The article considers options for explaining the inverse nature of Russian modernizations in the 20t-21st centuries. The work contains an overview of such explanations: as hasty ill-conceived decisions, as pathological the Russian experience, as a special way for Russia. The weaknesses of such explanations are presented and argued. The explanation difficulties are connected with the dominant positivistic paradigm in economics and political sciences. Positivist approach brings an explanation to summing up under the general category, it eliminates the activity of the actor, his motivation and will. the opportunity to The constructivist approach is offered the reconstruction of the reform as a ideas competition, the choice of solution, its implementation. This explanation reveals the main problems of modernizing Russian society: the domination of the state, the absence of other real social forces, the incompleteness of the property. This creates a total insanity, irresponsibility, a simulation character of the Russian reforms, lack of political will to their actual implementation.