Slavophilism, as a self-sufficient phenomenon of domestic social thought of the 19th century, united bright, extraordinary personalities who did not want to create a single political program or a single ideology. Based on common key postulates, they consistently defended the idea of national identity, historical path of Russia's development that differed from the Western. At the same time, it is widely believed that the Slavophile movement was divorced from the real life and socio-political practice. The purpose of this article is to consider the views of the outstanding Slavophil Alexander Ivanovich Koshelev (1806-1883) regarding the best political system for Russia in the 19th century. Largely thanks to him, this course began gradually move from a predominantly theoretical plane into an applied one. The well-known works of the Slavophil were involved in the article: «The Constitution, autocracy and the Zemskaya Duma» (1862), «The General Zemskaya Duma in Russia» (1875), his biographical Notes, etc. Particular attention is paid to the idea of creating an all-Russian representative body - the General Zemskaya Duma. Opposing the introduction of constitutionalism as a form of government, that was alien to national traditions, mentality and a special social organization of the Russian people, A. I. Koshelev proposed to introduce legislative representation, on condition that autocracy would be preserved.
