Moisey Yakovlevich Ostrogorsky (also Moisei Ostrogorski; ; ; 1854 – 10 February 1921) was a Russian politician, political scientist, historian, jurist and sociologist. Along with

Max Weber Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German Sociology, sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economy, political economist who was one of the central figures in the development of sociology and the social sc ...

and Robert Michels, he is considered one of the founders of political sociology, especially in the field of theories about

party system A party system is a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government by political parties in a democratic country. The idea is that political parties have basic similarities: they control the government, have a stable ...

s and political parties. Ostrogorski noted that loyalty to parties is often comparable to loyalty to one's religion. He was a member of the First

State Duma of the Russian Empire The State Duma, also known as the Imperial Duma, was the lower house of the legislature in the Russian Empire, while the upper house was the State Council (Russian Empire), State Council. It held its meetings in the Tauride Palace in Saint Peters ...

representing the

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

province in 1906–1907.

Biography

Moisey Ostrogorsky was born to a Lithuanian Jewish family in 1854 in the Grodno province of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now in the

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

), where he grew up. He studied law at

Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

and worked for the Russian justice ministry. He represented Grodno province in the First State Duma (Parliament of the Russian Empire). In the 1880s, he went to Paris and studied at the

École Libre des Sciences Politiques Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

, where he wrote his dissertation ''Les origines du suffrage universel'' (The origins of universal suffrage) (1885). Whilst in France, Ostrogorski imbibed French political thought, which was distrustful of an all-powerful state, from thinkers such as Comte, Durkheim, Tocqueville, Saint Simon and Proudhon. He traveled to the United States and Great Britain. In 1902, he published ''Democracy and the Organization of Political Parties'' (originally in French), which compared the political system of the two nations. After returning to Russia in 1906, he became the

Duma A duma () is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia ...

representative for the Hrodna province as a member of the liberal Constitutional Democratic Party. He left politics after the Duma was dissolved during the Russian Revolution. As a political thinker, he was recognized in the West before he was in Russia. Ostrogorski has been influential on the political thought of the 20th century. After leaving politics, he taught at the Psychoneurological Institute in St. Petersburg. He died on 10 February 1921 in St. Petersburg, now renamed Petrograd.

Work on political science

Ostrogorski's main work is ''La democratie et l'organisation des partis politiques''. He noted behavioural determinism in organisational structure: "As soon as a party, even if created for the noblest object perpetuates itself, it tends to degeneration", which influenced "the later researches of Max Weber, Robert Michels, and Andre Siegfried". Ostrogorski is also the author of a book that is about the equality of the sexes: ''La Femme au point de vue du droit public''. Ostrogorski's paradox is named after him.

Legacy

Ostrogorsky unwittingly donated his surname to the Ostrogorski Centre, which is a "Western-style" political lobby group. Notable amongst its sponsors are

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, a leftist charity which publishes a UK newspaper, and the

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Norwegian or ''Utenriksdepartementet''; or ''Utanriksdepartementet''; UD) is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway. It was established on June 7, 1905, the same day the Parliament of ...

, as well as various opaque organisations.

Works

As a lawyer: * ''The Legal Calendar'' (1876). * ''The Cassation Practice for a Year'' (1881). As a historian: * ''Chronology of Russian History'' (1872). * ''Chronology of General and Russian History'' (1873). * ''Brief Chronology of General and Russian History'' (1873). * ''History of Russia for National Schools'' (1891). * ''The Textbook of Russian History for III Class of Grammar Schools'' (1891). As a political scientist:
''The Rights of Women. A Comparative Study in History and Legislation,''
Swan Sonnenschein, 1893, ASIN B0017ATBZ2 * ''La Démocratie et l'Organisation des Partis Politiques,'' 1903 ASIN B0017GB4II ** ''La Démocratie et l'Organisation des Partis politiques,'' 1912 ouvelle édition, refondue ASIN B0017GEMIC *
''Democracy And The Organization Of Political Parties'', vol. 1
an
vol. 2
Macmillan and Company, 1902 ranslated from the French by F. Clarke ASIN B0017AP8AE
''Democracy and the Party System in the United States,''
The Macmillan Company, 1910. Articles:
"Woman Suffrage in Local Self-Government,"
''Political Science Quarterly,'' Vol. 6, No. 4, Dec. 1891.
"The Introduction of the Caucus into England,"
''Political Science Quarterly,'' Vol. 8, No. 2, Jun. 1893.
"The Rise and Fall of the Nominating Caucus, Legislative and Congressional,"
''The American Historical Review,'' Vol. 5, No. 2, Dec. 1899.

References

External links

On the Probability of the Ostrogorski Paradox

Connections and Implications of the Ostrogorski Paradox for Spatial Voting Models
* Jewish Encyclopedia
Ostrogorski, Moisei Yakovlevich
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrogorsky, Moisey 1854 births 1921 deaths People from Belsky Uyezd (Grodno Governorate) Belarusian Jews Russian Constitutional Democratic Party members Members of the 1st State Duma of the Russian Empire Members of the State Duma of the Russian Empire from Grodno Governorate Sociologists from the Russian Empire