Moisey Ostrogorsky
Encyclopedia
Moisey Ostrogorsky (Hrodna
, Belarus
, 1854 - Petrograd, February 10, 1921) was a Belarusian political scientist, historian, jurist and sociologist. Alongside with Max Weber
and Robert Michels
, he is considered one of the founders of political sociology
, especially in the field of theories about Party Systems and political parties. As Ostrogorsky noted, loyalty to parties is often comparable to loyalty to one's religion. He was a member of the First State Duma of the Russian Empire
in 1906-1907
and worked for the Russian justice ministry. In the 1880s he went to Paris and studied at the Free school of Political Sciences (Ecole libre de sciences politiques) where he wrote his dissertation Les origines du suffrage universel (The origins of universal suffrage) (1885). Whilst in France Ostrogorsky imbibed French political thought, which was distrustful of an all-powerful State, from thinkers such as Comte, Durkheim, Tocqueville, Saint Simon and Proudhon..
He traveled to the United States and Great Britain. In 1902 he published Democracy and the Organization of Political Parties (originally in French), which compared the political system of the two nations. After returning to Russia in 1906, he became the Duma
representative for the Grodno province. He left politics after the Duma was dissolved during the Russian Revolution.
As a political thinker, he was first recognized in the West, then in Russia. Ostrogorsky has been quite influential on the political thought of the 20th century.
After leaving politics he taught at the Psychoneurological institute in St. Petersburg.
Ostrogorsky is also the author of a book that is concerned with the equality of the sexes La Femme au point de vue du droit public .
As a historian:
As a political scientist:
Volume 23 Issue 4, pp 415–429, online from Wiley Interscience
Hrodna
Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, 1854 - Petrograd, February 10, 1921) was a Belarusian political scientist, historian, jurist and sociologist. Alongside with Max Weber
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
and Robert Michels
Robert Michels
Robert Michels was a German sociologist who wrote on the political behavior of intellectual elites and contributed to elite theory...
, he is considered one of the founders of political sociology
Political sociology
Contemporary political sociology involves much more than the study of the relations between state and society . Where a typical research question in political sociology might have been: "Why do so few American citizens choose to vote?" or even, "What difference does it make if women get elected?" ...
, especially in the field of theories about Party Systems and political parties. As Ostrogorsky noted, loyalty to parties is often comparable to loyalty to one's religion. He was a member of the First State Duma of the Russian Empire
State Duma of the Russian Empire
The State Duma of the Russian Empire was a legislative assembly in the late Russian Empire, which met in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It was convened four times between 1906 and the collapse of the Empire in 1917.-History:...
in 1906-1907
Biography
Moisey Ostrogorsky, or Moisei Ostrogorski, studied law at Saint Petersburg State UniversitySaint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
and worked for the Russian justice ministry. In the 1880s he went to Paris and studied at the Free school of Political Sciences (Ecole libre de sciences politiques) where he wrote his dissertation Les origines du suffrage universel (The origins of universal suffrage) (1885). Whilst in France Ostrogorsky imbibed French political thought, which was distrustful of an all-powerful State, from thinkers such as Comte, Durkheim, Tocqueville, Saint Simon and Proudhon..
He traveled to the United States and Great Britain. In 1902 he published Democracy and the Organization of Political Parties (originally in French), which compared the political system of the two nations. After returning to Russia in 1906, he became the Duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
representative for the Grodno province. He left politics after the Duma was dissolved during the Russian Revolution.
As a political thinker, he was first recognized in the West, then in Russia. Ostrogorsky has been quite influential on the political thought of the 20th century.
After leaving politics he taught at the Psychoneurological institute in St. Petersburg.
Work on political science
Ostrogorsky's main work is La democratie et l'organisation des partis politiques . He noted behavioural determinism in organisational structure - "As soon as a party, even if created for the noblest object perpetuates itself, it tends to degeneration", which influenced "the later researches of Max Weber, Robert Michels, and Andre Siegfried"..Ostrogorsky is also the author of a book that is concerned with the equality of the sexes La Femme au point de vue du droit public .
Works
As a lawyer:- The Legal Calendar (1876)
- The Cassation practice for a year (1881)
As a historian:
- Chronology of Russian history (1872)
- Chronology of general and Russian history (1873)
- Brief chronology of general and Russian history (1873)
- History of Russia for national schools (1891)
- The Textbook of Russian history for III class of grammar schools (1891)
As a political scientist:
- The Rights of Women. A comparative study in history and legislation, 1893, ASIN B0017ATBZ2
- (with James Bryce, and Frederick Clarke) Democracy and the Organization of Political Parties, 1902 (Translated from the French by F. Clarke), ASIN B0017AP8AE
- La Démocratie et l'organisation des partis politiques, 1903, ASIN B0017GB4II
- La Démocratie et l'organisation des partis politiques, 1912 (Nouvelle édition, refondue), ASIN B0017GEMIC
Further reading
- Rodney Barker and Xenia Howard-Johnston. "The Politics and Political Ideas of Moisei Ostrogorski," Political Studies
Volume 23 Issue 4, pp 415–429, online from Wiley Interscience
- S. M. Lipset, "Introduction: Ostrogorski and the Analytical Approach to the Comparative Study of Political Parties," in M. Ostrogorski, Democracy and the Organization of Political (2 vol, 1964; 1982 ed.) http://books.google.com/books?id=yDnkEW4-6xQC&dq=lipset+ostrogorski&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=6b5-yOmcOO&sig=TognrbiFhc1ddQE3_IcZqQhrFqE&hl=en&ei=iO_bSbXZFZPuNYKw6NkN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1excerpt and text search
- Paolo Pombeni. "Starting in Reason, Ending in Passion. Bryce, Lowell, Ostrogorski and the Problem of Democracy," The Historical Journal, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Jun., 1994), pp. 319–341 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2640205 in JSTOR]