Transformation of the Values of Russian Society

Traditionally, mass consciousness is considered the most inertia-bound sphere of life in a social organism. Nonetheless, periods of revolutionary transformation are, as a rule, accompanied by fundamental changes in mass consciousness, the intermingling of certain dominant values with others. Moreover, today there is no longer any doubt that radical changes in the economy, in politics, and in the system of state administration require some normative foundation (sanction) and that the value system on which worldviews are based can accelerate or significantly impede development. Institutional changes become irreversible only when accepted by society and fixed in the value system of that society. Hence, changes in worldview are a significant indicator of social change as a whole. An analysis of these shifts can better explain the successes and failures among the institutional changes taking place in Russia and assess the effectiveness of the transformation of Russian society itself.