As is noted in the article, one of the determinative characteristics of Russian society is traditional political culture inherent in it, distinguished by the presence of a number of archaic elements and archaic forms of consciousness. For all that, the author does not consider that Russia may be reckoned among “traditional societies”, and expounds his vision of the issue. Thus, on the one hand, there takes place adoption of elements of Western culture; on the other, this process is accompanied by “archaization” of the Russian politico-legal sphere.