CONSTITUTIONALISM DURING THE PERIOD OF DEVELOPED SOCIALISM IN THE USSR

• Main Author: Yu. L. Shul'zhenko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penza State University Publishing House 2020-06-01
• Series: Известия высших учебных заведений. Поволжский регион: Общественные науки
• Subjects: elections; communist party; constitution; constitutionalism; parliament; developed socialism; citizen status

The article is devoted to the analysis of the state of constitutionalism during the years of developed socialism in the Soviet Union. His concept was defined as the result of the collective efforts of the CPSU and fraternal communist and workers parties. The characteristic of the basic indicators of the creation of developed socialism in the USSR is given: the emergence of a new social community – the Soviet people; the development of the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into a nation- wide socialist state. The basic law of a developed socialist society, a nationwide state, the foundation of constitutionalism of this period was the “Brezhnev” Constitution of the USSR adopted in 1977. First of all, it is pointed out that the fact that it introduced the concept of “people” for the first time as a subject to which all power belongs to was very democratic and promising. In the same way, one can interpret the provisions on nationwide discussion, referendum, on the status of public organizations, the labor collective. For the first time, the leading role of the Communist Party is directly fixed. With the practical denial of a multi-party system, ideological diversity, this did not correspond to the democratic essence, the nature of constitutionalism. Particular attention is focused on the provisions relating to the status of the individual, his rights and freedoms. They were the most evidence of the reality to a certain extent of the progress of Soviet practical constitutionalism. The position of the Soviet leadership, ideologists, scientists of that time on the future of domestic constitutionalism is also shown. In conclusion, a generalized conclusion is presented that constitutionalism of the period of developed socialism in the USSR as a whole should be characterized as fictitious. This is primarily based on the fact that many of the provisions of the 1977 Constitution of the USSR, which were apparently of a democratic nature in principle, were absent in reality. They actually performed the role of covering up the state, the dictatorship of the ruling communist party. First of all, three main research methods were used – dogmatic, historicallegal, comparative-legal.