Dynamics of the axiological and ideological dimension of Russian political life of the 1990s (the 25th anniversary of the 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt)

The article aims to analyze the essence and trends in the axiological and ideological dynamics of Russian political life in the 1990s. The collapse of the united political and economic space of the Soviet Union was largely predetermined by the delegitimization and crash of the ideology and values of the regime. The mass appeal of the ideas of liberal democracy, democratic institutions and practices opposed the Soviet model and caused spiritual and axiological foundations for conflicts and tension. Confrontation between the principles of pluralism and democracy on the one hand and total utopian collectivism and unification on the other hand in Russia in the late 1980s - early 1990s determined the acute clash of ideological positions, both within society and in politics. A key element of the symbolic struggle in the new Russian reality was refusal from the Soviet past and rejection of the features of the totalitarian period. A transitology model allows to consider the entire process of democratization of the social, cultural and political life as a factor of axiological and ideological space functioning. Formation and institutionalization of many ideological platforms took place under the influence of democratic ideas. However, the spontaneous use of democratic practices by Russian society and elites led only to the nominal execution of democratic procedures. The initial competition of multiple party ideologies was accompanied by institutional processes based on the dominance of presidential power according to the Constitution. It determined the decrease in the competitive potential of the political forces whose ideological struggle was limited to the frames of the weakened parliament. This is how authoritarian tendencies and the movement to the unification of the ideological space appeared in Russian politics. It is shown that the political realias of the 1990s and traditions of rule and subordination in Russia led to the establishment of the so-called "illiberal democracy" (F. Zakaria) as a political order. The ideological orientations of liberal democracy came into conflict with the real structure of power which traditionally related to the authoritarian model. The combination of election procedures and authoritarian practices in the common political and cultural context of the democratic paradigm formation in Russia led to the disappointment in democratic procedures and values. The basic values-and-meaning dominants in the society's mood ("stability" and "security") were determined at the turn of the 21st century. The image of the new power was constructed on that basis.

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