The Prospects of Democratization of Russia: Between Slavophilism and Westernization

of the report This report on the Russian democratic prospect in the contexte of civilization strugglespresents the cultural factors of the regime transformation in that country. It is generallyestimated that the democracy in Russia will fail, because there are too many obstacles to it. Tothem belong, first of all, the perplexity of many the Russians, being in an awkward positionbetween the expansive Slavophilism and the equally active Westernization.1. The transformation in Russia might be studied by referring to the general conceptsand patterns of transition to democracy, as elaborated in relation to the similar processestaking place in other countries. For example, according to the D. Rustov`s thesis, thetransition might be devided into the preliminary (1987-1990), decisional (1990-1993) andconsolidation stages, while the last started in 1993 without being finished to that date.2. In Russia, there are not a tradition of liberal democracy, but it is a wide spreadopinion that their other models are familiar to the Russians and that they are very tied to somedemocratic values. The Russians have in high esteem more the liberal freedoms and rightsthan the democratic institutions and procedures. Above any democratic system, they preferthe order. There are many adversaries of the democracy, also among the liberals. Contrary tothe plight in this respect in the West, the liberal and democratic tendencies did separated inRussia yet before 1917.