Abstract

The situation, which happened in Ukraine, proves the incapacity of political elite to overcome this kinds of crisis. The factual cleavage of the country, which continues during more than ten years – is the result of specifially domestic political elite. From its activities, directed either on cleavage or on consolidation of the country and also on the instruments, which are used, the fate of separate regions and state in whole and the political elite itself. That is why the studying of the domestic elite is permanently actual. Revolution of dignity, reformatting of the government, occupation of part of the territory and reforms as the result, became the events, which could mainly determine the main political processes in Ukraine. Signifiant personal changes of individual character occurred. But question if any qualitative changes in political elite occurred is not studied yet. The aim of the article is to analyze and characterize the existing points of view about concept “political elite” in modern political science. To talk about the elite it is necessary to take into consideration what scientists understand under this notion and how average citizens defie this concept. There are many debates about this term, because nowadays it is not correct and even immoral to use it to defie many authoritative persons, who cannot be named either the best or worthy and elected. Despite all researches, scientists didn’t come to common conclusion about the defiition of “political elite”. Besides that in scientifi circle there are many objections about using of this term. After studying all existing points of view, we made a conclusion that political elite is the internally solidary, relatively prior social group, which forms the most powerful and politically active social minority and it is the subject of approving or has the decisive inflence on approving of political decisions. It is worth saying that the determinant in defiing of political elite is the political component – elections.