Soviet Constitution (USSR, now Russia)

The Union of Soviet Socialists Republics, commonly called the Soviet Union, composed of 15 Soviet Social Republics stretching across Eurasia to form the largest country, has had three different constitutions until its dissolution in 1991, with views and deliberations of several social thinkers and politicians involved. The constitution impacted the country’s governance, along with the approach they followed, their outlook and most importantly, the state of people living in the country. While the USSR was one of the strongest powers on the Earth back then, it is interesting to know about the constitution that backed the country!

The Soviet Union

After the Russian Revolution in the year 1917, the USSR, a federal-state, was formed. Composed of Russia along with Ukraine, present-day Georgia, Belorussia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, it afterwards went on to include other states like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The Union dominated most of Eastern and Central Europe after World War 2 ended. Russian Marxist revolutionary, politician and political theorist Vladimir Lenin was the founding head of the government of Russia from the year 1917 to 1924, including his tenure at the same position in the Soviet Union from the year 1922 to 1924. The Soviet Union, as a result, was a single-party Marxist-Leninist state, which essentially promoted communism and declared itself as a socialist country, i.e., the country wanted the working class to hold power. Under Lenin’s leadership, it proposed the establishment of the proletariat’s dictatorship, emphasising the shift from capitalism to socialism. The political and the economic system were highly centralised and authoritarian, while five-year plans were devised to control the country’s economic system. After existing for 69 years, the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.

The Soviet Constitution

The USSR emerged as one of the biggest powers, both in terms of military and the economy. A producer of weapons, the country was one of the five states with a nuclear weapon back then. The constitution of the USSR was framed after the Russian Constitution was established in 1918. The constitution of the state was a means of legalising and justifying how the state was run, i.e., a single-party state and the totalitarian rule of the CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) over the state. It declared rights including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly that were in tandem with the Marxist-Leninist ideology. The constitution recognised a series of social and economic rights, also highlighting the duties of all the citizens. From the year 1922 to 1991, the Union saw three different constitutions. 

1924 Soviet Constitution

This was the first constitution of the USSR, adopted on January 31, 1924, which aimed at creating the first-ever socialist union multinational state based on the proletariat’s dictatorship. It also secured the equality of all the constituent nations in the USSR legally, along with their sovereignty. It substituted the Russian constitution of 1918, establishing the Congress of Soviets to be the Supreme body of the Soviet State, legitimising the December 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the Soviet Union.

Constitution of the Soviet Union, 1936

Adopted on December 5, 1936, by the eighth Extraordinary Congress of Soviets after a six-month-long discussion, this constitution was also called the Stalin Constitution. It was framed by the thirty-one-member commission appointed by the seventh All-Union Congress of Soviets, chaired by Joseph Stalin. It aimed at consolidating the principles of the new socialist state, with equal rights for all the citizens who were now legally protected, democratising the state’s system by introducing voting by secret ballot. This was one of the most democratic constitutions of its time. It granted the liberty of conscience, including the freedom of speech, press and assembly. However, the reality was different from what was mentioned on paper. Political Repression of the masses contradicted the spirit of the constitution.

The 1977 Constitution, Brezhnev Constitution

Also known as the constitution of developed Socialism, this was adopted on October 7, 1977, which was a detailed constitution, defining the leading role of the CPSU and also dividing the responsibilities between the Central Government in Moscow and the governments of other Republic States. While it did not bring about immediate changes in the political system, it did talk about the economic rights of its citizens, including rights to full employment, medical care, housing, education etc. It also stated that now the state has become the state of the people, and the aims of the dictatorship of the proletariat have been achieved, extending the scope of regulation of the constitution. The practical implication of the constitution ended when the USSR dissolved in 1991.

Conclusion

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Constitution came into the picture in 1993. Legitimising the Presidential rule and the powers, separation of legislative, executive and the judiciary branches, highlighting federalism and fundamental rights of its citizens, it is the second-longest-running constitution after the Stalin constitution. It also insists on the fundamental duties of its citizens. However, the reality was far from true in the case of the earlier three constitutions. While the present constitution talks about federalism in Russia, the present war between Russia and Ukraine shows how international coordination, international treaties, and other states’ sovereignty is being overlooked.