V. M. Gessen and S. A. Kotlyarevsky on the Rule of Law in the Focus of International Law

Abstract

The article examines the problem of building a state governed by the rule of law in the context of international law from the perspective of prominent state lawyers, representatives of the school of revived natural law at the beginning of the 20th century, Vladimir Matveevich Gessen and Sergey Andreevich Kotlyarevsky. The issues that were of particular interest to representatives of the scientific community at that time are undoubtedly relevant today. The modern political and legal space is being built in the context of those challenges and threats caused by the international situation, therefore, the problem of revising the conceptual approach to the formation of a system of stable international treaties and agreements, subject to their mandatory implementation by all parties, is particularly acute. The purpose of the study is to analyze the possibilities of the formation and further development of a constitutional, rule–of-law state in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century in the context of international crises in the teachings of prominent lawyers and statesmen V.M. Gessen and S.A. Kotlyarevsky, who advocated the embodiment of their constitutional ideal in the political and legal life of the country. The conclusions are formulated that the constitutional ideas of prominent scientists are particularly relevant in the context of discussions about the rule of law and the role of international law.