Abstract:

The article deals with the spiritual and ideological foundations of the Russian state power. The main idea of the work is to recognize the defining meaning of cultural determinants in the formation of the specific nature of Russian state power.  The first cultural universal includes recognition and understanding of Christian universalism literally. It is reflected in the notion of "Holy Russia" and its other form: "Moscow – the third Rome". This notion is of the space content and the "super - ethnic", having served as a basis for formation of the Imperial ideology subsequently. In the social space it has led to a weak link between the government and the people. It was formed as if two areas: state power and people. With a weak connection between these two areas, it was possible to reach to the authorities only on the basis of radical social practices. And there is the second cultural determinant. Russian Holiness was an antinomy of light and darkness, a dualistic understanding of the world. There was no middle ground between them. And, therefore, there was no place "legalized" for the state and secular authorities. They were above or below the social world. Taking into account the absolutization of the moral- ethical dimension of Russian culture (the Orthodox civilization adheres to the spiritual side only), the power fell out of the sphere of rational, was not mediated by legal discourse and was considered to be as tormenst of conscience. In society it led to a weak legitimation of state power and legal culture. The recognition of the holiness of the secular authority under Peter the Great has led to the formation of "paternalistic" matrix of Russian state power. In the light of this matrix the "Father of the Fatherland", the autocrat, was responsible for everything. This paternal model of power is going on to exist nowadays.

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