federal law on this issue.

Thus, the legal form of resolving all issues relating to the delimitation of jurisdiction between the Federation and its subjects is essentially the same. It is the Constitution of the Federation, not the treaty. And this widespread practice is natural, since the treaty is suitable only for regulating relations between subjects equal in status, namely: for regulating relations between subjects of civil or international law.

In analyzing the place and role of contractual relations in the Russian Federation, one should proceed from the fact that in Russia there was a constitutional federation, not a contractual one. The existing practice of agreements indicates that agreements are concluded not between the Russian Federation as a whole and its subjects, but between state authorities - federal and regional, and at the same time exclusively on the issues of delimitation of their powers. Therefore, the role of treaties is auxiliary, and they are rather a temporary forced measure designed to smooth out the contradictions between the federal center and the subjects of the Federation.

Preserving the integrity of the country without infringing on the interests of the territories is the most difficult two-pronged task for the modern Russian state. Its solution is connected with the formation of a new model of federalism, which makes it possible to implement the conceptual principles of self-determination of peoples on the basis of the equality of all subjects of the Federation and all rational communities in each region of Russia. The optimal model of Russian federalism is designed to prevent unitarism, which infringes on the interests of the subjects of the Federation, on the one hand, and the transformation of Russia into a conglomerate of loosely interconnected territorial communities, on the other.

One of the most difficult problems in the interaction of the federal center with the subjects of the Federation was the correlation of federal and local laws, the discrepancy between the latter and the failure to comply with federal laws at the local level.

The power elites of the subjects of the Federation were guided in their activities mainly by local interests, caring little about the interests of the state as a whole.

One can agree with the characterization formed on the basis of the current Constitution of the Russian Federation, the state system given to it by well-known political scientists L. Shevtsova and I. Klyamkin: “Firstly, it does not record the agreement of various political forces regarding the principles of social structure,” they note, - and the victory of one of them in the absence of such consent is fixed. Being aware of this and wanting to avoid further confrontations, the winning side is forced to constantly and unsuccessfully seek consolidating procedures that supplement the Constitution, which only reveals the instability and fragility of the Russian constitutional order. Secondly, the monarchical powers offered to the head by the Basic Law cannot be rehabilitated in any consistent way in modern Russia. The concentration of power in the center, its multi-subjectivity at the federal level could only be paid for by making concessions to the regions and granting them the right to choose local authorities themselves, which is typical only for countries with developed and deeply rooted democratic traditions. In Russia, this leads to the fact that the regional authorities very often go beyond the limits of the constitutional field, and the president, endowed with monarchical powers, does not have the power resources to prevent this. Thus, the presidential mono-subjectivity, designed to be the guarantor of the Constitution and ensure its observance, turns out to be unable to do this, revealing and clearly demonstrating thereby the surrogacy (and most likely temporary) of the entire post-Soviet Russian statehood.

Going beyond the constitutional field poses the greatest danger to the fate of the Russian Federation. Its neutralization involves changes, primarily in the

Constitution, the adoption of relevant federal laws that exclude such a threat.

The lack of proper control over the actions of regional authorities led to a serious deterioration in the overall socio-economic situation in the country. Things got to the point that significant financial resources sent from the federal budget in the form of transfers and public investments did not reach the intended recipient, and taxes that should have gone to the federal budget were often delayed within the boundaries of the regions.

This situation created the prerequisites for the strengthening of separatist and centrist tendencies. There was an urgent need to take special measures to preserve the unity and integrity of the country, strengthen the Russian Federation and prevent its transformation into a confederation. Among these measures is the introduction of the institution of federal interference in legal and political practice, which allows the federal government to remove representatives of regional authorities from government if they violate the Constitution and other laws of the country. (By the way, a similar rule exists in the constitutions of other countries. Thus, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany gives the lower house of parliament (the Budenstag) the right to dissolve the legislative assemblies of the lands (landtags) in cases strictly defined by law.)

Zdravomyslov A. G. Interpretation of statehood in Russian politics // The role of the state in the development of society: Russia and international experience. M., 1997. S. 63-64.

Rice. 21. Socio-territorial structure of the Russian Federation

Social settlement substructure is formed on the basis of the following type-forming features of the settlement.

Population , or population . On the one hand, the population density of a settlement predetermines the degree of spatial concentration of human masses, the richness of the information environment, the degree of formalization of social contacts, the possibility of friendly and professional communication, the formation of families, etc. On the other hand, it serves as the basis for determining the normative level of social infrastructure development. The more people live in a settlement, the wider the range of service establishments it can, in principle, have, and the higher their rank can be. Thus, according to existing norms, a settlement with at least 500 inhabitants, a cinema - at least 3 thousand, an opera and ballet theater - at least a million inhabitants can apply for the construction of a kindergarten.

Socio-demographic composition The settlement group reflects its balance in terms of sex and age, the ability for natural self-reproduction (or, conversely, the need for systematic replenishment from outside through migration), the family composition of the population, its educational structure, qualifications, the ratio of people of different nationalities and different cultural traditions. The qualitative composition of the inhabitants determines the socio-psychological climate in the settlement, the prevailing norms of behavior, traditions, and way of life. On this basis, for example, cities of different sizes (large or small), unequal specializations (say, scientific or mining) are distinguished. Large differences are also observed between the city and the countryside.

Administrative status , assigned to each settlement, separates, firstly, villages and cities, and secondly, their specific types. Cities are divided into categories depending on which government they are subordinate to: district, regional, republican, or federal. The administrative status of villages is determined by whether they are the centers of districts or do not perform the functions of centrality. The scale of capital investments in the development of the industrial and social infrastructure of settlements, the pace and efficiency of their socio-economic development depend on the administrative status. For example, the capitals of the republics are developing much faster than regional centers with a similar population.

Production Profile settlements reflects the capacity and professional and sectoral structure of the system of jobs in social production, as well as the social value of these places (the level of wages, its conditions, severity, the possibility of obtaining housing, places in children's institutions, etc.). This feature differentiates, in- firstly, multifunctional settlements with a high capacity and a large industrial diversity of jobs and diversified settlements that present a demand for labor in a limited range of professions, and secondly, industrial settlements of various profiles (agricultural, logging, mining, construction, scientific, etc.). The provision of different groups of settlers with jobs in social production differs greatly. In the largest cities, one can, in principle, find work in any specialty; accordingly, the range of professions chosen by young people here is very wide. On the contrary, in small towns, towns and villages, the choice of jobs in some cases is limited to a few professions. So in small villages that do not have regular transport links with larger centers, almost all men become tractor drivers, machine operators or cattlemen, almost all women become milkmaids, calf workers or field workers. The production sphere of some settlements is fixed mainly on the consumption of male labor (for example, military settlements, separately deployed combat units, outposts, etc.), others - on the consumption of female labor (for example, the famous “cities of brides” based on weaving, etc. .). Finally, there are settlements whose production sector is generally unable to provide year-round employment for their population, so that the latter is forced to either work in other settlements or “not work” at all, often engaging in the so-called subsistence economy.

Level of social development settlements is expressed, first of all, in the provision of the most important elements of the social infrastructure, as a public service to the population. The following groups can be singled out as the main characteristics of this level: provision of the population with housing; provision of the population with food and industrial goods; development of household and socio-cultural services for the population; development of the education system.

Location of settlements in relation to transport communications and socio-political centers . The area of ​​real activity of most modern people is not limited to the boundaries of their settlement (even if it is a city of many millions). People go to work, to educational institutions, to make purchases, receive medical services, etc. Meanwhile, the spatial arsenal of transport accessibility for a certain time (for example, for one hour, ten hours or a day) for settlement structures is very different. If from Moscow you can get to Vladivostok in 10-12 hours, then from a district town or village in another region it will take much longer. Accordingly, the possibilities of meeting the needs of the population outside their own populated areas are also differentiated.

Complex of ecological conditions - climatic conditions, the degree of air and earth pollution with harmful chemicals, the level of radiation, the quality of drinking water, the presence of recreation areas on the shores of the seas, lakes and rivers, near forests, etc. The totality of these conditions directly affects health, life expectancy, ability to work, etc. relevant population groups.

Features of the social policy of local authorities . Although the provisions of this policy are mainly determined by the highest echelons of power, that is, they are of an all-Russian character, their specific implementation on the ground is not the same.

Socio-territorial groups participate in the implementation of such relations as the distribution of productive forces, the territorial division of labor and the exchange of results of activities, territorial cooperation of labor, the distribution of non-productive sectors, the distribution of consumer goods and socio-cultural services, the territorial redistribution of national income, etc. In view of the foregoing, there are three the main functions performed by the socio-territorial system.

The first one is creation of territorial conditions for the efficient use of production resources- mineral deposits, agricultural lands, labor force of the population, etc.

The second function is ensuring normal spatial conditions of life- creation of jobs, development of housing stock, social infrastructure, supply of food and consumer industrial goods, etc.

The third function is expressed in social control of the living space of society, as well as in the economic development of territories that do not have a permanent population (taiga, steppes, etc.). At present, there is a tendency towards a greater “pulling” of the population to transport routes and to the zones of influence of large cities, which, from the point of view of the function under consideration, should be assessed negatively.

Territorial groups have three main ways to satisfy your interests:

The first is the initiative of local authorities and their consideration of the requests and demands of the population;

The second - independent (individual or collective) satisfaction of urgent needs on the basis of the initiative behavior of the population (with the permission of the authorities or independently of them, and even contrary to their position);

The third way of behavior is to change the place of residence, that is, to migrate. Convinced that it is impossible to satisfy their interests within the framework of a given territorial community, people move from villages to cities, from small towns to large ones, from northern and eastern regions to central ones, and so on.

The great social significance of the socio-territorial substructure necessitates the management of its development, which implies knowledge of the social mechanism of this process.

For more details, see: Zaslavskaya T.I. Theoretical issues of the study of the socio-territorial structure of Soviet society // Methodological problems of complex research. Novosibirsk: Science. Sib. Department, 1983. S. 215-217.

According to some scientists, the concepts of territorial community and territorial group are synonymous, although this position is not very common (see: Tkachenko A.A. Territorial community in the system of concepts of population geography//Izv. AN SSSRSH. Sergius geogr.1982. N 4. C .94-97).

Socio-territorial structure of the city and village: (Experience of typological analysis) / Ed. T.I. Zaslavskaya and E.E. Goryachenko; IE and OPP SB AS USSR. Novosibirsk, 1982.

See: Development of rural settlements: (Linguistic method of typological analysis of social objects) Edited by T.I. Zaslavskaya and I.B. Muchnik. M.: Statistics, 1977. Ch.4.S.74-92.

Territorial communities are aggregates of people characterized by a common attitude towards a certain economically developed territory, a system of economic, social, political and other ties that distinguish it as a relatively independent unit of the spatial organization of the life of the population. Sociology studies the regularities of the influence of the corresponding socio-territorial community (city, village, region) on the social relations of people, their way of life, their social behavior.

The core of one or another unit of the socio-spatial organization of society, even in our age of intense migratory mobility, is quite stable. Therefore, it retains specific features acquired under the influence of the peculiar circumstances of the formation and development of a territorial community. Among these circumstances are the following:

historical past. It is precisely with the history of the territorial community that the persistently preserved certain labor skills of the population, traditions, certain features of life, views, relations, etc. are associated;

economic conditions, namely the structure of the national economy, the capital and energy intensity of labor, the duration of the functioning of industries and enterprises, the development of services, etc. They determine the social and professional composition of the population, the level of its qualifications and culture, education, the structure of leisure, the nature of life etc.;

natural conditions that have a significant impact on working conditions, the content and level of material needs, the organization of life, forms of interpersonal communication and many other features of the population's lifestyle.

Each territorial community has all the elements and relations of the general structure of a concrete historical social organism - productive forces, technological, organizational and production relations, classes and social strata, social relations, social management, culture and life, etc. Thanks to this, these communities can function as relatively independent social formations.

The territorial community unites people who, despite all the diversity of class, professional, demographic and other differences, have some common social traits. Taken together, the characteristics of all population groups living in a certain territory make it possible to judge the relative level of development of a particular community.

Territorial communities are of different levels. The highest is the Soviet people, a new historical community of people. It is the object of study of general sociological theory and scientific communism, and its individual components are studied by special sociological disciplines. The next level is national territorial communities, which are the object of ethnosociology and the theory of nations.

Initial in the system of territorial units is the primary territorial community, which has the properties of integrity and indivisibility according to the functional criterion. In other words, its constituent parts cannot perform those specific functions that are inherent in a given socio-territorial unit. Of the various functions of the primary, territorial community, the system-forming function is the function of sustainable socio-demographic reproduction of the population. The latter is ensured by the daily exchange of the main activities of people and thus the satisfaction of their needs.

social reproduction.

The concept of "socio-demographic reproduction" is specific in relation to the concept of "social reproduction". Social reproduction is the process of evolutionary development of the system of social relations and groups within the socio-economic formation in the form of their cyclic reproduction, it embodies the trends in the change of the social structure inherent in this formation.

The socialist process of reproduction is the process of the homogenization of society, i.e. convergence of social groups, erasure of social class differences from generation to generation and within the same generation. Social reproduction includes both the reconstruction of pre-existing elements of the social structure and relations between them, and the emergence and expanded reproduction of new elements and relations. In the course of this process, a changing and developing individual is formed.

If classes, social groups and strata, as well as relationships. between them are reproduced - function and develop - on the scale of the whole society, then the process of reproduction of the individual proceeds directly in the primary territorial communities, which ensure the reconstruction of him as a living carrier of the properties, characteristics of a class, group, layer.

Such primary cells of society as the production team, the family, as well as various "industry" social institutions - education, health care, culture, etc., perform only partial functions of the reproduction of the individual. The specificity of the functions of territorial communities lies in the fact that, by integrating the activities of social institutions, they ensure the satisfaction of the basic needs of the individual and, thereby, its reproduction.

The social reproduction of the individual acts as the social reproduction of the population living in a certain territory. It is inseparable from the processes of demographic reproduction and takes the form of socio-demographic reproduction, which ensures the preparation of new generations to perform socially necessary economic, political and other functions. Therefore, it can distinguish such components as demographic, vocational, cultural and other reproduction.

Socio-demographic reproduction is not reduced to the physical reproduction of the number of people. It is also the reproduction of a set of certain social qualities necessary for the normal participation of the population in the functioning and development of society. Thus, in this reproduction, two aspects can be distinguished: quantitative (actually the reproduction of individuals) and qualitative (formation - upbringing, recreation of social properties).

By nature, reproduction is divided into simple, narrowed, extended, with quantitative and qualitative characteristics corresponding to each type. Simple is the reproduction of the population in the same size as before with unchanged Social qualities: qualifications, education, etc. Expanded reproduction is characterized by an increase in the number of new generations and (or) a higher level of development of their social qualities. Narrowed reproduction is characterized by a decrease in the number of new generations and (or) a decrease in their quality indicators.

The pattern of development of a socialist society is: expanded social and, at least, simple demographic reproduction. However, this does not exclude the possibility of significant differences in the mode of reproduction due to such factors as the development of the living environment, the quality of management of reproductive processes, etc.

The core of social reproduction (on the scale of society) is the reproduction of the social structure, and the essence of the socio-demographic component of this process at the territorial level is the demographic renewal of the components of the social structure, including social displacements.

The condition for the existence and development of the primary territorial community is the relative self-sufficiency of the elements of the artificial and natural environment for the full cycle of socio-demographic reproduction. In contrast to material production, socio-demographic (i.e., the production of the person himself) is by its nature stationary, territorially inseparable. Therefore, the literature is increasingly dominated by the point of view that the increase in functional diversity, the universalization of the living environment are the leading principle of the territorial organization of social production (and reproduction) under socialism (it is opposed to the principle of narrow specialization of settlements).

It is unacceptable to confuse such categories as "city", "village", "region", on the one hand, and a territorial community, on the other. The former are complex territorial formations, embracing the natural and material complexes, as well as the totality of people reproducing, i.e., functioning and developing, in the process of production and consumption on the basis of these interconnected complexes. Territorial communities are only these aggregates of people.