Power and the formation of civil society in the territory of «the inside periphery» of the Russian empire (the research program)

The assessment of the role the state power played in the genesis of civil society in the Russian empire is a complex scientific problem. In this article it is analyzed with regard to specific features of functioning of regionally-oriented authorities as well as social-cultural characteristics of Russia's «inside periphery». The author substantiates the necessity to pay special attention to Orenburg region 1851-1905. Realization of this research project will contribute to better understanding of the genesis of civil society in the pre-revolutionary Russia.