Ancient Russian State Research Articles

Historical and legal aspects of the formation of the academic environment in Ukraine in the X-XII centuries (economic and legal aspect)

The article examines the historical and legal aspects of the formation and development of the oldest scientific centers of Kyivan Rus at the end of the 10th and beginning of the 12th centuries. Art., as well as the economic and legal regime of their property. It has been studied that in Kyivan Rus, as one of the powerful states of Europe in the IX–XII centuries. starting from the 10th century a significant development of education, literature and science was observed, which is connected with the Baptism of Vladimir the Great of Russia, the introduction of Byzantine, canonical law and the formation of the original ancient Russian state and legal thought. It has been established that education and science gained special development under Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise at the end of the 10th century. and the formation of the first national science center in Ukraine – the academic center «Yaroslav Academy», which was established at Sophia Cathedral in 1037. It was found that the activities of the «Yaroslav Academy» were based on both national traditions and the use of ancient and Bulgarian-Byzantine experience. It was noted that the activities of the «Yaroslav Academy» were characterized by the presence of a spectrum of scientific directions: translation activities, creation of own literary works and the first legal monuments («Pravda Ruska»). It has been established that the «Yaroslav Academy» should be considered the first scientific academic environment on the territory of medieval Ukraine, which operated in the format of reviving and spreading scientific knowledge and creating its own scientific works. It is noted that one of the important issues of the Yaroslav Academy’s activities is the study of the economic and legal regime of its property. The article analyzes the legal regulation of land ownership, including the land ownership of the church (Kyiv Metropolis). It was found that the institution of the metropolis provided for the right to independent church-administrative activity in the internal affairs of its diocese. It was established that the management of church property was carried out in accordance with the church statutes. It was concluded that the economic management of the property of the «Yaroslav Academy» was carried out by the Kyiv Metropolitanate, which had the right to manage church property, which was formed at the expense of the «princely tithe», which was deducted in favor of the Church (Kyiv Metropolis) and profits from «church courts».

Stanovlenie i zakonodatel'stvo Drevnerusskogo gosudarstva i srednevekovyh gosudarstv Evropy: sravnitel'nyj istoriko-pravovoj analiz

The article examines the history of the creation and formation of the Ancient Russian state and its regulatory framework, including such fundamental legal documents as the Russkaya Pravda, the Yaroslavl Series, the Novgorod Court Charter, the Pskov Court Charter, and so on in comparison with similar processes taking place in medieval Europe. The article also draws a direct historical and legal parallel between certain provisions of modern normative acts of the Russian Federation and the corresponding provisions of ancient Russian legal acts, the kutums of medieval France and the modern legal system of France, including the Code of Napoleon, etc.

Russian pagans in special military operation (experience of individual interview)

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of one of the directions of modern paganism (Asatra/Odinism) through the prism of the philosophical features of the participant of special military operation (SVO). The purpose of this work is to analyze the source base (interview materials) of the carrier – the respondent to determine the specifics of religious nativism in the area of the special military operation.Materials and Methods. The research materials are in-depth interviews, narratives of ideologues of modern Russian paganism, containing information about the specifics of the Germanic-Scandinavian variation of the religious phenomenon of the XXIst century. The author used the following methods: cultural and anthropological methods (qualitative content analysis, analysis of a set of individual interviews), hermeneutic method, comparative analysis. The study pays considerable attention to the principle of objectivism. In particular, during his work on pagan narrative sources, the author adhered to the principle of non-supporting hermeneutics, a method of historical phenomenology.Results. As a result, some features of «vital activity» of the phenomenon of world view of Russian pagans in the zone of special military operation were considered. The interviewing of a representative of the Scandinavian paganism (loneliness) made it possible to form an opinion on the following problem fields connected with the entry of neophytes into the religious system: on ceremonial practices, places of worship during war, symbolism, attitude towards state power, future of religious nativists in the realities of the Russian Federation.Discussion and Conclusions. The author managed to reach the following conclusions: in the zone of special military operation, in addition to representatives of world religions, active adherents of modern variations of Slavic and Scandinavian «traditional» beliefs. Slavic-Scandinavian religious syncretism is observed in the military pagan environment. The micro-world of «combat paganism» is partly an ideological, structural tracing of the «peaceful pagan diaspora» existing in the religious space of the Russian Federation. In both cases, there is a choice in favor of individual reading of the constructed/reconstructed creed, an identical system of charms, a common opinion on issues related to the initial period of the ancient Russian state (the place of foreign elites in its genesis).

Основные тенденции участия отечественных представительных институтов в государственном внешнеполитическом механизме

The article considers the features of the functioning of early models of the Russian foreign policy mechanism. With this in mind, in the process of research, institutional, historical-genetic and activity methods have been applied. On the basis of a retrospective analysis, the traditional features of domestic systems for making and implementing foreign policy decisions that functioned within the framework of the Ancient Russian State, the Moscow State and the Russian Empire have been characterized. Five main models of the mechanism for the formation and implementation of foreign policy,which were characterized by varying degrees of subjectivity of representative institutions, have been identified: the system of making foreign policy decisions in the Ancient Russian principalities in the X–XIV centuries (a high degree of subjectivity of the veche, taking into account the influence of the activation of external threats and internal instability); 2) the mechanism for the formation and implementation of the foreign policy of the Moscow State in the XVI–XVII centuries (increase in the subjectivity of the Boyar Duma and the Zemsky Sobor in the context of exacerbation of external threats and internal crisis manifestations); 3) foreign policy mechanism of the Russian Empire in the XVIII – early XX centuries (low subjectivity of the Senate, the Legislative Commissions, the State Council in the circumstances of constant external threats, the strengthening of central power and relative domestic political stabilization); 4) the mechanism of foreign policy activity of the Russian Empire in 1906–1917 (a higher level of subjectivity of the State Duma against the background of the crisis of the international system, the aggravation of external threats and internal economic and political problems); 5) a conventionally distinguished foreign policy mechanism that functioned in the period after the February Revolution of 1917 until the formation of the USSR (deviant model: contradictions between the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government on foreign policy issues against the background of the transformation of the system of international relations, the activation of external threats and internal shocks). It has been established that these models (except for the last one, which seems to be a special case) have in common the presence within the state bureaucracy of the dominant role of the «first person», which, at different historical stages, could have the powers of a commander and sovereign, exerting the greatest influence on the process of foreign policy formation. At the same time, the supreme leader, as a rule, relied on a narrow circle of trusted persons in the implementation of their functions in the foreign policy sphere. Traditionally, «power departments» (military, naval, foreign affairs) were personally subordinated to the head of state. It is concluded that the subjectivity of representative institutions within the framework of the state foreign policy mechanism increased in the face of increased external threats and internal crises and, accordingly, decreased against the background of general stabilization and strengthening of the central government.

HISTORIAN D.I. ILOVAISKY IN SCHOOL PRACTICE

Russia has long been famous for the names of famous scientists, teachers who left a noticeable imprint in Russian history. A worthy place among them is occupied by D.I. Ilovaisky.
 
 The purpose of the study is to study the scientist’s creative heritage in the field of school historical education.
 
 Materials and methods. When working with historical works of D.I. Ilovaisky, as well as with his history textbooks for schoolchildren of different ages, both general scientific methods were used – analysis, synthesis, generalization, and special methods – historical-genetic, historical-comparative, which made it possible to objectively assess the contribution of a scientist and teacher to historical science.
 
 Study results. The main stages of D.I. Ilovaisky’s life path are analyzed as well as his formation as a professional historian, who proposed original, sometimes controversial theories that caused patchy responses in the historical community. The main historical works of the scientist were studied, in which the author substantiated in detail the so-called “Roksolan” theory of the ancient Russian state’s origin. The contribution of the scientist to the development of local lore is studied. The educational and methodological materials of D.I. Ilovaisky on history for schoolchildren are examined. The discussion among historians-practitioners about the textbooks of D.I. Ilovaisky is thoroughly considered. Special attention is paid to the disclosure of the scientist’s position on the role of historical education in school practice.
 
 Conclusions. Comprehensive and complex analysis of the activities carried out by D.I. Ilovaisky in the field of school historical education makes it possible to understand and realize the importance of history as a science and as an academic discipline in forming the civic consciousness of the younger generation.

Rhosia and the Circum-Russian Politosphere of the 10th Century

This review considers the concept of the Rurikid polity of the tenth century proposed by Aleksei S. Shchavelev, Senior Researcher at the Center for Eastern Europe in the Ancient and Medieval World, Department of the History of Byzantium and Eastern Europe, Institute of General History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Also, the reviewer examines its chronology and spatial structure, the genealogy of the early Rurikids, and the dynamics of their territorial power. The concept of “polity” replaces the previous notions of “Ancient Russia”, “Kievan Rus’”, and “Ancient Russian State” irrelevant for pre-Christian Times. The basis for the reconstruction of the Rurikid polity in the tenth century was not so much The Primary Chronicle whose chronology is being criticized more and more harshly, as The Tactica by Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise (866–912), the treatise De Administrando Imperio by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905–959), letters from Hasdai ibn Shaprut (905–975), advisor to the Caliph of Cordoba, etc. This polity emerged following stochastic fluctuations in ethno-social, event, and personal history.

Формирование понятия преступления в древнерусской юриспруденции

The article examines the process of formation and development of the concept of crime in the system of law of the Ancient Russian state. The role and significance of legal custom and princely legislation in the process of formation of the all-Russian judicial and legal space is determined.

ИСТОРИКО-ПРАВОВЫЕ ПРЕДПОСЫЛКИ ВОЗНИКНОВЕНИЯ ПОЛИЦЕЙСКИХ ФУНКЦИЙ В СИСТЕМЕ ОРГАНОВ ВЛАСТИ ДРЕВНЕРУССКОГО ГОСУДАРСТВА (IX – СЕРЕДИНА XIII ВЕКОВ)

The article deals with the problem of the genesis of police functions in Russia. The directions of historical and legal analysis of the prerequisites for the emergence of police functions are presented. The materials of the article reveal the factors that caused the peculiarity of police functions in the system of the Old Russian state, which is usually understood as the so-called pre-Mongol period of the IX -mid-XIII centuries. The paper reveals the interdependence of the level of development of the state and law, law enforcement and police functions. The analysis of the factors of the emergence of the latter made it possible to identify the initial prerequisites for the genesis of domestic police func-tions in the system of authorities of the Ancient Russian state.

Zakonodatel'nye sposoby i sredstva ustanovleniya istiny po faktu sovershennogo prestupleniya v Drevnerusskom gosudarstve X–XV vv.: Bozh'i sudy

The article presents the results of the historical and legal analysis of the legislative acts of the ancient Russian state of the 10th-1Sth centuries regulating the process of judicial proceedings on the fact of a crime committed. Such methods of establishing the truth in the case as God’s judgments are investigated: the trial with iron and water, the oath, the judicial duel, the judicial lot. The authors came to the conclusion that the appearance of God’s courts in the ancient Russian state, as methods of judicial proceedings, is the result of the search for ways and means of a fair resolution of the criminal law conflict.

Professor Serafim V. Yushkov as the Founder of the Science of the History of State and Law

The article is devoted to the scientific work of Serafim V. Yushkov, the founder of the science of the history of state and law. Based on the study of documents from the archival fund of the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, the path of the scientist in life and science, his contribution to the study of the history of the ancient Russian state and law, source work on the study and publication of monuments of domestic law, including the Russkaya Pravda, the creation of a training course on the history of state and law are consistently revealed. Special attention is paid to the influence of the works of S. V. Yushkov on the formation of the history of the state and law of foreign countries. It is emphasized that it was through the efforts of S. V. Yushkov that the prevailing ideas about the subject and method of historical and legal science, the periodization of the history of the national state and law, and the research space characteristic of it were formed. The information on the criticism of S. V. Yushkov's works by other scientists of his time, on the discussion of these works at the meetings of the Academic Council of the All-Union Institute of Legal Sciences are given. The authors came to conclusion that through the efforts of S. V. Yushkov domestic scientists received for further research a thoroughly elaborated publication from a scientific standpoint of the fundamental monuments of ancient Russian law. The scientist's work significantly influenced further research in the field of the history of state and law, not only in our country, but also in foreign countries. Thanks to the students of S. V. Yushkov, who continued his work, an advanced historical and legal science was formed, and today it successfully performs its most important functions.

The 1950 Discussion about the “Russkaya Pravda” by S. V. Yushkov (to the 135th Anniversary of the Scientist's Birth)

The article, prepared on the basis of dialectical, formal-logical, formal-legal methods, as well as methods of historical analysis and systematization, sets and solves the task of showing the main directions of scientific discussions of the post-war period about the Russkaya Pravda, to identify the main achievements of S. V. Yushkov in the study of this monument of national law. The figure of Seraphim Vladimirovich Yushkov occupies a special place in the national science of the history of state and law, since he is actually its creator. He owns the name of this branch of scientific knowledge and academic discipline, its periodization, the formulation of a number of significant issues. The scientist paid the main attention to the study of the ancient Russian state and law. The central place among his works is occupied by the research of theRusskaya Pravda, including a monograph on this source of law, many provisions of which retain their significance today. At the same time, after publication, this work was ambiguously perceived by some scientists. The materials of the discussion on the the “Russkaya Pravda” by S. V. Yushkov, which unfolded during the discussion of the monograph at the Academic Council of the All-Union Institute of Legal Sciences, are presented. For the first time, verbatim reports of meetings devoted to the discussion of the monograph (1950) and the memory of Yushkov (1952) are introduced into scientific circulation.

Культовые места Демянской земли в контексте мифологемы героя

The study comes up with results of the analysis of historical material collected in the north of the Demyansk district of the Novgorod region during expeditions on the topic “Historical and cultural map of the Demyansk district” in 2021. In the course of processing the material, we drew attention to the fact that in this map, in addition to the historical and ethnocultural, the contours of the sacred landscape are clearly visible. For the Demyansk land, the sacred landscape is a geographical space where topochron meets the hero's mythologeme. While we studied the topos of the sacred landscape of the Demyansk land on the district`s north, its chronos covers the epochs of the formation of the Old Russian state, the time of the spread of Orthodoxy and its rooting in tradition, the Soviet period and its important part — the Second World War. For each of the determined toposes of the sacred landscape of the Demyansk land we identified corresponding hero mythologeme: a prince (a hero of the feudal era of the formation of the ancient Russian state), a priest (a religious figure, framer of the Christian sacred landscape of territories) and a Soviet warrior (hero of the Second World War).

The Main Subjects of the Formation and Development of Russian Statehood in the Late XIII - Early XIV Centuries

The article discusses the main subjects of the formation of a unified ancient Russian state at the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th centuries and analyzes the key factors that influenced this process. Special attention is paid to the description of the methods and tools used by ancient Russian governors in creating a unified state. The topic is relevant due to the current public and state demand for the search for new effective methods and models of governance that can be used in modern realities to build a unified and strong Russian state capable of pursuing a consistent and independent policy aimed at protection of national interests.

Ukrainian and Moscow law of early modern times: characteristics of the basic foundations

Introduction. In the conditions of the acute phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the «historical» front acquires special signifi cance. This requires constant focus on all parts of the historical and legal process, which will allow to reproduce as clearly as possible the historical and legal reality of a particular period. The importance of analyzing the general principles of Ukrainian and Moscow law of the early modern period is due to the fact that it was at this time that the basic characteristics of law were established, which have largely not lost their relevance to this day. The aim of the article the defi nition and analysis in the context of state and political development of the general foundations of Ukrainian and Moscow law, in particular based on the architectural idea of power in early modern times. Results. At the time of the Lublin Union, the Volyn, Kyiv, and Podil voivodships had «their» right, the core of which was the law of the ancient Russian state. During the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, statutes, land law, German law. As part of the Commonwealth, the decisive infl uence on the legal life of all Ukrainian voivodships is Rusky, Podilsky, Volyn, Kyiv, Podilsky, Chernihiv (since 1634) had a common Commonwealth state and legal matrix, social communicative practices and processes. Thus, among the components of the public-law mechanism of the Commonwealth are the following: election of the king; contractual procedure for registration of relations between the monarch and the political people (nobility) in the form of pacta convent, the principle of nihil novi; equality of rights of all the nobility, regardless of property status; sejm practice, etc. His important factors were also the «Westernization» of Orthodoxy, the common European educational space, the development of cities and urban law. Against this background, the concept of the Russian / Ukrainian people, who settled in their specifi c lands, is being formed. The state and legal legal development in the territories of Vladimir-Suzdal and Moscow principalities is analyzed and it is stated that at the end of the 16th century. in Muscovy, the concept of autocracy was fully established as the only possible one. At the same time, Moscow society suff ered from Moscow’s piety, caused by state terror and extreme conservatism, which contrasted sharply with the intense theological theorizing of the West, stagnation, and isolation. Attention is drawn to the cultural activities of Ukrainian fi gures (Petro Mohyla, Sylvester Kosiv, etc Conclusions. The above shows that at the end of the sixteenth – the fi rst half of the seventeenth century. Ukrainian and Moscow law demonstrates diff erent sets of basic principles, which, at the same time, have a stable and lasting character, which gives grounds to speak of them as legal canons. In Moscow, the foundation of such a right-wing canon of power building includes the following elements: the indistinguishability of power and religion, the elevation of the monarch and his sacralization equally distance his people from him - all his states, which are equal to lawlessness. Enshrined by the Conciliar Code (1649) which was in force until the fi rst half. XIX century., Rigid hierarchical power-legal model of the king (power) – the rest (citizenship), in which the infi nity / infi nity / immensity of monarchical power led to «leveling the value of proportion and measure» on all the swords of Moscow society. The legal canon of building power in the Ukrainian lands in early modern times is determined by the traditional role of the monarch as a mediator between the sacred and the profane, and the social order was built between two centers of power – secular (monarch) and religious (The Pope), and social progress – urban development , universities, in the broadest sense of civil society – was due to competition between it and religious tolerance, which echoed the noble ideology of «golden liberties». And the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth demonstrated a generally atypical type of state-power relations in Europe at that time, which was characterized by the absence of a state monopoly on violence, and thus social practices that in various ways contributed to maintaining peace and tranquility. Key words: Ukrainian law, Moscow law, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,Muscovy, legal canon, state and legal development.

DISCUSSION ON THE ISSUE «OTKUDU EST' POSHLA RUSKAYA ZEMLYA... I OTKUDU RUSKAYA ZEMLYA STALA EST'» IN THE UKRAINIAN EMIGRANT HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE EARLY 1930s

The article analyzes the discussion on the formation of the Ukrainian nation, which took place at the initiative of the Ukrainian Historical and Philological Society in Prague in the early 1930s and associated with criticism of the views of Miron Korduba. The ideological, not scientific, positions of the opponents of Korduba are revealed. The course of the discussion and its stages have been clarified. It was established that Korduba had supporters among Ukrainian historians, and not just opponents. Ukrainian emigrant historiography, concentrated at that time in Czechoslovakia, Germany and Poland, demonstratively tried to act as a united front with the point of view that the Ukrainian nation was already formed as part of Kievan Rus’ and that the history of the ancient Russian state belongs only to Ukrainians. Korduba's opinion was about an all-Russian state and a single cultural sphere of the Eastern Slavs in antiquity, when the nations had not yet formed. He believed, based on historical facts, that the Ukrainians, as a separate nation, emerged in the XIV century as part of the Lithuanian state.

Legislative methods and means of establishing the truth on the fact of a crime committed in the Ancient Russian state of the 10th—15th centuries

Legislative methods and means of establishing the truth on the fact of a crime committed in the Ancient Russian state of the 10th—15th centuries

Волхвы – жрецы Древней Руси?

Based on the comparative and historical method, hermeneutics, anthropology and ethnography, and the principle of objectivity, the analysis of such social group of Ancient Russia as Magi was carried out. Historiography and source study of this issue allowed the author to determine the contribution of his predecessors who were interested in this issue and to identify main contradictions on the Magi phenomenon. The article provides a rationale for historical and ideological necessity of analyzing ideas about man and the world as a system that functioned in the ancient Russian state. The period before the Christianization of Rus’ is understudied, and, at the same time, paganism (including the institute of priesthood, to which many think Magi belong) was the official and predominant religion among the Eastern Slavs until the Christianization of Rus’ in 988. The author is of the view that there should be continuity of all periods of the national history of Rus’-Russia, and it is necessary to reflect both bright and heroic events, and those kept secret for ideological reasons.

The Role of the Peoples of the Uralic Language Family in the Formation and Development of the Russian Civilization

The study examines the territorial organization of the Ural peoples and languages, reveals the features of the regional interaction and population dynamics, addresses the problems of the ancestral homeland and ethno genesis, the role of Finno-Ugrians in the history of Russia, highlights the acute issues of preserving languages and culture. The research focuses on some features in the development of the Uralic ethnic groups within the framework of the Russian civilization. It is alleged that the ethnic and political consolidation of most Finno-Ugric tribes was born in the bowels of the ancient Russian state and the first sprouts of the future unity of peoples were born, and their role in the powerful national-state construction that unfolded on the huge Eurasian territory of Russia in the period between 16th and 20th century is analyzed. The outcomes confirm that the Finno-Ugric peoples have always been an organic part of the Russian ethno-cultural mosaic. They actively participated in the strengthening of the state, mastered its vast natural wealth, and created the economic power of the country. Due to the fact that in Finno-Ugric, significant attention is paid to the problems of preserving languages and culture among Samoyed peoples, which cannot be called Finno-Ugric, we propose to use the term "Uralistics" more widely. This is a more accurate concept and can be used in the study of cultural processes among the peoples united in the Uralic language family.

Розгляд цивільних справ за участю суду присяжних в Україні

The article is devoted to the issues of retrospective analysis of the development of the jury trial in Ukraine, starting from its actual origin in the ancient Russian state and ending with the modern period, analysis of the peculiarities of civil cases involving jurors, But both then and now, controversy over him continues. There are supporters who consider it the most democratic institution in the country, which helps to reduce cases of unilateral and biased civil cases, increase public confidence in justice, and there are opponents who advocate its complete elimination due to a number of existing shortcomings. -political institution of power. It is worth noting that the development of the institution of a jury trial in most civilized countries was based on both the English experience and their own legal traditions and national characteristics. In general, the practice of introducing juries in different countries of the world shows that acting as an indicator of national legal awareness and readiness for reform, the jury, on the one hand, reflects the characteristics of the society in which it operates, and on the other hand - affects changes in professional and everyday legal awareness. Peculiarities of consideration of civil cases with the participation of jurors are determined. Emphasis is placed on the fact that there is still a division of competence between a professional judge and jurors. The participation of jurors in civil proceedings is aimed at ensuring the tasks of civil proceedings, which include fair, impartial and timely consideration and resolution of civil cases in order to effectively protect violated, unrecognized or disputed rights, freedoms or interests of individuals, rights and interests of legal entities. persons, interests of the state. The administration of justice with their participation is aimed at the observance of civil procedural form, due process, principles of civil procedural law, and the exercise by litigants of their procedural rights and responsibilities. This will increase the personal responsibility of judges for their decisions and rulings in civil proceedings. The procedural position of jurors is regulated by the norms of the Constitution of Ukraine, laws and bylaws. In itself, the idea of such a form of justice with the participation of representatives of the people in order to control the judiciary and increase public confidence in it is quite good, because it benefits both the state and society. However, the analysis of current legislation, case law shows a lot of shortcomings and problems in the jury trial, which require their elimination. There is a need to adjust the existing practice on this issue, taking into account the position of the European Court of Human Rights. It has been found that the jury has deeper problems, which arise from the problems of other spheres of public life. Lack of clear and detailed regulation by the legislator, unwillingness to work with such a system, irresponsibility and even unprofessionalism of officials who compile lists of jurors, judges and much more lead to defects in the activities of this court. It should be noted that the study of approaches to solving the problems of civil cases by a jury indicates the need to improve existing legislation.

The form of state in the historical and legal research of the Soviet period

The subject of the article is the application of the concept of the form of state in the Soviet historical and legal science.The purpose of the research is to confirm or disprove the hypothesis that the understanding of the form of the state in the Soviet history of law was not discrete, it changed under the influence of political transformations and had a significant impact on the modern theory of the state.The methodology. The method of periodization was used to highlight the Soviet period of historical and legal science, the chronological method was used to determine the upper and lower boundaries of the Soviet period. The narrative method made it possible to describe the historiographic process. The historical-comparative method was required to compare individual concepts.Results, scope of application. The concept of the form of the state that was used in the historical and legal science of the Soviet period has been determined. The form of the state in Soviet science included two elements initially: the form of government and the form of statehood. The third element has been added since the 1960s – the political regime. The institutionalization of the history of state and law as a science took place by the end of the 1940s. While historians of the old school were working, the main topics included the early stages of the development of the state. Then after the change of generations the priority place was taken by the problems of the Soviet state. By the end of the Soviet period a more harmonious allocation of topics had developed. In Soviet historical and legal science the form of the state of the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods was considered separately. The form of government of the Russian state in the pre-revolutionary period was defined as a monarchy. Several types of monarchy were distinguished: early feudal, estate-representative, absolute. The republican form of government was recognized for the Soviet state. Its class and social essence changed with the development of socialism. Organizational forms changed accordingly. When studying the polity, the main attention was paid to the federation. Its complex origin was noted, because the Russian Federation (RSFSR) was part of the federation of the USSR. The Soviet federations were built according to the nationalterritorial principle. The issue of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation remained debatable. Most researchers considered the RSFSR a state with autonomous entities. The development of the territory of the state as a whole has hardly been studied. Major administrative-territorial reforms carried out in the 1920s-1930s were considered in isolation from national-territorial construction. Generalized works on the territorial development of the state appeared only at the end of the Soviet period. Issues of the political regime of the feudal and bourgeois state were addressed in the study of direct democracy in the ancient Russian state, estate representative bodies, state power during the period of absolutism. Political liberalization was noted during the bourgeois reforms of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The democratic nature of the Soviet political regime was not questioned, therefore, the problems indicating trouble, crisis phenomena in the Soviet state were not identified.Conclusions. The understanding of elements of form of the state in the Soviet history of law was expanding. It changed in accordance with the changes in the Soviet governance. The main approaches to understanding the form of the state are accepted by contemporary Russian science.