The "Empire" and "Strife" in modern Russian studies

The authors review the collected articles "The People and the Power in the Russian strife" (Moscow, 2010) and analyze the results of the roundtable discussions. The authors consider the study "Empires" and "Strifes" to be an essential problem of the field of Russian studies. The authors offer a conceptual scheme, linking periodically repetitive systemic crises of the Russian state and society ("Russian strifes" and "Russian revolutions") and the character of Russia as an Empire. The interaction of the People and of the Power is considered as the main factor determining the emergence, progression and overcoming of Strife. The "Empire" is interpreted as a special form of the unity of the Power and the People, having its strength reserve, defense mechanisms and ways of providing for civilization identity as well as sociocultural continuity.