political development. Communist Party of the Russian Federation Crimean Republican Branch

Adoption of the first Constitution of the USSR - 1924

Adoption of the second ("Stalinist") Constitution of the USSR - 1936

Adoption of the third ("Brezhnev") Constitution of the USSR - 1977

Constitution of the USSR 1924

It was approved by the 2nd Congress of Soviets of the USSR and became the basic law in the USSR. The decision of the Congress to develop an all-Union document formed the basis for the creation of the Constitution of the USSR.

The Constitution of the USSR included 2 sections:

Declaration on the formation of the USSR - included the principles of unification and directed towards one of the main goals at that time - the struggle against world capitalism;
Treaty on the formation of the USSR, consisting of 11 chapters.

The main features of the Constitution of 1924:

The Congress of Soviets of the USSR was considered the main governing body, without whose knowledge it was impossible to make any changes to the document;
the union republic had the right to withdraw from the USSR at any time, but to change the territory only with its approval; single union citizenship was established;
The Central Executive Committee of the USSR was considered the supreme body of power in the intervals between congresses, and in the intervals between sessions of the Central Executive Committee, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR was the main body of legislative power;
The Central Executive Committee of the USSR established the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, which is the main executive and administrative body, which included the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, his deputies and 10 people's commissars.

Thanks to the Constitution, the union republics became part of the federal union during the formation of the USSR.

Constitution of the USSR 1936

Also known as the "Stalinist" and "Constitution of developed socialism." It was adopted by the 8th Extraordinary Congress of the Soviet of the USSR on December 5. Its task was to express an important stage in the history of the state - the building of socialism.

Historian O.V. Khlevnyuk said that this Constitution, in comparison with the Constitution of the USSR of 1924, is more democratic in nature, since it wants to achieve sympathy for the Soviet Union from the international community in order to jointly fight against growing fascism.

Bukharin also took an active part in creating the text of the Constitution. It was officially published on December 6th.

The 1936 constitution consisted of 13 chapters and 146 articles. The social structure of the USSR was approved in 12 articles of the 1st chapter. Consider the content of the Constitution:

the basis of the economy is the planned socialist economic system and socialist ownership of tools and means of production;
all citizens of the Soviet state for the first time had equal rights:
- universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot;
- the right to work and rest, material security in old age and illness, the right to free education;
freedom of speech, conscience, press, meetings and meetings, inviolability of the person and secrecy of correspondence were declared;
means of communication, transport, land, water and much more were declared public property; the land occupied by collective farms was given to them for perpetual use;
the Bolshevik Party was declared the main representative of all public and state organizations;
The Supreme Soviet of the USSR was proclaimed the highest legislative body of power; in between sessions, these functions were performed by its Presidium;
The Council of People's Commissars of the USSR (later the Council of Ministers) was considered the highest executive body.

February 27, 1947 was approved a new version Constitution as amended. In 1962, according to the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, a commission headed by was founded, which was involved in the creation of the project new constitution THE USSR. At the end of 1964, he headed this commission.

On October 7, 1977, a new ("Brezhnev") Constitution of the USSR was adopted. December 5 was declared Constitution Day - an official public holiday.

USSR Constitution 1977

Effective from October 7, 1977 until (1991), becoming the last Constitution Soviet Union. At the time of adoption, it included 9 sections, 21 chapters and 174 articles. Consider summary constitutions:

the introductory part - contained a description of Soviet society, retained the principles of previous constitutions. Its text was much longer than the Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993;
political system - this section included general principles socialist system and the basis of a developed socialist society;
the economic system - its basis was the state and collective-farm-cooperative socialist ownership of production means, the principle of a planned economy was in effect;
authorities - the term of government for the supreme and local Soviets has increased, from the previously adopted Constitution of the USSR, citizens retained the right to a referendum;
state structure - without significant changes. The republics of the Union retained the right to secede from the USSR at any time, which they used during the collapse of the USSR.

During the period of this Constitution of the USSR, various changes were made to it, the most significant of which was the abolition of the 6th article. The one-party system was abolished, the CPSU was removed from its leadership position, and the post of President of the USSR was introduced.

The subject and method of the history of the national state and law
- The subject of the history of the national state and law
- Method of the history of the domestic state and law
- Periodization of the history of the domestic state and law
Old Russian state and law (IX - beginning of XII century)
- Formation of the Old Russian state
  - Historical factors in the formation of the Old Russian state
- The social system of the Old Russian state
  - Feudal-dependent population: sources of education and classification
- State system of the Old Russian state
- The system of law in the Old Russian state
  - Ownership in the Old Russian state
  - Obligation Law in the Old Russian State
  - Marriage, family and inheritance law in the Old Russian state
  - Criminal Law and Litigation in the Old Russian State
The state and law of Russia in the period of feudal fragmentation (beginning of the XII-XIV centuries)
- Feudal fragmentation in Russia
- Features of the socio-political system of the Galicia-Volyn principality
- Socio-political structure of the Vladimir-Suzdal land
- Socio-political system and law of Novgorod and Pskov
- State and Law of the Golden Horde
Formation of the Russian centralized state
- Prerequisites for the formation of the Russian centralized state
- Social system in the Russian centralized state
- State system in the Russian centralized state
- Development of law in the Russian centralized state
Estate-representative monarchy in Russia (mid-16th - mid-17th centuries)
- Social system in the period of estate-representative monarchy
- State system in the period of estate-representative monarchy
  - Police and Prisons in Ser. XVI - ser. 17th century
- The development of law in the period of a class-representative monarchy
  - Civil Law in Ser. XVI - ser. 17th century
  - Criminal law in the Code of 1649
  - Legal proceedings in the Code of 1649
Education and development absolute monarchy in Russia (second half of the 17th-18th centuries)
- Historical prerequisites for the emergence of absolute monarchy in Russia
- The social system of the period of absolute monarchy in Russia
- State system of the period of absolute monarchy in Russia
  - Police in absolutist Russia
  - Prison institutions, exile and hard labor in the 17th-18th centuries.
  - Reforms of the era of palace coups
  - Reforms during the reign of Catherine II
- Development of law under Peter I
  - Criminal law under Peter I
  - Civil law under Peter I
  - Family and inheritance law in the XVII-XVIII centuries.
  - Emergence of environmental legislation
The state and law of Russia during the period of the disintegration of the feudal system and the growth of capitalist relations (the first half of the 19th century)
- The social system in the period of the decomposition of the feudal system
- State system of Russia in the nineteenth century
  - State government reform
  - His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery
  - The system of police bodies in the first half of the XIX century.
  - Russian prison system in the nineteenth century
- Development of a form of state unity
  - Finland's status within Russian Empire
  - Incorporation of Poland into the Russian Empire
- Systematization of the legislation of the Russian Empire
The state and law of Russia during the period of the establishment of capitalism (the second half of the 19th century)
- Abolition of serfdom
- Zemstvo and city reforms
- local government in the second half of the 19th century.
- Judicial reform in the second half of the 19th century.
- Military reform in the second half of the XIX century.
- Reform of the police and prison system in the second half of the 19th century.
- Financial reform in Russia in the second half of the XIX century.
- Reforms of the education system and censorship
- Church in the system of state administration of tsarist Russia
- Counter-reforms of the 1880s-1890s
- The development of Russian law in the second half of the XIX century.
  - Civil law of Russia in the second half of the XIX century.
  - Family and inheritance law in Russia in the second half of the 19th century.
The state and law of Russia during the period of the first Russian revolution and before the start of the First World War (1900-1914)
- Background and course of the first Russian revolution
- Changes in the social structure of Russia
  - Agrarian reform P.A. Stolypin
  - Formation political parties in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.
- Changes in the state system of Russia
  - Reformation government agencies
  - institution State Duma
  - Punitive measures P.A. Stolypin
  - The fight against crime at the beginning of the 20th century.
- Changes in law in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.
The state and law of Russia during the First World War
- Changes in the state apparatus
- Changes in the field of law during the First World War
The state and law of Russia during the period of the February bourgeois-democratic republic (February - October 1917)
- February Revolution of 1917
- Dual power in Russia
  - Solving the issue of the state unity of the country
  - Reforming the prison system in February - October 1917
  - Changes in the state apparatus
- Activities of the Soviets
- Legal activities of the Provisional Government
Creation of the Soviet state and law (October 1917 - 1918)
- All-Russian Congress of Soviets and its decrees
- Fundamental changes in the social system
- The demolition of the bourgeois and the creation of a new Soviet state apparatus
  - Powers and activities of the Councils
  - Military Revolutionary Committees
  - Soviet armed forces
  - Working militia
  - Changes in the judicial and penitentiary systems after the October Revolution
- Nation-state building
- Constitution of the RSFSR 1918
- Creation of the foundations of Soviet law
Soviet State and Law during the Civil War and Intervention (1918-1920)
- Civil war and intervention
- Soviet state apparatus
- Armed Forces and Law Enforcement
  - Reorganization of the militia in 1918-1920.
  - The activities of the Cheka during civil war
  - Judiciary during the Civil War
- Military Union of Soviet Republics
- The development of law in the context of the Civil War
The Soviet state and law during the period of the new economic policy(1921-1929)
- Nation-state building. Formation of the USSR
  - Declaration and Treaty on the Formation of the USSR
- The development of the state apparatus of the RSFSR
  - Recovery National economy after the civil war
  - Judiciary during the NEP period
  - Creation of the Soviet prosecutor's office
  - Police of the USSR during the NEP
  - Correctional labor institutions of the USSR during the NEP period
  - Codification of law during the NEP period
The Soviet state and law in the period of radical break public relations(1930-1941)
- Public administration economy
  - Kolkhoz construction
  - Planning of the national economy and reorganization of the governing bodies
- State management of socio-cultural processes
- Law enforcement reforms in the 1930s
- Reorganization of the armed forces in the 1930s
- Constitution of the USSR 1936
- The development of the USSR as a union state
- Development of law in 1930-1941
Soviet state and law during the Great Patriotic War
- The Great Patriotic War and the restructuring of the work of the Soviet state apparatus
- Changes in the organization of state unity
- The development of Soviet law during the Great Patriotic War
The Soviet state and law in the post-war years of the restoration of the national economy (1945-1953)
- Internal political situation and foreign policy of the USSR in the first post-war years
- The development of the state apparatus in the postwar years
  - The system of correctional labor institutions in the post-war years
- The development of Soviet law in the postwar years
Soviet state and law in the period of liberalization of public relations (mid-1950s - mid-1960s)
- Development of the external functions of the Soviet state
- The development of a form of state unity in the mid-1950s.
- Restructuring of the state apparatus of the USSR in the mid-1950s.
- The development of Soviet law in the mid-1950s - mid-1960s.
The Soviet state and law in the period of slowing down the pace of social development (mid-1960s - mid-1980s)
- Development of external functions of the state
- USSR Constitution 1977
- Form of state unity according to the 1977 Constitution of the USSR
  - Development of the state apparatus
  - Law enforcement agencies in the mid-1960s - mid-1980s.
  - Authorities of justice of the USSR in the 1980s.
- The development of law in the middle. 1960s - ser. 1900s
- Correctional labor institutions in the middle. 1960s - ser. 1900s
Formation of the state and law of the Russian Federation. The collapse of the USSR (mid-1980s - 1990s)
- The policy of "perestroika" and its main content
- Main directions of development political regime and state system
- The collapse of the USSR
- External consequences of the collapse of the USSR for Russia. Commonwealth of Independent States
- The formation of the state apparatus new Russia
- Development of the form of state unity of the Russian Federation
- Development of law during the collapse of the USSR and the formation of the Russian Federation

USSR Constitution 1977

The need to create a new Constitution of the USSR. The question of the development and adoption of a new Constitution of the USSR was first raised by H.C. Khrushchev at the Extraordinary XXI Congress of the CPSU. Then, in the materials of the XXII Party Congress, held in 1961, this was given a more complete justification. It boiled down to the fact that the Soviet state had grown from a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into a state of the whole people, proletarian democracy into a democracy of the whole people. This provision was enshrined in the Party Program adopted by the XXII Congress of the CPSU.

The congress recognized the need to consolidate the new qualitative structure of Soviet society and the state in the Basic Law and decided to start developing a draft Constitution of the USSR.

In accordance with this, on April 25, 1962, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution "On the development of a draft Constitution of the USSR." At the same time, the Constitutional Commission headed by N.S. Khrushchev.

Nine subcommittees were created within the commission, which worked on various sections of the draft of the future Basic Law.

After the October 1964 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, at which L.I. Brezhnev, there have been significant changes in the composition of the Constitutional Commission. On December 11, 1964, by a resolution of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, L.I. Brezhnev. This circumstance, however, did not lead to increased activity in the work on the draft Constitution. For more than ten years, the commission has been virtually inactive. During this decade, there have been changes in the characteristics of the social system that existed in the country.

In November 1967, in a report dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, L.I. Brezhnev announced the construction of a developed socialist society in the USSR. Naturally, it took time to work out and substantiate the theory of developed socialism and, taking it into account, to develop a draft Constitution. Special attention was paid to this at the 25th Congress of the Communist Party held in 1971. After the Congress, the work of the Constitutional Commission intensified.

The May 1977 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU considered the draft Constitution of the USSR submitted by the Constitutional Commission and approved it in the main. Following this, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree on submitting the draft for a nationwide discussion. On June 4, 1977, the draft of the new Constitution of the USSR was published in the central and local press. Its nationwide discussion began, which lasted about four months. More than 140 million people, or more than 4/5 of the adult population of the country, took part in the discussion.

The project was considered and approved by 1.5 million meetings of labor collectives, military units and citizens at the place of residence, 450 thousand party and 465 thousand Komsomol meetings. The draft Constitution was discussed and approved at sessions of more than 50,000 local Soviets and at sessions of the Supreme Soviets of all Union and Autonomous Republics. During the discussion, 180,000 letters were received from the working people of the country. In general, during the nationwide discussion, about 400 thousand proposals were received aimed at clarifying, improving and supplementing the draft Constitution.

All proposals received were studied and summarized, and then considered at meetings of the Constitutional Commission and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Many proposals made during the nationwide discussion were taken into account and used in finalizing the draft Constitution. At an extraordinary session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the ninth convocation, the draft of the new Basic Law of the USSR was subjected to a comprehensive discussion, and amendments were made to 18 articles and one more article was added. On October 7, 1977, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR unanimously approved the Constitution of the USSR. It was divided into a preamble, 21 chapters, 9 sections and contained 174 articles.

Continuity and features of the Constitution of the USSR in 1977 Characterizing distinctive features The Constitution of the USSR of 1977, it should be pointed out that it retained continuity with respect to the earlier Soviet constitutions. At the same time, it differed significantly from previous Soviet constitutions and contained a lot of new things. For the first time in Soviet constitutional history, the preamble became an integral part of the Basic Law. It traced the historical path of Soviet society, as a result of which a developed socialist society was considered. The preamble gave a description of the main features of this society.

The 1977 Constitution of the USSR expanded the range of issues relating to the political and economic systems. The section "Fundamentals of the social system and policy of the USSR" is devoted to them.

In Art. 1 spoke of the Soviet state as a socialist state of the whole people, expressing the will and interests of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia, the working people of all nations and nationalities of the country.

As in the Constitution of the USSR of 1936, the Soviets were fixed as a political basis in the new Constitution. However, under the conditions of a nationwide state, they received the name of the Soviets of People's Deputies.

As an economic basis, the Constitution retained socialist property.

One of the characteristic features of the Constitution of the USSR in 1977 was the expansion of the limits of constitutional regulation. It deals with issues related to the protection of nature, ensuring the reproduction of natural resources and improving human environment environment.

Of great importance was also the formulation in the Constitution of the principles of the policy of the state, all its bodies. This is expressed in such new chapters as "Social Development and Culture", "Foreign Policy", "Defence of the Socialist Fatherland". The Constitution presented the political system of the USSR (the state of the Soviets, public organizations, labor collectives) as a single mechanism for the implementation of democracy under the leadership of the Communist Party, which is the core of this system.

For the first time in the history of Soviet Constitutions, the Basic Law of 1977 directly enshrined the principle of socialist legality as one of the basic principles of the activity of the state, its bodies and officials (Article 4).

A special article was devoted to strengthening the leading role of the Communist Party in political system USSR (Article 6).

Unlike the Constitution of the USSR of 1936, where the rights and obligations of citizens were discussed only in the tenth chapter (after the chapters on the organs of the state), the section "The State and the Individual" in the Constitution of the USSR of 1977 follows the section "Fundamentals of the social system and politics of the USSR ".

At the same time, the Constitution of the USSR of 1977 significantly expanded the set of rights and freedoms of citizens. To the previously established rights were now added the right to health protection, the right to housing, the right to use cultural heritage, the right to participate in the management of state and public affairs, to make proposals to State bodies, to criticize shortcomings in their work.

It is especially important to note that the 1977 Constitution of the USSR for the first time in Soviet constitutional legislation provided for the right of citizens to appeal against the actions of any officials in court (Article 58). True, neither the Constitution nor subsequent legislation established a mechanism for exercising this right, which, of course, could not but affect the reality of this constitutional right of citizens.

The duties of citizens have received a more detailed interpretation. The main duties of citizens were to observe the Constitution and laws, work conscientiously and maintain labor discipline, protect the interests of the state and help strengthen its power, strengthen the friendship of nations and nationalities of the country, protect socialist property, fight waste and promote the protection of public order, protect nature and cultural monuments. . The Constitution established the obligation to carry with dignity the high title of a citizen of the USSR, to defend the socialist Fatherland, to promote the strengthening of friendship and cooperation between peoples.

Section I of the Constitution also contains new chapters on social development and culture, on the foreign policy of the USSR and the defense of the socialist Fatherland.

The chapters devoted to national-state relations are combined into the section "national-state structure", which more accurately reflects the essence of the norms that made up the content of the section.

A special section of the 1977 Constitution of the USSR is devoted to the Soviets of People's Deputies and the procedure for their election. It is followed by sections that define the system of state authorities and administration, as well as the foundations for building republican and local government bodies. This was followed by a section on justice, arbitration and prosecutorial supervision.

The sections (not divided into chapters) complete the Constitution of the USSR: on the emblem, flag, anthem and capital of the USSR, on the operation of the Constitution and the procedure for changing it.

Shortly after the adoption of the Constitution of the USSR in 1978, new Basic Laws of the Union and Autonomous Republics were adopted, which corresponded to the Constitution of the USSR and took into account the peculiarities of the republics. The Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation on April 12, 1978.

The Fundamental Law of the nationwide state, which fixed the political and economic systems that have developed under the conditions of developed socialism, the level achieved social development and cultures of the USSR, the fundamental rights, freedoms and duties of Soviet citizens, the national-state and administrative-territorial structure of the Soviet Union, the system and principles of organization and activities of state authorities and administration. The current Constitution of the USSR, adopted on October 7, 1977 at the extraordinary seventh session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, is an outstanding document of the modern era, a concentrated result of the 60-year development of the Soviet state, the great victories of our party and the entire Soviet people. It is the world's first Fundamental Law of a socialist state of the whole people, vivid evidence of the implementation of the ideas of the October Revolution, and the great charter of developed socialism. About one and a half million meetings of working people at enterprises, collective farms, military units and at the place of residence were devoted to consideration of the draft Constitution. In total, more than 140 million people took part in the discussion of the draft Constitution, i.e. more? adult population of the country. The objective prerequisites for the creation of the 1977 Constitution were profound changes in the internal life of our country, which were reflected in the Basic Law. The USSR Constitution of 1977 reflects the socio-political unity of Soviet society, the leading force of which is the working class; characterizes our society as a society of mature socialist social relations, in which, on the basis of the rapprochement of all classes and social strata, the legal and de facto equality of all nations and nationalities, their friendship and fraternal cooperation, a new historical community has developed - the Soviet people; fixes the development of the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into the state of the whole people; reveals the essence of the Soviet state of the whole people, expressing the interests of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia, working people of all nations and nationalities of the country, defines its main tasks - the creation of the material and technical base of communism, the improvement of socialist social relations and their transformation into communist ones, the education of a new man of communist society, the increase in material well-being and cultural standard of living of workers, ensuring the security of the country, promoting peace and international cooperation; indicates the highest goal of the Soviet state of the whole people - the building of communism. Unlike the Constitution of 1936, the Basic Law of the country (Article 6) gives a detailed description of the vanguard role of the Communist Party: communist party Soviet Union. The CPSU exists for the people and serves the people.” One of the main features of the 1977 Constitution is that it reflects the expansion and deepening of socialist democracy. The democratic principles of the formation and operation of the Soviets of People's Deputies were further developed. Compared to the Constitution of 1936, the complex of socio-economic rights is presented more broadly, and the political rights and freedoms of Soviet citizens are more fully formulated. Special attention devoted to the further development of socialist democracy - the main direction in the development of the political system of Soviet society. The Constitution of 1977, more broadly than the Constitution of 1936, reflects the development of the economic system of the USSR, which is based on socialist ownership of the means of production in the form of state (nationwide) and collective-farm cooperative property. The Basic Law states that the economy of the USSR is a single national economic complex, covering all links social production, distribution and exchange within the country. The Constitution of 1977 fixed the social basis of the USSR, which is an indestructible alliance of workers, peasants and intelligentsia. Special chapters of the Basic Law of our country are devoted to the peaceful foreign policy of the USSR and the defense of the socialist Fatherland. Every Soviet Constitution reflects historical stages development of Soviet society and the state. The Constitution of the RSFSR of 1918 - the world's first Fundamental Law of a socialist state - summed up the struggle of the masses in the Great October Socialist Revolution to overthrow the yoke of the exploiters, summarized and consolidated the experience of creating and strengthening Soviet power. The USSR Constitution of 1924 reflected the fact of the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, created a legal basis for further strengthening the unity, friendship and cooperation of the union republics, all nations and nationalities of the unified Soviet state. The USSR Constitution of 1936 reflected milestone in the development of our society and state - the elimination of the exploiting classes and private ownership of the means of production, proclaimed the building of the foundations of socialism in the USSR, the principles of socialist democracy, which became the basis for the subsequent creative activity of the Soviet people in solving the problems of communist construction. The Constitution of the USSR of 1977 legislated a new historical milestone - the construction of a developed socialist society in our country. It preserved the succession of the Constitutions of 1918, 1924, 1936. When drafting the Constitution of the USSR in 1977, the experience of constitutional building in other fraternal socialist countries was taken into account. The Constitution of the USSR of 1977 enshrined main principle democracy in the Soviet Union - the sovereignty of the people in the person of the Soviets of People's Deputies, which constitute the political basis of the USSR, expressed the fundamental principles of the Soviet system, the main features of developed socialism. It is rightly called the law of life in a society of developed socialism. The USSR Constitution of 1977 is legal basis Soviet legislation. The constitutions of the union and autonomous republics and other laws are adopted on the basis of the Constitution of the USSR, the norms of which have the highest legal force. The Soviet Constitution fully complies with the position expressed by V. I. Lenin that it “concentrates what has already given life, and will be corrected and supplemented practical application her in life” (vol. 37, p. 21). The adoption of the Constitution of the USSR became an important milestone in the history of our state, a powerful stimulus in the international struggle of the working people of the whole world for freedom, democracy, the social progress of mankind and lasting peace.

In the new edition, it was noted that the "dictatorship of the proletariat" fully fulfilled the tasks that were assigned to it and the Soviet Union became a state of the whole people. In addition, the document was fixed management, already established at that time. The supreme body of power was considered the Supreme Council. It consisted of two chambers: the Council of Nationalities and the Council of the Union. His term of office was extended to five years.

About the year in which the Constitution of “developed socialism” was adopted, about the prerequisites that contributed to its appearance, and about the changes in it, read in this article.

The study of the history of the creation of the Fundamental Law of the USSR is of great political, socio-economic, scientific and cultural significance. One of the central aspects of the formation of Russian statehood is the adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism". The year 1977 was an important step in the further development of the country.

In the history of the Soviet state, there were only 4 constitutions: 1918, 1924, 1936 and 1977. They had different dates actions, which testified to some changes taking place in the life of society. In addition, they displayed the emergence of new or improvement of old concepts. Also, each updated basic law of the country summed up the results of the previous one, after which the state opened the next stage of its development.

main reason

The development of a new document and the subsequent adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism" is associated with a significant change in the political regime in the USSR. Despite the fact that it was still strictly organized and ruled by representatives of the only party in the country, the state began to free itself from the cult of autocracy, which I. V. Stalin introduced in his time.

Arbitrariness and lawlessness, as well as the boundless fear that prevailed in the era of the totalitarian rule of one person - all this was publicly condemned by the ruling Communist Party itself. When the steps taken towards the recognition of mistakes and excesses convinced society of the impossibility of returning the former regime, the question arose that the development and subsequent adoption in the USSR of the Constitution of “developed socialism” was simply necessary.

Formation of a special commission

It was decided to start the first stage of preparing a new edition of the Basic Law. First of all, they created a special constitutional commission. Its formation was preceded by a report by Secretary N. S. Khrushchev at a meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on April 25, 1962. On the same day, a meeting was held at which the composition of the commission was approved. From that moment began the direct development and further adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism" (project leader - N. S. Khrushchev).

When L. I. Brezhnev took over as first secretary, he automatically assumed the functions of chairman of the Constitutional Commission. I must say that its composition changed several times, but the principle of formation remained the same - it included the first persons of the state and party leadership, representatives of the union and autonomous republics, territories and regions, as well as delegates from workers and peasants, scientists, etc.

Project development

At the initial stage of writing the document, the question arose of what kind of this moment Soviet society and where it will move in the future. The position based on the "dictatorship of the proletariat" was irrelevant, because the "class struggle" as such no longer existed.

It took time to move away from the old ideology and build a fundamentally new society. Almost 15 years passed before the theory of "developed socialism" appeared. But once its foundations were in place, the drafting of the Constitution moved much faster.

Prerequisites

Four decades passed from the moment when the Constitution of 1936 was adopted until the approval of the new document. During this time, a number of significant changes took place in the USSR, which in one way or another affected all aspects of public life.

The former Constitution, adopted in 1936, proceeded from the fact that the creation was completed. Now it was positioned that a mature and developed society had already been built in the USSR, as a result of which a different community of people called the Soviet people had formed.

The state that arose on the basis of the "dictatorship of the proletariat" has now become public, and the economy has completely passed into socialist ownership. The Communist Party has greatly expanded its ranks, and its role in government has become more responsible.

Socialism was put on a par with other world systems, therefore international influence and the authority of the Soviet Union grew several times. All these premises indicated that the development and adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism" was inevitable.

Promulgation

The draft of the new basic law was published at the beginning of June 1977 not only in central, but also in republican, regional and regional newspapers. It was actively discussed for four months - from June 5 to the end of September. According to official figures, more than 140 million people took part in the process of discussing the new project. And this is about four-fifths of the entire adult population of the Soviet Union. A nationwide discussion on this issue made it possible to make about 450 thousand proposals for amendments, which were aimed at clarifying, improving or supplementing the articles of the draft.

Main aspects of domestic and foreign policy

The main direction in the development of the Soviet state-legal system was proclaimed to be the improvement and strengthening of socialist democracy. This was supposed to be promoted by the adoption of the Constitution of “developed socialism”. Under whom could such an idea be realized? Of course, under Stalin this was out of the question. Since his sole reign, power in the country has changed dramatically.

Also, in the new basic law, the social basis of the Soviet state was fixed - a strong alliance of workers and peasants with the intelligentsia. He implied the achievement of a certain social homogeneity of society, as well as equal opportunities for the all-round development of each person.

As for the Constitution, the main provisions aimed at establishing peace, international cooperation and ensuring the security of all peoples without exception were clearly formulated. Progressive principles of good neighborly relations between the Soviet Union and other countries were also proclaimed. Integral part The world socialist system was a community of states with the same policy as that of the USSR.

Economy

The adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism" was supposed to contribute to a significant rise in both the cultural and material standard of living of the Soviet people. For this, a special scientifically based and long-term economic strategy has been developed. The main role in it was played by the Soviet state. It was supposed to ensure the organization of production, favorable conditions for the creation of a modern material and technical base and develop regulations which would regulate economic relations.

The developers of the new fundamental law proceeded from the fact that the adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism" would further consolidate the already historically established powerful, unified and successfully operating mechanism of the national economy. This document for the first time in history fixed at the legislative level a special economic system of the USSR.

Forms of ownership

The adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism", the date of approval of which was only a matter of time, put socialist ownership of all means of production, which was divided into two forms, into the basis of the economic system. One of them was state-wide, and the other - collective-farm cooperative. True, there was another type of socialist property - the property of trade unions and other public organizations. But only the first two forms determined the nature of the national economy and the division of society into representatives of friendly classes - workers and peasants. Wherein main task state, enshrined in the new Constitution, was the protection of socialist property.

The Soviet economic system also provided for the right to personal property. Its source was socially useful labor. The Constitution of 1977 laid down the basic provisions of the legal status of all forms of ownership without exception, indicating their subjects.

Rights and obligations

The new basic law guaranteed the citizens of the USSR. The Constitution enshrines the right to work, rest, education, material compensation in case of loss of a breadwinner or disability. The document also spoke about freedom of speech and the press, demonstrations and street processions, rallies and meetings, etc.

It was the duty of the Soviet people to comply with the laws of the USSR, to be worthy of the title of a citizen of the USSR, as well as to work conscientiously and be disciplined at work, to protect the interests of the state and in every possible way to strengthen its authority and power, etc.

Separately, it was said about the sacred duty of each Soviet man- defense of the socialist Fatherland. Treason to the motherland is the gravest crime against one's own people. The honorable duty of a Soviet citizen was military service in the Armed Forces of the country.

Adoption of the Constitution

At an extraordinary session of the Supreme Council on October 4, an Editorial Commission was created, whose duties included the preparation of the final draft of the basic law. The meeting also discussed the adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism". Brezhnev made a report on the results of the development of the project and its popular approval. 92 deputies spoke on this occasion. As a result, we decided to make changes on eight points, as well as add a new article.

Three days later, a parliamentary vote was held, and then the adoption of the Constitution of "developed socialism". The date October 7, 1977 was declared a public holiday.

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The current Constitution of the USSR, adopted on October 7, 1977 at the extraordinary seventh session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, is an outstanding document of the modern era, a concentrated result of 60 years of development of the Soviet state, the great victories of our party and the entire Soviet people. It is the world's first Fundamental Law of a socialist state of the whole people, vivid evidence of the implementation of the ideas of the October Revolution, and the great charter of developed socialism.

About one and a half million meetings of working people at enterprises, collective farms, military units and at the place of residence were devoted to consideration of the draft Constitution. In total, more than 140 million people, i.e., more than the adult population of the country, took part in the discussion of the draft Constitution.

The objective prerequisites for the creation of the 1977 Constitution were profound changes in the internal life of our country, which were reflected in the Basic Law. The USSR Constitution of 1977 reflects the socio-political unity of Soviet society, the leading force of which is the working class; characterizes our society as a society of mature socialist social relations, in which, on the basis of the rapprochement of all classes and social strata, the legal and de facto equality of all nations and nationalities, their friendship and fraternal cooperation, a new historical community has developed - the Soviet people; fixes the development of the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into the state of the whole people; reveals the essence of the Soviet state of the whole people, expressing the interests of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia, working people of all nations and nationalities of the country, defines its main tasks - the creation of the material and technical basis of communism, the improvement of socialist social relations and their transformation into communist ones, the education of a new man of communist society, the increase material well-being and cultural standard of living of workers, ensuring the security of the country, promoting the strengthening of peace and international cooperation; indicates the highest goal of the Soviet state of the whole people - the building of communism. Unlike the Constitution of 1936, the Basic Law of the country (Article 6) gives a detailed description of the vanguard role of the Communist Party: “The leading and guiding force of Soviet society, the core of its political system, state and public organizations is the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU exists for the people and serves the people.” One of the main features of the 1977 Constitution is that it reflects the expansion and deepening of socialist democracy. The democratic principles of the formation and operation of the Soviets of People's Deputies were further developed. Compared to the Constitution of 1936, the complex of socio-economic rights is presented more broadly, and the political rights and freedoms of Soviet citizens are more fully formulated. Particular attention is paid to the further development of socialist democracy, the main direction in the development of the political system of Soviet society. The Constitution of 1977, more broadly than the Constitution of 1936, reflects the development of the economic system of the USSR, which is based on socialist ownership of the means of production in the form of state (nationwide) and collective-farm cooperative property.

The Fundamental Law states that the economy of the USSR constitutes a single national economic complex, embracing all links of social production, distribution and exchange on the territory of the country. The Constitution of 1977 fixed the social basis of the USSR, which is an indestructible alliance of workers, peasants and intelligentsia. Special chapters of the Basic Law of our country are devoted to the peaceful foreign policy of the USSR and the defense of the socialist Fatherland.

The USSR Constitution of 1936 reflected an important stage in the development of our society and state - the elimination of the exploiting classes and private ownership of the means of production, proclaimed the building of the foundations of socialism in the USSR, the principles of socialist democracy, which became the basis for the subsequent creative activity of the Soviet people in solving the problems of communist construction.

The Constitution of the USSR of 1977 legislated a new historical milestone - the construction of a developed socialist society in our country. It preserved the succession of the Constitutions of 1918, 1924, 1936. When drafting the Constitution of the USSR in 1977, the experience of constitutional building in other fraternal socialist countries was taken into account. The Constitution of the USSR of 1977 enshrined the main principle of democracy in the Soviet Union - the sovereignty of the people in the person of the Soviets of People's Deputies, which constitute the political basis of the USSR, expressed the fundamental principles of the Soviet system, the main features of developed socialism. It is rightly called the law of life in a society of developed socialism. The USSR Constitution of 1977 is the legal basis of Soviet legislation. The constitutions of the union and autonomous republics and other laws are adopted on the basis of the Constitution of the USSR, the norms of which have the highest legal force.

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Scientific Communism: Dictionary

The constitution of developed socialism -

The Fundamental Law of the nationwide state, which fixed the political and economic systems that have developed under the conditions of developed socialism, the level of social development and culture of the USSR achieved, the fundamental rights, freedoms and duties of Soviet citizens, the national-state and administrative-territorial structure of the Soviet Union, the system and principles of organization and activity bodies of state power and administration.

at the extraordinary seventh session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, is an outstanding document of the modern era, a concentrated result of the 60-year development of the Soviet state, the great victories of our party and the entire Soviet people. It is the world's first Fundamental Law of a socialist state of the whole people, vivid evidence of the implementation of the ideas of the October Revolution, and the great charter of developed socialism.

About one and a half million meetings of working people at enterprises, collective farms, military units and at the place of residence were devoted to consideration of the draft Constitution. In total, more than 140 million people, i.e., more than ⅔ of the adult population of the country, took part in the discussion of the draft Constitution.

Each Soviet Constitution reflects the historical stages in the development of Soviet society and the state. The Constitution of the RSFSR of 1918 - the world's first Fundamental Law of a socialist state - summed up the struggle of the masses in the Great October Socialist Revolution to overthrow the yoke of the exploiters, summarized and consolidated the experience of creating and strengthening Soviet power. The USSR Constitution of 1924 reflected the fact of the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, created a legal basis for further strengthening the unity, friendship and cooperation of the union republics, all nations and nationalities of the unified Soviet state. The USSR Constitution of 1936 reflected an important stage in the development of our society and state - the elimination of the exploiting classes and private ownership of the means of production, proclaimed the building of the foundations of socialism in the USSR, the principles of socialist democracy, which became the basis for the subsequent creative activity of the Soviet people in solving the problems of communist construction.

The Constitution of the USSR of 1977 enshrined the main principle of democracy in the Soviet Union - the sovereignty of the people in the person of the Soviets of People's Deputies, which constitute the political basis of the USSR, expressed the fundamental principles of the Soviet system, the main features of developed socialism. It is rightly called the law of life in a society of developed socialism. The USSR Constitution of 1977 is the legal basis of Soviet legislation.

The constitutions of the union and autonomous republics and other laws are adopted on the basis of the Constitution of the USSR, the norms of which have the highest legal force.

The Soviet Constitution fully corresponds to the position expressed by V. I. Lenin that it “concentrates what has already given life, and will be corrected and supplemented by its practical application in life” (vol. 37, p. 21). The adoption of the Constitution of the USSR became an important milestone in the history of our state, a powerful stimulus in the international struggle of the working people of the whole world for freedom, democracy, the social progress of mankind and lasting peace.

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In 1977, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Motherland, an event of outstanding, truly historical significance took place in the life of our country: the extraordinary seventh session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR unanimously adopted the new Constitution of the Land of Soviets - the Basic Law of our state, our life. The day of the adoption of the new Constitution - October 7 entered the history of the Soviet state as one of the most memorable dates; It is celebrated annually by Soviet people and all progressive mankind as a holiday of the triumph of socialist democracy.

Constitution entered into force USSR- this is an outstanding political, ideological, theoretical and legal document of our time, embodying the remarkable achievements of a society of developed socialism, the will and aspirations of the Soviet people, the age-old hopes of all working people. “The new Constitution,” emphasized the chairman of the Constitutional Commission, L. I. Brezhnev, “is, one might say, the concentrated result of the entire sixty-year development of the Soviet state. It vividly testifies that the ideas proclaimed by October, the precepts of Lenin, are being successfully implemented.

The entire Soviet people participated in the discussion of the Constitution. For four months, an exceptionally broad, free and truly business-like consideration of the draft by the working masses, representatives of all nations and nationalities, all strata and generations of our society took place in the country. It was a political campaign of unprecedented scope and significance, in which more than 140 million people took part. More than 1.5 million proposals, additions, clarifications and changes to the project were made. The Constitutional Commission did not disregard a single remark, a single proposal made during the discussion. Enriched by the experience of millions, adopted by the seventh session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Constitution embodied in its minted formulations the collective wisdom of the Party and the people. It can be said with full justification that the entire Soviet people is the true creator of this outstanding document.

The new Constitution of the USSR reflects the current image of Soviet society in all its main manifestations - economic, social and political.

The key factor for establishing the constitutional foundations of the modern Soviet system is the building of developed socialism in the USSR, which is a natural stage in the formation of the communist formation.

In accordance with the Leninist tradition, the Constitution of 1977 not only reflects the socio-economic and political achievements of developed socialism, but also exhaustively formulates the supreme goal of the Soviet state - building a classless, communist society - and the main tasks of the state: creating the material and technical base of communism, improving socialist social relations and their transformation into communist ones, educating a person of a communist society, raising the material and cultural standard of living of the working people, ensuring the security of the country, promoting the strengthening of peace and the development of international cooperation.

The Constitution gives a detailed description of the role of the Communist Party as the leading and guiding force of society, as the core of its political system, of all state and public organizations.

Party assistants, permanent and indispensable, according to V.

I. Lenin, public organizations have always been and remain participants in government. In the Constitution of the USSR, trade unions, the Komsomol, cooperative and other mass public organizations assigned great place, their authority and significance in the political system rise even higher. They are assigned the right to participate in solving political, economic, socio-cultural issues, the right to legislative initiative.

It is characteristic of the Soviet Constitution that, like bourgeois constitutions, it is not limited to fixing a predominantly political structure, but also fixes the foundations of the social and economic system of the USSR. Indicating that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is a socialist state of the whole people, the Constitution emphasizes that its social basis is now the indestructible alliance of the working class, the collective farm peasantry and the people's intelligentsia. Of fundamental importance is the constitutional provision that the basis of the entire economic system of the USSR is socialist state and collective-farm-cooperative ownership of the means of production. The economy is considered as a single national economic complex, covering all links of social production, distribution and exchange on the territory of the country.

The Soviet Constitution is clear evidence that it is the individual and his welfare that is the goal of all the transformative efforts of the Party and the Soviet state in the economic, political, social and other fields. While securing the rights and freedoms of Soviet citizens proclaimed by the Constitution of 1936, the new Constitution significantly expands and enriches them.

The real guarantees of such vital rights of Soviet citizens as the right to work, to education, to rest, and to enjoy the achievements of culture have been considerably expanded.

The right to housing became a new constitutional right of citizens of the USSR. Our Constitution proclaimed it one of the first in the world. It is guaranteed and will be increasingly ensured by the implementation of a broad program of housing construction.

With each of its articles, our Constitution affirms the great truth that freedom, democracy, humanity are feasible only in the conditions of a social system in which the exploitation of man by man has been abolished.

An important constitutional principle is the inseparable unity of democracy, discipline and responsibility among the members of Soviet society.

The socialist concept of democracy denies the possibility of using rights and freedoms against the interests of the working people. The Constitution emphasizes that the use of rights and freedoms by citizens should not harm the interests of society and the state, the rights of other citizens. The Soviet state prohibits propaganda of war, racial and national hatred.

The rights and freedoms of Soviet citizens are inseparable from their basic duties. This is in tune with the socialist way of life, the moral ideals of the Soviet people, and the notions of social duty born of socialism.

It is the duty and a matter of honor of every able-bodied citizen of the USSR to work conscientiously in his chosen field of socially useful activity. At the suggestion of the workers, an addition was included in the Constitution stating that evasion from social useful labor incompatible with the principles of a socialist society.

The new Constitution of the USSR preserves and develops the truly democratic principles of the formation of Soviets. First of all, we are talking about universal, equal and direct elections by secret ballot, as well as the democratic procedure for nominating candidates for deputies. Proceeding from the nature of popular representation in a developed socialist society, state authorities began to be called Soviets of People's Deputies.

An exceptionally large role in solving important problems of communist construction belongs to labor collectives, these primary cells of our economic and political organism.

In accordance with the wishes of the workers, the Constitution broadly reflects the tasks and rights labor collective, especially in such areas as the planning of production and social development, the training and placement of personnel, the improvement of working and living conditions for workers, the improvement of their skills, and the education of a communist attitude to work.

Of fundamental importance is the inclusion in the Constitution of a special chapter on the foreign policy of our state and the defense of the socialist Fatherland.

On the present stage When the Soviet state grew from a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into a state of the whole people, its foreign policy did not lose its class character. On the contrary, the socialist, internationalist basis of this policy is expanding and becoming more solid. In accordance with the Constitution, the foreign policy of the USSR is aimed at ensuring favorable international conditions for building communism in the USSR, strengthening the positions of world socialism, and supporting the peoples' struggle for national liberation and social progress.

The Basic Law states that our country will continue to pursue the Leninist policy of peace, advocate the prevention of aggressive wars, and the development of broad international cooperation.

Standing for lasting peace and international security, our Party and people cannot but bear in mind that the aggressive circles of imperialism are rattling their weapons, trying to frustrate international detente and plunge the peoples into thermonuclear war. That is why, proceeding from the need to ensure favorable conditions for the building of communism in the USSR, the Fundamental Law affirms that the defense of the socialist Fatherland is the most important function of the state, the business of the entire people. Our Armed Forces see it as their duty to reliably defend the socialist Fatherland, to be in constant combat readiness to guarantee an immediate rebuff to any aggressor.

On the basis of the Constitution of the USSR, new constitutions of the union and autonomous republics were adopted.

The new Constitution reflects the progress of the Soviet country towards social homogeneity, the further strengthening of the socio-political unity of socialist society. This was convincingly confirmed by the elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR held in March 1979. About 175 million people, or 99.99% of the total number of voters, took part in them. 99.90% of the citizens who took part in the voting voted for the candidates of the bloc of communists and non-party people. These voting results convincingly express the full support of the people for the internal and foreign policy party and the Soviet state.

Materials: http://waldorf.in.ua/konstituciya-razvitogo-socializma/