Genesis of the concept of "charity" in Russian history: regulatory support and forms of implementation

Studying the phenomenon of charity is of particular interest for philosophers, historians, and leaders of society. However, in the Soviet period, this issue was not examined at all, for political reasons. Nonetheless, charity has always reflected the level of socio-economic development of society and the state of moral culture and civilizational maturity of society. Therefore analysis must take into account three elements of charity in Russia: the historical background (context), the concept, and the practice of charity. The phenomenon of charity in the tradition of the Russian state is considered in this article. Legal documents of the XV - XXI centuries served as the main acts which regulated charitable work. Analysis was made of specific practices of charitable activities in Russia carried out on the basis of these legal documents. The State, church, and community organizations were agents of charitable activity in pre-revolutionary Russia. They were the foundation for social support to needy populations. Private charity didn't exist in the Soviet Union. It was considered a "cost" of the bourgeois system, and was replaced by forms of state social welfare. In the post-Soviet Russian life charity returned in 1995 at the legislative level. Both citizens and legal entities may participate in charitable activities, and these exist today together with state social security systems. The evolution of ideology and organizational forms of charitable activity during the pre-revolutionary, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods are considered in the article.

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