Ideas of Unification of Slavs and Constitutionalism in Russia in the XIXth Century

The purpose of the study. The question of the unification of the Slavs is very, very tenacious. It has been more or less constantly manifested over the past centuries, has attracted and is attracting its attention today. The article is devoted to the analysis of the most fruitful in this regard in the 19th century, when the largest number of domestic ideas of unification of Slavs and a kind of Slavic constitutionalism associated with it appeared. The central place here is occupied by the problems concerning the most important, fundamental institution in this field - Slavic federalism, the Slavic federation. First of all, a study of the main trends, projects, approaches on this issue has been conducted. It is reasonably noted that the most famous here is pan-Slavism. We meet with the beginnings of it in Russia in the second half of the 19th century through the Croat writer Yuri Krizhanich. In the future, the exponents of the ideas of pan-Slavism in one form or another become the writer I.M. Karamzin, the official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs S.M. Bronevsky, retired Major A. Polev, diplomat, philosopher V.F. Malinovsky. These ideas were also voiced in the era of the Decembrists. The most important role here is assigned to the Society of the United Slavs (1823-1825). The next direction is Ukrainian federalism. His brightest exponent is the “Cyril-Mythodiy Society” (1846-1847). The idea of uniting Slavs, the Slavic federation, and corresponding projects were also presented by the revolutionary, ideologist of revolutionary populism, anarchism M.A. Bakunin; publicist, sociologist N.Y. Danilevsky; revolutionary, writer A.I. Herzen. Conclusions. The idea of uniting the Slavs, the Slavic federation turned out to be unreal, utopian in our country, in the world. At the same time, its vitality is due to its attractiveness, the belief that such unity can be effective, creative, and provide protection for the Slavs from attacks that have taken place and are not unfortunately taking place in reality today. It should also be noted that a number of decisions and constructions of the XIX century associated with the unification of the Slavs found their definite real embodiment in the future in practical constitutionalism. These are, for example, the creation and functioning of the federation in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia during the years of socialism, uniting related Slavic peoples; the Constitution of Poland of 1815. The Tarnovo Constitution in Bulgaria of 1879, the Main state laws in Russia of 1906.

democracy, legality, constitutionalism, constitution, pan-Slavism, parliament, Slavs, Ukrainian federalism, federation