The evolution of the idea of civil society in the legal and political doctrine of Western Europe

Abstract

The article is devoted to the basic ideas of European thinkers about civil society. Examines the economic, political and ideological preconditions of formation and development of the idea of civil society and legal state. Examines the political and legal nature of these categories. Reveals the influence of the theories of ancient thinkers on the concept of civil society in the era of the European Renaissance and New time.
Key words: society, state, civil society, legal state, social contract, rights and freedoms.Ж