In the thesis the influence of the critical theory and activity of the Frankfurt school representatives on the development of world political and philosophical thought and its significance for solving modern value conflicts have been analyzed. The historical and political excursus into the theoretical bases and practices of the Frankfurt school representatives may become not only a scientific and educational project, but also a kind of platform for discussing the past, present and future of Western society, its history and socio-political changes happening nowadays even in democratizing societies. The image of the typical Frankfurt School representative who supports socio-political movements, publishes books, delivers lectures and seminars, organizes contests for scientific research, advises members of the national security bodies, politicians, journalists, educators, public activists - and today it seems relevant from the standpoint of public Political activity as well as of a scientific research. Therefore, there was a need to carry out a political understanding of the history and the main directions of the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, its influence on the development of world political and philosophical thought. Political science analysis of critical philosophy is carried out in the context of the revision of values, landmarks, traditions, norms of the political life of societies of the 20th and 21st centuries. The position of freedom from illegitimate power is upgraded, which must ensure actual mutual recognition by citizens of each other's rights, the possibility of legitimizing political, legal, socio-cultural norms, respect for the individual, the law, the current regime and international order. The Frankfurt School theoretical and applied working out on the compatibility of politics and morality in a protracted socio-political crisis, war, and the rise of protest sentiment have been analysed and summarized. In the aspirations to find unnatural, non-economic, as well as unmetaphysical basis of power, domination, interaction, scientists emphasized the importance of teaching people to mutual understanding, tolerance, value-bearing actions. The theoretical grounds and potentialities of the models of socio-political development offered by the Frankfurt School representatives were supported or condemned by leading intellectuals, political and public figures of the modern history. Considered to be productive the next ideas: the transformation of normative consensus on comprehended communicatively consensus in the discussion and substantiation procedures; development of new qualities and potentials of civil society; the struggle for free and creative thinking, against adaptability, conservatism, faith in contradictory facts and ready-made truths. The scientific and methodological approaches to the analysis of the theoretical heritage and practical activities of political science schools representatives. It is noted that among the achievements included in the archive of the history of political thought, it is necessary to conditionally distinguish between different levels of interdependent research of politico-philosophical, concrete historical and empirical analysis. The social-political ideals of G. Marcuse and their importance for the further development of the theoretical and applied theory of political repressions, public protests, radical actions in politics are also grounded. The author researches of historical, political and socio-cultural conditions of the Frankfurt school theorists' outlook formation including the first totalitarian manifestation and attack, suppression of human rights and freedoms, the exile of Germany and the genocide of Jews, the realities of bipolar confrontation and protest movements for civil liberties, anti-racism, pacifism, feminism, ecology etc. In the thesis got deepened political science approaches to the study of the development of the critical theory idea, which is manifested in three main areas: the critique of ideology, the critique of capitalism and the theory of action. It is alleged that the Frankfurt School member's writings often contains critical opposition to the state administration, police, corporations balanced by awareness of the diversity of the power phenomenon, the expansion of its content exclusively from the power of the state to power of science, intelligence, poetry, music, religion, family etc.
