The formation of the state in the ancient world testified to a significant improvement in economic, economic and political relations, the awareness of unity, ethnic identity by numerous kindred tribes. However, the process was time-consuming and required great efforts on the part of the tribal elite and the people supporting it.
The emergence of statehood among the Eastern Slavs regularly causes discussions about its ancestors. Many authors are inclined to the Varangian theory in the formation of the state among the Slavs. And who are these very Vikings? The nationality of the Varangians is a moot point. So, according to some scholars, these people are Normans, Scandinavians. In their opinions, they proceed from the fact that this was the era of Norman naval invasions of European countries, the lands of the Eastern Slavs could also be the objects of these campaigns.
The emergence of Old Russian statehood for a long time in historical science was associated with the Normans and their leader Rurik. It was argued that the Slavs themselves were not capable of this because of their backwardness. This theory appeared during the confrontation between Sweden and Russia during the Time of Troubles to justify the aggressive aspirations of the Scandinavians. And subsequently, with the aggravation of relations between Russia and Western countries, these views immediately appeared in foreign writings. Scientists who proposed this point of view on the emergence of statehood among the Eastern Slavs were called Normans, and the theory - Norman. The apologists for Normanism were some Russian scholars of German descent (Miller G.F., Schletser A.M.), as well as those representatives of official Russian historiography who promoted Normanism to strengthen the authority and exaltation of the Rurikovich dynasty.
The opponents of the Norman theory of the emergence of statehood among the eastern Slavs in the eighteenth century were the famous Russian historians Lomonosov M.V., Tatishchev V.N. In their studies, they argued that Rurik and the Vikings are representatives of the Baltic Slavs, who were associated with the Eastern Slavs by a common culture, ethnogenesis, and language. Advocates of this position in historical science are called anti-Normanists.
Later, Russian and Soviet historians proved that the emergence of statehood among the Eastern Slavs was brewing long before the Varangians appeared, and the facts of state education among the Ants are cited as arguments. Later, the beginnings of the state are already more tangible in the reign of Kia. However, disputes on this issue do not subside, and the parties cite various arguments in their favor. The main evidence of modern Normanists on the emergence of statehood among the Slavs is archaeological artifacts in the northwestern lands of the Slavs, which are interpreted as Scandinavian. The anti-Normanists defend their positions with the help of linguistics, anthropology, and source studies. And the main thing is considered a chronicle in which Nestor clearly identifies the Varangians with the concept of "Rus." Thus, the emergence of statehood among the Eastern Slavs is an open question, although the evidence is provided from two sides more than enough, however, in science there are supporters of both one and the other point of view.