Open AccessALEXANDER II MODERNIZATION AS A CIVILIZATION CHOICE OF SOCIETY
Author(s) -
Анна Дмитриевна Попова
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
istoriâ: fakty i simvoly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2949-2866
pISSN - 2410-4205
DOI - 10.24888/2410-4205-2021-28-3-72-81
Subject(s) - civilization , paternalism , constructive , western culture , modernization theory , power (physics) , nihilism , law , political science , autocracy , oligarchy , government (linguistics) , sociology , democracy , environmental ethics , philosophy , politics , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , process (computing) , computer science , operating system
The article investigates the reforms introduced by Alexander II through the prism of a comparative analysis of western and eastern civilizations. The author maintains that, having long developed as eastern civilization, Russia is characterized by oriental despotism, absence of a constructive dialogue between government and society, paternalistic social consciousness, legal nihilism. The author assesses historical data on reforms implemented by Alexander II and comes to the conclusion that the reforms signified an attempt to converge with western civilization. Alexander II‟s reforms enhanced the importance of law, highlighted the principle of everyone‟s equality before the law, encouraged a constructive dialogue between government and society, and underlined the inadmissibility of plenipotentiary autocratic power and despotism. However, since it is not easy to change public mind, western innovations remained closely associated with oriental traditions, such as the importance of community, paternalism, and legal nihilism. The author concludes that though Alexander II‟s reforms introduced some elements of western civilization, Russian society remained essentially oriental.