Shekhovtsov, V.A. Genesis of the Russian Parliament: the first steps

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of two directions within the process of genesis of the Russian parliament: the pre-Parliamentary bodies of state government, their structure and forms of activities and the project of formation of Parliament in the Tsarist Russia. The multi-stage, contradictory process of formation of the Russian parliament includes formation, organization of work the pre-Parliamentary bodies of state government, as well as formation and development of the ideas of parliamentarism. At the time of its formation in IX century, the Russian (Kyiv) state, represented a type of an early feudal monarchy, and the popular assembly (veche) was one of the state government bodies. Veche was a gathering of the fully legitimate male city dwellers, which was regarded as a legally superior government body in Novgorod. It performed legislative, executive and judicial functions. The Novgorod veche gave power and competence to other bearers of public power (the prince, the eminence, posadnik (mayor) and tysyatskiy (captain of the thousand). the Council of Boyars is also of much interest to those studying the first elements of formation of the representative (legislative) government bodies in Russia. From the middle of XVI century to the middle of XVII century the activities of the Council of Boyars were complemented by the Assemblies of the Land (Zemskoy Sobor). From the start of the era of «enlightened absolutism» of the Empress Catherine the Great the liberal ideas, the theory of separation of powers, natural law, social pact, etc. start entering Russia from the West. The state government bodies, the pre-Parliamentary forms, the ideas of formation of a Parliament in Russia were the streams and sources, which after many centuries of evolution lead to the formation of the Parliament of the Russian Federation and the formation of the Russian parliamentarism.

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