Ways of Political Modernization of Russia and Traditions of Political Culture

Abstract

Introduction. The article analyzes the phenomenon of reproducing authoritarian scenario of social and political modernization of Russia in the XX century. It is noted that the stability of political tradition of authoritarian governance can be explained by the mechanisms of action of the constants of Russian political culture, the presence of a certain modernization potential in authoritarian political institutions, as well as by geopolitical and geoeconomic conditions. Methods. Using the general scientific principle of complementarity, the author compares sociocultural, institutional and civilizational (technological) approaches to the analysis of Russian political culture. Causal explanations in combination with the analog method make it possible to reveal the relationship between the constants of political culture and various non-political practices of social life. The systemic and sociocultural approach is used to consider homogeneity and heterogeneity in the political culture of Russia, as well as the role of values in its impact on the process of modernization. Analysis. The author substantiates the conclusion that explanations of the content of Russian political culture, as well as the mechanisms and stability of its impact on the political process, are to be sought in the foundations of social organization and management of Russian society, the peculiarities of maintaining its social discipline and resolving conflicts, as well as in political experience of actors. It is argued that the depth of the split in the political culture of Russia and the strength of its impact on society and the political process are exaggerated. The manifestations of the unity of value orientations and political attitudes of the elite and wide strata of the population are considered. A variant of the periodization of Russian modernization is presented, demonstrating the historical logic of solving the problems of modernization, the objective conditionality of a gradual transition from an authoritarian to a democratic way of its implementation. The article shows the possibility of using integrating values of Russian political culture to substantiate the democratic version of its development.