Abstract: The subject of this research is the actualized part of theoretical-legal heritage of the prominent Russian lawyer of the late XIX – early XX century Ivan Trofimovich Tarasov (1849-1929); his representations of the specificities of realization of social function of the state; correlation of the police, legal, and social states; concept of the social state; potential government intervention and its limits into the various spheres of public life in solution of the socially important issues; as well as maintenance of the balance between exercising the social function and ensuring the human rights and freedoms. The methods of interpretation of the legal ideas and normative legal acts were used in the course of this work. The contemporary legal science has not yet performed a comprehensive problem-theoretical reconstruction of the theoretical-legal heritage of I. T. Tarasov. Leaning on the achievements of the Western European and Russian police-legal theory, I. T. Tarasov determined the circle of paramount issues that are subjected to solution in terms of establishment of the social state and execution of social functions. I. T. Tarasov was one of the first national police scientists who raised a question about the reasonable limitation of government intervention into the public life, as well as the need for determination of the mechanism of such intervention and its legislative consolidation. Such ideas proposed by I. T. Tarasov were revolutionary for his time.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the relevant part of the theoretical-legal heritage of the renowned Russian jurist Ivan Trofimovich Tarasov (1849-1929); establishment and evolution of his state legal views; Tarasov’s concepts in the area of domestic administration of the Russian Empire. The article gives characteristics to the scholar’s contribution into the development of the theory of police and administrative law, as well as I. T. Tarasov’s outlook upon the problems of law enforcement activity, the essence of administrative enforcement, as well as the prospects of establishment of the institution of administrative justice in Russia. Scientific novelty consists first and foremost in the fact that complex problematic-theoretical reconstruction and interpretation of the theoretica-legal heritage of I. T. Tarasov has not been executed within the historical legal science until today. I. T. Tarasov not only determines the problems of the domestic government administration, which found reflection in his works, but also proposed ways and means for their solution. Scholar’s works significantly affected the development of the Russian jurisprudence of the late XIX-early XX centuries and remain relevant under the modern circumstances.