The paper considers the views of the founders of the Slavophilism (A.S. Homjakov, I.V. Kireyevsky, K.S. Aksakov, Y.F. Samarin) to the problem of balance between the interests of society and the state. Slavophile interpretation of this issue compared with the values of the world’s leading political ideologies — conservatism, liberalism and socialism. In particular, it analyzes the liberal concept of “civil society” and Slavophile concept of “land”. In addition, revealed the meaning of Slavophile concepts as “citizenship” and “civic life”. The author cites a number of researchers and philosophers of the past and present quotes about of the place and role of the Slavophiles in the political and ideological spectrum in Russia and Europe. The main idea of the article is that having some common ground in this aspect with the liberal, conservative and socialist ideologies Slavophilism expressed originality of Russian culture and Russian political tradition. This originality can be traced, in particular, in the views of the Slavophiles on the popular representation as a way of citizen participation in politics, in their assessment of personal and people’s freedom. The author examines the social, political, cultural background and means of realization of freedom in society and in the state.