The article deals with the problems of autonomy in the context of the historical development of the Russian Empire. The autonomy of the territorial units of a large state, which Russia has always been, is a complex and multifaceted process that depends on many factors. An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the process of autonomization in the Russian Empire is given - an issue that is also relevant for modern Russia. For this reason, the issue of autonomy is still a subject of discussion for both scientists and practitioners, just as it has been for centuries in Russian society. The article describes the political and administrative measures taken by the government of the Russian Empire to provide varying degrees of autonomy to various regions and ethnic groups of the country. These measures, although they had some success in relation to the promotion of local self-government and the preservation of cultural diversity, but faced significant problems and restrictions for various reasons, especially in the context of increased control and centralization by the monarchical power. The tension between the desire of the central government for control and the desire of the local population for more self-government is noted. The authors emphasize that the difficulties of the autonomization process of the empire were associated with regional differences, the unique history and culture of different regions, and linguistic differentiation. To support his arguments, the authors use a number of academic sources, including legal acts and materials of scientific discussions. An attempt to consider the problem of autonomization of the territorial units of the Russian Empire is correlated in the article with the historical realities characteristic of Russia with a projection on the present.
