Social and cultural constraints of civil society development in the Russian province

The article discusses the opposition, a "critical spirit" of a certain part of the society as a factor of progressive development of the country and its regions. It reveals the results of applied sociological researches, which aimed to identify the need for alternative views, solutions to certain problems. These studies show how the society uses the right to participate in public and political life and the right to exercise public control over the executive authorities of the region. This paper proves that the reform periods formed among the Ulyanovsk region population the need to know different points of view and to compare alternative ways of region's development. However, the tradition of conformism and paternalism keep personal critical participation in the political life of the region not only the ordinary citizens, but also representatives of civil society institutions.