Abstract: This article is dedicated to the problem of fear as a phenomenon of political power and dominance-subordination relations. The theoretical-methodological framework for the analysis of correlation between fear and political power is comprised of the works of Russian and foreign philosophers and sociologists (O. Comte, H. Spencer, T. Parsons, N. Luhmann, E. Shils, A. S. Panarin, and other.). The author examines such phenomenon as the fear of punishment, the peculiarities of occurrence of fear in the conditions of total control over citizens under despotic and democratic political regime, in the situation of destruction of the government. Characteristic is given to the fears of politicians (personal fears, fear of losing power, fear of democracy). Based on the theoretical models along with attracted historical and statistical material, it is demonstrated that fear is an inevitable side effect of any power that tends to conservation of the existing model of relations between the government and society. The article provides a new interpretation of the idea of the supporters of psychoanalysis on channeling the fears of politicians onto the population. It is underlined that in the current conditions, it is not so much the fears of the political elite, as on converting them into a governing technique. The latter conceals the true concerns of the political elite, as well as displaces the moods of discontent and social tension, turning them into fear towards the objects developed in the information field.

Keywords: fear of democracy, fears of politicians, fear of punishment, power, political psychology, political philosophy, political sociology, converting fears, authoritarianism, democracy

Abstract: This article examines the main political and philosophical ideas of Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin presented in his works "Letters of a Russian Traveler", "Historical Eulogy of Catherine II", "Memoir on Ancient and Modern Russia" and others. The author traces the evolution of the thinker's views on the phenomenon of cosmopolitanism, explores the interpretation of monarch’s power in his works, considers the ways of preventing the transformation of form of state government from monarchy into tyranny suggested of the author. The ideas of Russian historiographer were considered in the context of the concepts of Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, Charles-Louis de Montesquieu, Immanuel Kant, Ulrich Beck, Christopher Lasсh, Mikhail Iampolski and other representatives of classical and modern political-philosophical and socio-philosophical thought.Along with the general scientific methodology the author uses the dialectic method, the hermeneutic approach and the poststructuralist methodology as well as the method of comparative analysis of philosophical doctrines.The novelty of this study lies in the explication of the philosophical ideas in the works of N.M. Karamzin, who contributed not only to historical science, but also to political philosophy. The author reveals the dialectic of the universal and the particular in the structure of Russian identity in the works of the Russian thinker, tracing its transformation in different periods of creativity of Karamzin. The special contribution of the author consists in explication in Karamzin’s works of such characteristics of the subject of history and the scientist-historian as his "prejudice" due to the close fusion of personal and civic identification of the subject.

Keywords: cosmopolitanism, Russia, history, monarchy, autocracy, power, political philosophy, Karamzin, state, identity

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the institutional-political analysis of authority as the socio-philosophical and legal category. The authors conduct an analysis of the notion of “authority” in broad sense (as the philosophical and general sociological category), as well as in narrow sense (as the political-legal category). The authors examined the main politological and general sociological concepts that review the category pf authority (doctrines on authority): 1) attributive; 2) Marxist; 3) classical; 4) systemic that includes the three basic directions; 5) consensual; 6) relational; 7) behavioral; 8) and neo-constructivist. The article analyzes the various concepts of authority as the political-legal category that review authority as: a) function; b) system of powers; c) type of willful relation; d) system of branches of government power. The authors’ definitions of the authority and government authority are given in this work. In particular, authority as the philosophical and general sociological category is being determines as the condition for the establishment and functioning of any socially organized society that complies with the level of development of public relation characterized by the presence of the corresponding rights and responsibilities of the authority and subordinate subjects of legal relations. Authority as the political-legal category (government authority) is defined in the article as the property of the branches of government granted by the legislation certain state legal powers.

Keywords: category, legal, socio-philosophical, institutional and political analysis, government, people, Constitution, concept, notion, authority

Abstract: The author of the article describes features of the cultural policy in the modern Russian province using the example of a city of Yelets in the Lipetzk Region. At all times political authorities have been trying to satisfy the need of the society for both 'bread' and 'circuses'. The content of cultural policy has become an important part of legitimation strategies of the ruling elite that has to address to the Yelets myth in search for new meanings of the policy. The targets of the cultural policy are politically and economically dependent social urban groups which is a typical feature of the modern Russian poilcy in general. Cultural policy implemented by the government is a certain political narrative. In order to understand and properly interpet such a narrative, it is necessary to use the method of political hermeneutics as well as the method of content analysis allowing to focus on the content of the narrative. Emphasis on the cultural element of the policy made by the government proves that the government is trying to increase their own legitimacy which is most likely to mean that there are elections coming soon. However, there are no clear prospects for Yelets to turn into an economically developed center. Therefore it is most likely to be transformed into a tourist resort area and cultural center of the region which will draw attention to the 'circuses' more than 'bread'. In the short-term perspective the process of legitimatin of authority in Yelets will be still associated with the cultural issues.

Keywords: authority, discourse, Yelets, intellectuals, culture, legitimation, the Lipetsk Region, political narrative, province, elite

Abstract: The modern world with his undoubtedly active political life and quickly changing realities needs careful studying of the sphere of policy and its such important link, as political leadership. The political relations of society a priori generate a phenomenon of political leadership, as necessary and reasonable deep political and cultural, religious, and also the social and economic reasons the phenomenon. Political leadership, thus, plays a key role in the organization of any political process owing to what its relevance is indisputable, and the phenomenon of political leadership, its model and the concept represent an interesting subject for studying not only scientists-political scientists, but also researchers of other areas of scientific knowledge.At the present stage nature of positioning of party elite in the Russian political space radically changed. Creation of the All-Russia People's Front testifies that other model developing in modern Russia, goes for change to old party systems. New people seek to enter into the Russian political elite, whose interests represent again created parties.Fundamental problem field is folding of modern concepts of political parties. These concepts, on the one hand, are in system of the general achievements of modern conceptual thought. On the other hand, these concepts are transformed under the influence of realities of political process in different standard and legal landscapes. In this plan партогенез, party construction and functioning of parties in Russia is noted not only the all-Russian contents, but also a regional and local originality. Also it is obviously possible to mark out regional features domestic партогенеза in its actual and formal embodiment. In this regard perspective and concrete research interest represents party participation in optimization of contradictions of social development, including in modernization of the traditional communities developed and functioning in different regions of Russia.

Keywords: ideology, tradition of political parties in Russia, party construction, parthogenic mechanism, political modernization, political organization, political process, political transit, president, regional elite

Abstract: The article is devoted to the meaning and kinds of political authority, the relation between political authority and state authority and the role of political authority in state management. The author shows that the political authority and state authority are the two differet kinds of public authority, each of them having its own purpose and method of enforcement. Noteworthy that these two kinds of authority can be closely linked when we talk about the political authority as a part of the state system. The author substantiates the position that the public authority in itself is the institutionally executed social force. The author also describes the relation between the political authority and political institutions, in particular, governmental political institutions building up the state substructure. The author underlines the role of these institutions in the overall system of state management. Based on the definition of the political authority, the author formulates the main law of political development. 

Keywords: state institution, state authority, state management, state, state superstructure, political institution, political authority, politics, state machinery, -