Political space of Mountainous Dagestan: ethno-cultural and historical preconditions of formation

This article discusses the historical and ethno-cultural preconditions of formation of the unified political space of the Republic of Dagestan, in the light of the existence of two models of the stratification system in the Republic connected with the territorial specifics of the region and its peoples. The first model is characterized as a "mountain", the formation of which was influenced by the collective forms of power on the basis of historically established norms of customary law. The second model stratification in Dagestan, known as "lowland", the historical specificity of formation of which is associated with the dominance of personal power, which was subordinate to the dependent population. Any attempt a systematic and comprehensive study of Dagestan is based on the assumption of the unity and integrity of the process of its historical development. The unity of this entity involves an empirical proximity, similarity, analogy of forms of life and consciousness of its peoples. Primary role in the formation of a holistic image of the Dagestan society with its socio-political space played national-ethnic self-determination. In the mountainous Dagestan historically specific system of social relations, this became the basis for a special form of power, which had not personified and collective nature.