Russia moving away from totalitarianism but destination dim – minister

MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) – Russia is moving away from its totalitarian past but it is unclear what kind of political system it is heading for, the justice minister has argued.

“It needs to be realized that we are getting through an inevitable period of transition from a totalitarian society to another form of society. At the moment, it’s hard to say what form of society it will be because democracy is, unfortunately, not a term whose definition rules out totalitarianism – we have the example of the United States,” Alexander Konovalov said in a lecture at the State Duma in connection with the 20th anniversary of today’s Russian constitution.

“It’s clear that we must move to another form of society, and it’s also clear that we have embarked on this path,” he said.

“This troubled, onerous period can only be brought to an end by the combined efforts of social philosophy, political and economic science, education, a kind of moral cluster that shapes the moral climate in the country, definite standards of behavior, and definite traditions,” Konovalov said.