The study is devoted to an important and controversial issue of the origin and development of the authoritarian tradition in Russia. The conceptual issues of the article represent the author's view on the answer to a question “How, and under what circumstances has the Russian authoritarianism evolved and what are the causes of its survivability?” The study is based on a comprehensive approach to the analyses of the origin and historical development of the Russian authoritarianism whose evolution was studied with a broad overview of historical background and historical analogies. According to the authors, the "awakening" and emergence of an authoritarian tradition in Russia were associated with the demand for external expansion that was dictated by both internal and external circumstances. At the end of the XV century, Russia was embroiled in an uncompromising conflict between civilizations experiencing an acute shortage of material, financial and human resources. Therefore the victory in this conflict could be gained only through the creation of a strong state. This state could mobilize limited manpower and resources and direct them to the solution of vital social problems. The mobilizing character of the state tended to demand much of a political regime which inevitably acquired authoritarian nature. The successful solution of the problem which the Russian state faced in XVI-XVII centuries contributed to consolidation of the authoritarian practice in the political tradition and mentality of society.