Domestic experience of studying history of Russia of the imperial period in the context of the theory of modernization

The article presents a historiographic review of modern Russian literature, whose authors use the theoretical and methodological tools of the theory of modernization to analyze the problems of the history of development of Russia in the imperial period. The article briefly describes the process of evolution of this theory, which consists in shifting the interest of scientists working in the modernization paradigm from the analysis of predominantly economic and institutional changes to the study of the complex of cultural and social transformations taking place in European countries in the New Times. An attempt was made to identify the main trends, to analyze the concepts and points of view developed by Russian social scientists in studying the historical problems of the Russian Empire with the application of the modernization theory. It is concluded that the general trend characteristic for researchers applying the provisions of the theory of modernization to explain the historical past of the Russian Empire is their recognition of the "catching up" nature of Russian modernization, taking into account its national, cultural and civilizational features and in identifying the determining role of the state in this process. Thanks to its powerful cognitive potential and integrated approach, the modernization theory has not lost its theoretical and methodological significance and continues to be an important theoretical foundation for many domestic concepts of Russia's historical development in the imperial period.