Abstract

Political science is of great importance for the education and formation of people’s consciousness, their participation in the life of society. This explains the increased attention to the development of this science both on a global scale and within individual states. Much attention is paid to its origin. The paper shows the contribution to the formation of political science of Russian universities established in the XVIII century. The primacy in creating the tradition of teaching political science belongs to Moscow University, its founder M.V.Lomonosov. A number of scientists believe that political science thought continued to develop in Russia, despite various difficulties, and before the approval in 1988 for the first time in the Soviet Union of the nomenclature of specialties of scientists in political science.
The analysis of the works of Russian scientists contradicts the statements of English-speaking authors that political science is an Anglo-American invention with the decisive influence of the American factor. Of course, it is impossible to deny the contribution of scientists from these countries to the development of political science, their achievements in this field. The reasons and conditions formulated by the supporters of the Anglo-American version of the formation of political science that contributed to the formation of such a situation deserve attention: the urgent need of society, the influence of science on politics, one of the factors being the strengthening of US influence in Europe after World War II.
In our opinion, the subsequent development of political science, both theoretically and practically, is possible with the constructive unification of the efforts of scientists and politicians from various countries.