“Image of the Future” in politico-legal and economic thought of Russian liberalism of the late 19th – early 20th centuries

Abstract

The article examines the main characteristics of the image of the future formulated in the politico-legal thought of Russian liberalism of the late 19th – early 20th century as reference points for political and social design. Based on the results of the analysis, it is concluded that Russian liberal thought formed a general image of the future Russian society which presupposed the synthesis of a liberal worldview with historically established practices of public administration. The liberal model of reforming the country was viewed as the basis of the image of the future, and the primacy of peaceful reform of socio-political system was considered as the basic paradigm of social construction. This approach is valid for both politico-legal and socio-economic thought, although there is a certain specificity in relation to the latter, which is reflected in this article and can be found in the works of such thinkers of the time as I. Babst, I. Yanzhul, A. Butovskii, D. Mendeleev, S. Bulgakov, M. Tugan-Baranovskii, and others. Within the framework of the analysis, the following aspects of difference are considered: a significant difference in the perception of the place and interconnection of the economic system with society, which led to the appearance of the term “moral capital” in the works of Russian liberals and proof of the connection between morality and economic development; the perception of a person whose role was thought of as that of the creator of economy by Russian liberal economists in the context of the future of our country; adaptation of the European experience to the conditions of Russian reality, which forced the image of the ideal economy of the future of Russia to be adjusted taking into account national characteristics of the country; the presence in the works under analysis of a clear idea that it is possible to achieve a bright future only with a new stage of reforms “from above.” At the same time, the article emphasizes that despite the presence of the specific features under consideration, the general approach to the image of the future in the economic context fits perfectly into the mainstream liberal conception.

Keywords

• russian liberalism
• “liberal image of the future”
• social design
• nonviolent methods of social transformation
• relationship between economy and morality
• role of the state in reforming the economy
• liberal model of reforming the country