The Concept of "Civilization State” as a Direction in the Development of Civilizational Theory

The article is devoted to the concept of “civilization state” as a di­rection in the development of civilizational theory. It analyzes the history of scientific application of the concept of civilization, the content, composition and structure of civilizations, historical and geopolitical determinants of the confrontation between the West and Russia, the deepening of the civilizational confrontation “West - Rus­sia” in the 21st century, the phenomena of “nation state” and “civilization state”, the civilizationally determined trends of transformation of the modern world or­der. Initially used to describe the social and political life in different countries, at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries civilization theory became an independent scientific direction. Its breakthrough achievement was the understanding of history as a mul­titude of local civilizations with unique specificity. The analysis of the content, composition and structure of local civi­lizations, their subsystems and elements united into unique integral conglomerates became a promising direction of civiliza­tion research. Historical and geopolitical determinants of the confrontation between the West and Russia, its deepening in the 21st century are explored. Particular atten­tion is paid to “nation states” and “civili­zation states” as terms widely used in con­temporary civilizational theory, reflecting different civilization-determined ways of domestic and foreign policy behavior of the states. Assumptions are formulated about their further coexistence and interaction, upcoming transformations of the world or­der, and the new stage in the development of civilizational theory.