The book examines the stages of development of Russian sociology of the 19th - early 20th centuries, shows its role in the social struggle and its impact on world science. The main attention is paid to the leading currents of sociological thought and such its most prominent representatives as: B.N. Chicherin, K.D. Kavelin, S.A. Muromtsev, M.M. Kovalevsky, N.P. Pavlov-Silvansky, P.N. Milyukov, L.I. .Petrazhitsky, N.I. Kareev, Pitirim Sorokin and others.