The problems of sovereignty in the works of native pre-revolutionary government scientists

The issue of sovereignty in Russia has long been of no practical or theoretical interest. Russian scientists began to study it only in the second half of the 19^th century, and the most productive years were the 10–20^th years of the last century. The research conducted at that time cannot in any way be considered a blind copy of the achievements of Western science. Pre-revolutionary scientists presented their original approaches, solutions, and conclusions here, which were based on the richest historical experience and the specifics of Russia’s state and legal development. It is significant that nearly all the most famous Russian legal scholars of that time spoke out. This article analyzes their positions on such important practical and theoretical issues as the concept of sovereignty, the history of its creation; national sovereignty; sovereignty of state bodies, and above all monarchical sovereignty; sovereignty of state power; non-sovereign state; divisible, limited sovereignty, etc. Special attention was paid to the relationship between sovereignty and the constitution, sovereignty and the Russian Basic State Laws of 1906. The positions of pre-revolutionary Russian scientists became the basis for highlighting the following main indicators (criteria). Firstly, the very fact of the existence of a constitution, an act having supremacy, the highest legal force, is the most important indicator of the reality and effectiveness of sovereignty. Secondly, the content of the provisions of the basic law concerning sovereignty is important, which establish its specific form and its main indicators. This applies to the economic, social, political systems, the state structure, the system of state bodies, the status of a person, a citizen, and above all his rights, freedoms, and primarily in the political sphere. Thirdly, the consolidation of real forms of protection and protection of sovereignty in the constitution. Fourthly, taking into account the special role of the constitution in relation to sovereignty, the definition of an effective system of its legal protection.