Teetering on the Edge of Legal Nihilism: Russia and the Evolving European Human Rights Regime
In: Human Rights Quarterly (2015, Forthcoming)
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In: Human Rights Quarterly (2015, Forthcoming)
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20 years ago Lithuanian society adopted in the national referendum the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania in which preamble is stated that Lithuania seeks to become an open, fair, harmonious society and a constitutional state. But nearly two decades in the independent state developing legal, social security, economic and political systems testify that in our society has set in a value-system when such a value as the law is ignored and eliminated, i.e. the phenomenon of legal nihilism has spread. In this work the peculiarities of legal nihilism, also its causes and ways of overcoming in the comprehensive schools are analyzed. 98 students from the 7-8th forms of the Radviliškis X lower secondary school and 82 parents took part in the research. In the work the statistical data analysis was done in order to summarize the questionnaire. The most important findings of the empirical research: hypothesis of the work – not having investigated the causes of legal nihilism in comprehensive school and identified its results, we are not able to understand its destructive nature and to take effective means for its reduction, first in the comprehensive schools, and later in society. The concept legal nihilism and the departure from the rules and the proprieties among the parents with further education and university education isn't significant statistically. The concept legal nihilism among girls and boys isn't meaningful statistically. The departure from the rules and the proprieties among girls and boys is significant statistically. Boys are more prone to depart from the rules and break the common decency. Knowledge of law and legal terminology is important in teaching of young generation. Most parents, having taken part in the research, knew the legal concepts such as legal nihilism, low, freedom and equality . There were fewer students who could define the concept legal nihilism. More than half of the students indicated that the concept legal nihilism isn't well known to them.
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20 years ago Lithuanian society adopted in the national referendum the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania in which preamble is stated that Lithuania seeks to become an open, fair, harmonious society and a constitutional state. But nearly two decades in the independent state developing legal, social security, economic and political systems testify that in our society has set in a value-system when such a value as the law is ignored and eliminated, i.e. the phenomenon of legal nihilism has spread. In this work the peculiarities of legal nihilism, also its causes and ways of overcoming in the comprehensive schools are analyzed. 98 students from the 7-8th forms of the Radviliškis X lower secondary school and 82 parents took part in the research. In the work the statistical data analysis was done in order to summarize the questionnaire. The most important findings of the empirical research: hypothesis of the work – not having investigated the causes of legal nihilism in comprehensive school and identified its results, we are not able to understand its destructive nature and to take effective means for its reduction, first in the comprehensive schools, and later in society. The concept legal nihilism and the departure from the rules and the proprieties among the parents with further education and university education isn't significant statistically. The concept legal nihilism among girls and boys isn't meaningful statistically. The departure from the rules and the proprieties among girls and boys is significant statistically. Boys are more prone to depart from the rules and break the common decency. Knowledge of law and legal terminology is important in teaching of young generation. Most parents, having taken part in the research, knew the legal concepts such as legal nihilism, low, freedom and equality . There were fewer students who could define the concept legal nihilism. More than half of the students indicated that the concept legal nihilism isn't well known to them.
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Lithuanian society adopted Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania 15 years ago, where it have been fortified, that Lithuania will strive for an open, just, harmonious civil society and State under the rule of law. But the legal, social, economical, political systems, which have been developing for the last two decades in our independent state, proclaim that in our society have settled such system of values, where law as a social value has been ingnored and declined. There have been analyzed the phenomenon of legal nihilism, it's causes and the possibilities to overcome it in Lithuania in this work. The main causes and sources of legal nihilism are: the predominant ideology of legal positivism in our society, which claims that legal validity must be strictly separated from questions of morality, faulty law-making process, breach of constitutional regulation, unsettled institucijon of civil society, the lack of vision of common social – economical programmme, poor reputation of judiciary power, savage competition of political powers, outspread phenomenon of corruption. There have been suggestions to solve the problem of legal nihilism by integrated process in the work. Foremost, there have to be assumed all measures, which stimulate the formation of legal conscious and rise of legal culture in our society. Lots of social factors evidence the need of situations for civil society, because only an opened, democratically thinking, leading, actively defending human rights citizen is the foundation of State of rule of law. Faulty law-making and application of law processes certainly became the sources of legal nihilism phenomenon. There has to be expanded the boundaries of jurisdiction of Constitutional Court; this change would help to overcome the phenomenon of legal nihilism in Lithuania. In Lithuania there are a lot of persons, specially officials of the government, easily avoid legal liability and this practise doesn't help reinforce the authority of law. There has to be assumed all social, legal and political instruments which would help secure efficiency of the principal of inevitability of responsibility.
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Lithuanian society adopted Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania 15 years ago, where it have been fortified, that Lithuania will strive for an open, just, harmonious civil society and State under the rule of law. But the legal, social, economical, political systems, which have been developing for the last two decades in our independent state, proclaim that in our society have settled such system of values, where law as a social value has been ingnored and declined. There have been analyzed the phenomenon of legal nihilism, it's causes and the possibilities to overcome it in Lithuania in this work. The main causes and sources of legal nihilism are: the predominant ideology of legal positivism in our society, which claims that legal validity must be strictly separated from questions of morality, faulty law-making process, breach of constitutional regulation, unsettled institucijon of civil society, the lack of vision of common social – economical programmme, poor reputation of judiciary power, savage competition of political powers, outspread phenomenon of corruption. There have been suggestions to solve the problem of legal nihilism by integrated process in the work. Foremost, there have to be assumed all measures, which stimulate the formation of legal conscious and rise of legal culture in our society. Lots of social factors evidence the need of situations for civil society, because only an opened, democratically thinking, leading, actively defending human rights citizen is the foundation of State of rule of law. Faulty law-making and application of law processes certainly became the sources of legal nihilism phenomenon. There has to be expanded the boundaries of jurisdiction of Constitutional Court; this change would help to overcome the phenomenon of legal nihilism in Lithuania. In Lithuania there are a lot of persons, specially officials of the government, easily avoid legal liability and this practise doesn't help reinforce the authority of law. There has to be assumed all social, legal and political instruments which would help secure efficiency of the principal of inevitability of responsibility.
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Nihilistic attitude to Law is discussed as one of most serious threats to modernization currently carried out in Russia. «Law nihilism» term is defined, its social forms and influence on political and social development is discussed. ; Правовой нигилизм рассматривается как одна из серьезных угроз проводимой сегодня модернизации в России. Даётся определение правового нигилизма, выявляются его социальные формы и влияние на политику и процесс развития общества в целом.
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In: Problems of post-communism, Volume 63, Issue 1, p. 1-15
ISSN: 1557-783X
In: Bulletin of Chelyabinsk State University, Issue 5, p. 41-51
ISSN: 2782-4829
The article is devoted to the clarification of the sources of legal nihilism in the national history, which were related to the peculiarities of the historical past (first third of the twentieth century). They changed the social status of a person and his/her attitude to law. It is proved that the basis of modern social status of a person and his/her attitude to law is Stalinism. It passed as a regime, but it is quite reigning in mental habits, economic behavior, attitude toward leadership, to itself, to citizenship, responsibility, people, honest work, law, personality, etc. Such forms of consciousness being have been established which with an incredible ardour repel all rational-critical evidence – a kind of "mascult" in this area. The formation of negative attitude to law was connected, firstly, with the fact that in the mass consciousness of 20–30 years of the XX century law was considered as being borrowed from the former exploiting social systems; and secondly, the humanistic meaning of the legal norm was totally denied; thirdly, social and political paternalism became widespread. The belief in inability of a person to live according to his/her own, self-ruled norms, indisputable "proposals", backed by a whip and a honey-cake, humiliate human dignity.Total terrorization, real camp slavery, procedurally unlawful activity of judicial and forensic organs, mass fabrication of imaginary crimes, that is the characteristic of the phase of "criminal statehood" (K. Yaspers) in Russia in the 30's of the XX century, could not but touched all layers of the society and had a destructive effect on social life. Human quality inexorably decreases.The article shows that today's state of the society, with all the radical changes in the economic and political spheres, carries in itself a lot of rudiments from not so much distant past. The move to the rule of law is long and complicated. However, human efforts, connected with the critical understanding of the dialectical process of conscious and existential foundations, which need to be changed in the direction of perfection, is the basis for the struggle with legal nihilism and the improvement of the social quality of a person. ; Статья посвящена выявлению истоков правового нигилизма в отечественной истории, связанных с особенностями исторического прошлого (первая треть XX в.). Они изменили социальное состояние человека и его отношение к праву.Показано, что события украинского настоящего во многом наследуют прошлое и им объясняются. Делается попытка осмыслить пути изменения status quo. ; Статтю присвячено з'ясуванню джерел правового нігілізму у вітчизняній історії, що були пов'язані з особливостями історичного минулого (перша третина XX ст.). Вони змінили соціальний стан людини і її ставлення до права.Явища українського сьогодення здебільшого наслідують минуле і ним пояснюються. Зроблено спробу зрозуміти шляхи зміни status quo.
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Статтю присвячено з'ясуванню джерел правового нігілізму у вітчизняній історії, що були пов'язані з особливостями історичного минулого (перша третина XX ст.). Вони змінили соціальний стан людини і її ставлення до права.Явища українського сьогодення здебільшого наслідують минуле і ним пояснюються. Зроблено спробу зрозуміти шляхи зміни status quo. ; Статья посвящена выявлению истоков правового нигилизма в отечественной истории, связанных с особенностями исторического прошлого (первая треть XX в.). Они изменили социальное состояние человека и его отношение к праву.Показано, что события украинского настоящего во многом наследуют прошлое и им объясняются. Делается попытка осмыслить пути изменения status quo. ; The article is devoted to the clarification of the sources of legal nihilism in the national history, which were related to the peculiarities of the historical past (first third of the twentieth century). They changed the social status of a person and his/her attitude to law. It is proved that the basis of modern social status of a person and his/her attitude to law is Stalinism. It passed as a regime, but it is quite reigning in mental habits, economic behavior, attitude toward leadership, to itself, to citizenship, responsibility, people, honest work, law, personality, etc. Such forms of consciousness being have been established which with an incredible ardour repel all rational-critical evidence – a kind of "mascult" in this area. The formation of negative attitude to law was connected, firstly, with the fact that in the mass consciousness of 20–30 years of the XX century law was considered as being borrowed from the former exploiting social systems; and secondly, the humanistic meaning of the legal norm was totally denied; thirdly, social and political paternalism became widespread. The belief in inability of a person to live according to his/her own, self-ruled norms, indisputable "proposals", backed by a whip and a honey-cake, humiliate human dignity.Total terrorization, real camp slavery, procedurally unlawful activity of judicial and forensic organs, mass fabrication of imaginary crimes, that is the characteristic of the phase of "criminal statehood" (K. Yaspers) in Russia in the 30's of the XX century, could not but touched all layers of the society and had a destructive effect on social life. Human quality inexorably decreases.The article shows that today's state of the society, with all the radical changes in the economic and political spheres, carries in itself a lot of rudiments from not so much distant past. The move to the rule of law is long and complicated. However, human efforts, connected with the critical understanding of the dialectical process of conscious and existential foundations, which need to be changed in the direction of perfection, is the basis for the struggle with legal nihilism and the improvement of the social quality of a person.
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The article deals with the problem of legal nihilism as a threatening phenomena in political life of society. The historical background of nihilism and its influence upon modern nihilistic directions of Ukrainian public have been shown. The role of legal nihilism in political awareness of Ukrainians has been analyzed. ; В статье рассматривается проблема правового нигилизма как угрожающего явления в политической жизни общества. Определяются исторические истоки нигилизма и их влияния на становления современных нигилистических установок украинской общественности. Проанализирована роль правового нигилизма в политическом сознании украинцев. ; У статті розглядається проблема правового нігілізму як загрозливого явища в політичному житті суспільства. Зазначаються історичні витоки нігілізму та їх вплив на становлення сучасних нігілістичних установок української громадськості. Проаналізовано роль правового нігілізму у політичній свідомості українців.
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The study of the problem of the causes of legal nihilism in society is quite relevant because of the formation of legal awareness and legal culture – opposite in their meaning to nihilism phenomena – occurs under the influence of various factors, which depend on historical and social preconditions and stages of development of society. Ukraine is now experiencing the times of reforms and socio-political changes that directly affect the formation of an individual and society in the whole. And in the light of the formation of a new executive power – the National Police of Ukraine, which has to change its outlook compared with the past militia, – the development of mechanisms for eliminating the causes of legal nihilism is an extremely important area of scientific research. The author of the article among many causes of legal nihilism has researched the process of daily interpretation of the norms of law by police officers within law enforcement activities. Enforcement judgment is a very important component of the police activities, so the effectiveness of its use is an important factor in the process of combating the manifestations of legal nihilism. Thus, although such an important element of the enforcement process as enforcement judgment, while exercising subsidiary functions in the realization of law, often leaves the subjective limits, which, in turn, are aimed at achieving not the purpose of enforcement, but the satisfaction of personal, illegal privileges, incompatible with the principles of enforcement activities. Regarding the widespread deviation from the principles of the enforcement, we can argue that at the present stage of the development of political and legal system of Ukraine, the key factor causing violations of the principles of the enforcement within the police is the corruption component of the enforcement practice and the priority of own interests to the interests of society and the state. ; Досліджено процес повсякденного тлумачення правових норм працівниками поліції. Обґрунтовано, що необхідність у повсякденному самостійному тлумаченні норм права правозастосовувачами є однією з причин, що сприяють виникненню правового нігілізму у сфері правозастосовної діяльності поліції.
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The article is an attempt to outline the manifestations of the legal and political system's nihilism, the occurrence of which the author to some extent attributes to the policy of the Piłsudski political camp after 1926. The subject of the study is to determine the attitude of the leading activists of the Sanation camp to the political system practice and legal practice, seen for the purposes of this thesis as a certain set of actions contra legem and praeter legem in relation to the legal system in force. The author also analyzes the implications of J. Piłsudski's lack of a concrete, in formal and legal terms, political program on the attitude of the Sanation political camp in relation to the application of law law and on the legal security. The legal system turned out to be a factor significantly hindering the realization of the post-May camp's plans as well as the effectiveness of the political system's initiatives undertaken by the Piłsudski political camp. The main reason for the post-May camp's frequent recourse to activities that are to some extent attributed to the legal or political system's nihilism was the lack of deeper political intentions of the victor of the May Coup d'État. ; Artykuł stanowi próbę zarysowania przejawów nihilizmu prawnego i ustrojowego, których występowanie autor w pewnym zakresie przypisuje polityce obozu piłsudczykowskiego po 1926 r. Przedmiotem opracowania jest określenie stosunku czołowych działaczy obozu sanacyjnego do praktyki ustrojowej i prawnej, rozumianej na potrzeby niniejszego wywodu jako pewien zbiór działań zarówno contra legem, jak i praeter legem wobec obowiązującego systemu prawnego. Autor analizuje również implikacje braku skonkretyzowanego w sensie formalno-prawnym programu politycznego J. Piłsudskiego na stosunek obozu sanacyjnego do stosowania prawa oraz na bezpieczeństwo prawne. System prawny okazał się być czynnikiem w znacznym stopniu krępującym realizację zamierzeń obozu pomajowego oraz efektywność podejmowanych przez piłsudczyków inicjatyw ustrojowych. Zasadniczym powodem tak częstego sięgania przez obóz pomajowy do działań, którym w pewnej mierze przypisuje się charakter nihilizmu prawnego czy ustrojowego, był brak głębszych zamierzeń ustrojowych zwycięzcy zamachu majowego.
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Problem setting. When the defining word «legal» is added to the concept of «nihilism», new meanings arise, which requires checking how correctly this phrase is used in legal sciences. To preserve statehood, it is important to understand the essence and genesis of legal nihilism. Recent research and publications analysis. Despite the presence of attention to this important problem, both in the domestic and foreign literature devoted to the problems of law, there is still enough uncertainty in understanding the essence and causes of legal nihilism, which requires clarification and correction. Paper objective. It is necessary to clarify the meaning of the concept of «legal nihilism» by comparing this phenomenon with various forms of manifestation and thereby concretize its essence and origins. This will allow, in turn, determining the possibilities of overcoming it. Paper main body. The article actualizes the problem of the conceptual apparatus of legal sciences, which is associated with the vagueness and ambiguity of some concepts, including the concepts of «natural law» and «law». Ambiguity of the concept of law both as a goal and as a tool can become a source of legal conflicts. By clarifying this concept, it is possible to come to a deeper understanding of the concept of «legal nihilism», which is important for the field of law. The analysis of types of legal nihilism leads to the conclusion that it is necessary to distinguish between natural law and law, recognizing the primary role of human rights and the instrumental role of law. Two non-mutually exclusive opportunities to avoid nihilism associated with the education of citizens of legal consciousness are considered. The first is related to the education of respect for universal human values and their acceptance. Submission to the moral law, in theory, should prevent the violation of legal boundaries in the action of the subject. In the second case, this is a pragmatic way of bringing to the attention of citizens information about the inevitability of punishment. As a result, the conviction is formed that it is more profitable to comply with laws than not to comply, especially since being in the legal field ensures stability and security. The presence of prerequisites for the effective implementation of these opportunities in the modern world is analyzed. At the same time, modern realities were taken into account, for example, such as the processes of globalization and the factor of postmodernism. Conclusions of the research. The reason for legal nihilism is violations in the development and application of legislative acts associated with a complex crisis affecting the social, economic, political and legal spheres. All calls for the education of legal consciousness will be declarative in nature without eliminating the objective reasons leading to its distortion. ; В статье акцентируется внимание на не всегда корректном использовании терминологии в литературе, посвященной проблемам права, что связано с расплывчатостью и многозначностью некоторых понятий. На этом основании уточняется значение понятия «правовой нигилизм», относимого к сфере правосознания. Обусловлена необходимость различать сущность и причины данного негативного явления, что облегчает поиск подходов к его преодолению. Проанализированы основные возможности формирования правового сознания. Выяснено, что эффективное решение данная проблема может иметь при условии анализа целого комплекса объективных причин, в основном политического и экономического характера. ; У статті акцентується увага на не завжди коректному використанні термінології в літературі, присвяченій проблемам права, що пов'язано з розпливчастістю і багатозначністю деяких понять. На цій підставі уточнюється значення поняття «правовий нігілізм», яке відносять до сфери правосвідомості. Обумовлена необхідність розрізняти сутність і причини даного негативного явища, що полегшує пошук підходів до його подолання. Проаналізовані основні можливості формування правової свідомості. З'ясовано, що ефективне вирішення дана проблема може мати тільки при умові аналізу цілого комплексу об'єктивних причин, в основному політичного та економічного характеру.
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Problem setting. When the defining word «legal» is added to the concept of «nihilism», new meanings arise, which requires checking how correctly this phrase is used in legal sciences. To preserve statehood, it is important to understand the essence and genesis of legal nihilism. Recent research and publications analysis. Despite the presence of attention to this important problem, both in the domestic and foreign literature devoted to the problems of law, there is still enough uncertainty in understanding the essence and causes of legal nihilism, which requires clarification and correction. Paper objective. It is necessary to clarify the meaning of the concept of «legal nihilism» by comparing this phenomenon with various forms of manifestation and thereby concretize its essence and origins. This will allow, in turn, determining the possibilities of overcoming it. Paper main body. The article actualizes the problem of the conceptual apparatus of legal sciences, which is associated with the vagueness and ambiguity of some concepts, including the concepts of «natural law» and «law». Ambiguity of the concept of law both as a goal and as a tool can become a source of legal conflicts. By clarifying this concept, it is possible to come to a deeper understanding of the concept of «legal nihilism», which is important for the field of law. The analysis of types of legal nihilism leads to the conclusion that it is necessary to distinguish between natural law and law, recognizing the primary role of human rights and the instrumental role of law. Two non-mutually exclusive opportunities to avoid nihilism associated with the education of citizens of legal consciousness are considered. The first is related to the education of respect for universal human values and their acceptance. Submission to the moral law, in theory, should prevent the violation of legal boundaries in the action of the subject. In the second case, this is a pragmatic way of bringing to the attention of citizens information about the inevitability of punishment. As a result, the conviction is formed that it is more profitable to comply with laws than not to comply, especially since being in the legal field ensures stability and security. The presence of prerequisites for the effective implementation of these opportunities in the modern world is analyzed. At the same time, modern realities were taken into account, for example, such as the processes of globalization and the factor of postmodernism. Conclusions of the research. The reason for legal nihilism is violations in the development and application of legislative acts associated with a complex crisis affecting the social, economic, political and legal spheres. All calls for the education of legal consciousness will be declarative in nature without eliminating the objective reasons leading to its distortion. ; В статье акцентируется внимание на не всегда корректном использовании терминологии в литературе, посвященной проблемам права, что связано с расплывчатостью и многозначностью некоторых понятий. На этом основании уточняется значение понятия «правовой нигилизм», относимого к сфере правосознания. Обусловлена необходимость различать сущность и причины данного негативного явления, что облегчает поиск подходов к его преодолению. Проанализированы основные возможности формирования правового сознания. Выяснено, что эффективное решение данная проблема может иметь при условии анализа целого комплекса объективных причин, в основном политического и экономического характера. ; У статті акцентується увага на не завжди коректному використанні термінології в літературі, присвяченій проблемам права, що пов'язано з розпливчастістю і багатозначністю деяких понять. На цій підставі уточнюється значення поняття «правовий нігілізм», яке відносять до сфери правосвідомості. Обумовлена необхідність розрізняти сутність і причини даного негативного явища, що полегшує пошук підходів до його подолання. Проаналізовані основні можливості формування правової свідомості. З'ясовано, що ефективне вирішення дана проблема може мати тільки при умові аналізу цілого комплексу об'єктивних причин, в основному політичного та економічного характеру.
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