History Of The USSR

Prof
June 20

The constitution of the USSR was first put forth in 1924 after the October Revolution and was revised two more times with the final revision taking place in 1977. This final Soviet Constitution would was finally replaced in 1993 by the current Russian Constitution which marked the end of the Soviet Union, the Cold War, the start of Democracy in Russia, and the fall of the Iron Curtain.
The soviet era constitution of 1977 followed a socialist political system for the purpose of ultimately creating a communist state. Unlike older constitutions that only represented the workers and peasants (proletariats), the new constitution claimed to represent all the people of the nation. The constitutional rights granted included: freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and the right to religious belief and worship. Additionally, the freedom of artistic work, inviolability of the person and home, and right to privacy were also granted. Following the Marxist-Leninist ideology, right to work, rest and leisure, health protection, housing, education, and care in old age and sickness is also provided. Unlike in Western constitutions, any of these rights could be lifted if they interfered with the goals or vision of the Communist party. If freedom of speech was used to attack the party’s ideals, the government held the power to revoke that right. Article 6 named the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) the sole leader of all state and public organizations creating a single party state. Article 11 states that the state owns the basic means of production in industry, construction, agriculture, means of transport and communication, banks, most urban housing, and any other property necessary for state purposes. Article 2 states that all power in the USSR belongs to the people and as such the people own everything specified in article 11.
A common theme throughout is the claim that the government is a government of the people, specifically the working class and exists to serve the people through the many freedoms, rights, and services it provides. This likely served to give the appearance of a self-ruled people when in fact the country operated as a dictatorship allowing for full control over its citizens with the ability to suspend any of the rights given in the constitution. Article 40 of the Soviet Constitution guarantees the right to work while Article 60 states that it is a requirement for every capable citizen to work and a crime to evade this duty due to the incompatibility with socialist principles. The government maintains that its duty is to serve the people but the need for a single party power is essential for the benefit of all. The goals outlined include reshaping the country into a socialist framework with the end goal of becoming a communist state. This end is spoken as a positive goal that will benefit the whole of society. This amount of power is what eventually leads to corruption in the government and the deterioration of the economic health of the society.
In 1983, Mikhail Gorbachev, secretary of agriculture and Aleksandr Yahkovlev the Soviet Ambassador to Canada met in what would later be called the walk that changed the world and in the course of three hours discussed the many shortcomings of the current Soviet administration and laid the framework for perestroika and glasnost (restructuring and openness respectively). This in turn led to new policies that eventually led to the dissolution of the USSR and the adoption of the new constitution. They believed that corruption plagued the government and if the current administration’s policies were not reformed, specifically those involving foreign policy, the Soviet Union would fall. While visiting Canada, they had marveled at the efficiency of the agricultural sector compared to the inefficiency of their own in the Soviet Union. The idea of a free market became more attractive and the shortcomings of having a centrally planned economy

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