East - West - East: genesis of local government in Russia and abroad

Introduction. The article is devoted to the problematic issues of the formation of Russian local government in the course of the reforms in Russia. The article presents the co-authors’ judgments on the genesis of local government, both in Russia and abroad. Methods. Some historical aspects of the formation of local self-government are considered. An attempt has been made to reveal the role and place of local self-government in building a truly democratic, legal state. Results. The co-authors analyze the approaches to local government in the West and in Russia. The article proves that Russian law is an integral part of Western law, but it has a number of fundamental differences that affect local government. The co-authors of the article substantiate the proposition that those in power in Russia treated local government as a kind of administrative power, which was due to the pivotal role of the monarchy and the state. Therefore, in any modern state, local self-government has a functionality substantially exceeding the originally laid down in it. The local government of a modern state is a symbol of the national spirit, a measure of general and special (legal) culture, a criterion of the level of democracy and the social responsibility of rulers. The local government of each specific state forms the system of coordinates, which gives this society the uniqueness and integrity. Conclusions. The co-authors, describing the relationship of the supreme power and local government in Russia in different historical periods, come to the conclusion that local government in the Russian Federation should be the guarantor of democracy, justice and stability of the political and legal system of the state.