The manual analyzes the work of prominent representatives of various movements of political thought, whose ideas and theories largely determined its evolution and tonality in the first half of the 20th century. The process of forming political thought, refracting in the personal destinies of its creators, appears alive and full-blooded. Conservatism and liberalism, right and left radicalism acquire in the views of the characters of the book that specificity that enriches and deepens typological generalizations, gives them greater methodological effectiveness. The historical and biographical approach allows not only to feel the pulse of political thought, but also to penetrate deeper into the essence of the theories of the elite (G. Moska, V. Pareto, R. Michels), ideologue (K. Manheim), political myths (J. Sorel), "political" (K. Schmitt), typology of domination (M. Weber), democracies (J. Schumpeter).