“The Experience of Narrating about Russia” by I. P. Elagin (1725—1793): reflections on the state and law

The article is devoted to the state-legal views of the Russian statesman and public figure of the second half of the XVIII century I.P. Elagin, set out in the essay «The Experience of narrating about Russia». The author of this book was a staunch supporter of the autocratic monarchy, which he considered the only correct form of government for Russia. Of undoubted interest are the author’s reflections and judgments on the importance of state laws for all subjects of the Russian Empire in preventing popular unrest (uprisings, rebellions), as well as an acute critical assessment of the events and results of the French Revolution of 1789.