Russian Autocracy as a State and Legal Phenomenon in Scientific Thought

Russian nationhood studies are on the lookout for new historical trajectory and innovative forms of state and legal organization. Despite the current focus on the national past, the autocratic system receives little attention from contemporary scholars. However, the most recent in-depth analyses of autocracy are more than a century old, and the phenomenon itself is usually viewed as part of a broader subject. The four centuries of Russian autocracy is reason enough for comprehensive research and a clear theory that would incorporate the insights of the contemporary legal science. Autocracy is a multifaceted and interdisciplinary phenomenon with both legal and institutional foundations, as well as its own ideological framework. It is interwoven with the structure of state elites. The author proposes to view autocracy as a socio-cultural phenomenon, defining it as a complex set of state and legal practices deeply rooted in public consciousness and mindset. These practices have their own reproduction mechanisms and shape the structure and characteristics of state power, elite structures, and legal systems. Autocracy also relies on a specific system of ideas and perceptions that support its existence. This study contributes to the national theory of Russian autocracy within the realm of historical and legal science.