Abstract

The main periods of crisis conceptualization in Western political thought are separated. The author describes three periods: pre-scientific, interdisciplinary and political. The first philosophers who studied crises in political life were Plato and Aristotle, their ideas were adopted by Thomas More, Niccolo Machiavelli, Benedict Spinoza and others. During the interdisciplinary period the research of political crises moved from philosophic to scientific sphere. Most authors tried to give theoretic explanations of political and economic crises. Scientific and philosophic interpretation of crises was often determined by ideological and political factors. According to Karl Marx, the working class should grow in numbers and develop class consciousness, in time realizing that they have to and can change the system. Marx believed that if the proletariat were to seize the means of production, they would encourage social relations that would benefit everyone equally, abolishing exploiting class, and introduce a system of production less vulnerable to cyclical crises. Unlike him, Herbert Spencer considered crisis as an important feature of social and political development, but rejected violence in resolving conflicts. In modern political science different methods are used. Gabriel Almond and Talcott Parsons used system approach, Ilya Prigogine developed a synergetic one for political crises research. In the last few decades political crises have been studied not only in Western countries, but also in post-Socialist ones. The Polish scientist Piotr Sztompka explains the factors and consequences of crises and revolutions.