ABSTRACT
It would be reasonable to start a study into constitutionalism in transitional societies with a review of the original situation that it actually evolves in. This is a crisis of traditional society, which transforms from the intrinsic self-sufficiency and stability of its grounds to a state of new self-identification, recognizing the necessity of upholding its place by interacting with other political systems in the world. As decision making is outside public control here, the driving forces of modernization are connected by power structures and administrative mechanisms. History of autocratic Russia is represented by different types of reforms and ideological justification thereof, pursuing modernization (initially conceived as Europeanization) of social relations. The first type implies a rapid “catch-up” development exercised exclusively through government administration, seeking the accomplishment of the authorities' strategic goals as fast as possible. Since the public rated the power's place within the hierarchy of a global political system by its military potential, this modernization option is more or less indirectly linked to the effectiveness precisely along this line. This is best illustrated by the reforms of Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century, who managed, in a short space of time, to establish an effective army, navy, industry, taxation and secular education systems. A special significance of this historic type of reform was imparted by the charismatic reformer, who viewed the objective process of modernization as a personal responsibility and choice. This type of reform required an absolute power and resulted in establishment of absolutism in Russia.
