The author tentatively formulates general approaches to integral description of Russia’s political history since the early times of its statehood till nowadays. As a methodological basis of such a description the author suggests a model of protracted long historical cycles, structured as rotating periods of spurt (perception and mastering of political and socio-cultural experience accumulated by advanced countries) and periods of relaxation (translation, dissemination of this experience in the space controlled by the Russian state). More detailed consideration of the structure of the elan periods provides the author with additional analytical and prognostic opportunities for description of the current transformations of Russian politics.