Karpov V.A. Russian legal statehood at a crossroads: historical aspects of the selection of concept of the legal state in Russia at the end of 1980’s and beginning of 1990’s

Abstract: The subject of this research is the turning point in the history of establishment of the legal state in Russia during the late 80’s and early 90’s. The author follows the fairly short span of time during which the concept of legal state have transformed from the initial concept of a socialist legal state, to the final removal of all competing concepts (such as the concept of socialist legality) and establishment of domestic legal political thought as the flagship for coming decades. The author examines the key milestones of acceptance of this concept at the government level, including the legislation of the late post-Soviet period, and the vectors of scientific cognition of the concept of legal state within the legal sciences of the early 1990’s. The author characterizes the peculiarities of the interpretation of this concept in the various constitutional projects developed in that time, as compared to the final version of the text embodied in the acting Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993.

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