Social Thought in Russia of Its Czarist-Era about the Place of Siberia in the State Structure of the Country

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the analysis of the views of the Czarist-era scientists and public figures on the role and place of Siberia in the structure of the government system. Theoretical substantiations and practical suggestions of public figures of the XVIII - early XX centuries on the issue of finding the best options for the rule by the imperial center of the eastern margins found response in the country's social and political discourse. The authors concluded that the settlement of the region led to a change in the management system of Siberia, which evolved from a priority source of furs to the integral part of Russia. The social thought of the empire cultivated the idea of the unity of the Siberian and All -Russian destiny justifying this with geopolitical, trade, communication and socio-cultural reasons. M.M. Speransky played a major role in the comprehensive modernization of the management system of Siberia, taking into account both unification and local ethnic and geographical features. In the Czarist-era, Russia developed and discussed alternatives for the structure and management of the state, but none of them reached the pilot stage, since the absolutist paradigm did not assume a real consideration of interests other than imperial ones. The brief multi-party pre-revolutionary period due to revolutionary and pre-revolutionary events also left numerous ideas of administrative and territorial reforms at the project stage. The complex of historical challenges necessitates the study of the experience of the mutual influence and interdependence of Russia and Siberia, and the development of an effective state management policy.