Veliky Novgorod and the political structure of pre-state communities

The subject of the research is a curious and endemic phenomenon such as the republican structure of the Novgorod Republic, which existed in the northwest of Rus from the 12th to the 15th centuries. The nature of republicanism and even, according to some assessments, Novgorod democracy, is a question that has occupied researchers for more than one generation. To explain the reasons for the emergence of such a unique socio-political system, it has traditionally been necessary to seek analogies in the lives of other medieval city-states, ancient poleis, as well as communities in the stage of "tribal democracy." This work is dedicated to comparing the republican structure of the Novgorod Republic with similar institutions of pre-state communities, as well as their social structure, evolution, dynamics of political development, the nature of the struggle between various factions for power, and the historical context of political transformations. The most appropriate method in this case is the use of broad historical comparison, where a massive cluster of historical material is employed to reveal the nature of the emergence of similar republican polities. Throughout the article, it becomes clear that the main forms of political organization of society, such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy, have been inherent to humanity at all "stages" of its development, from the "primitive" tribal structure and the Middle Ages to the present day. Many processes, such as the evolution of a monarchical state into oligarchy or democracy, while essentially analogous, can also be triggered by similar causes. This allows for a re-examination of the approach to studying the history of the emergence of the Novgorod Republic, recognizing the productivity of applying the method of broad comparison in historical research, and making key assumptions regarding the reasons for the emergence of republican power institutions in the northwest of Rus in the first half of the 12th century. It is found that the most probable reason for the emergence of the republican model of power is the increase in volume and significance of external trade—a factor that can be traced in all the polities considered (including "tribal") that made the transition from a monarchical to a republican and democratic model of political organization.