Formation and development of civil society in Russia: history and modernity

The article discusses issues related to the institutionalization and development of modern civil society in Russia. The article provides brief history of its formation and gives the theoretical principles of prominent representatives of Russian social thought of the XIX – XX centuries, which are predictors of the prospects for its construction in the Russian state. There are the essential characteristics of civil society and the author identifies achievements and challenges encountered in the process of its formation. The author pays special attention to the main features of this type of social structure. The author gives a significant place in the article to the consideration of those levers and mechanisms by which its formation and development is ensured. The paper emphasizes that civil society is a fundamentally new phenomenon in the legal consciousness of Russians. The author concludes that the construction of civil society is not a one-time act, but a long and complex process. It will take a considerable period before its main institutions are in place. The formation of civil society in Russia is in the initial stage of its development. Its construction depends entirely on the Supreme power and the citizens themselves.