Constitution of the Soviet Union (1936)
USSR · 1936
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Description
The Soviet Union adopted a new constitution in 1936, with Joseph Stalin as its presiding name. Soviet spokesmen praised it as the most democratic constitution in the world. It arrived at the very height of the Great Terror, when show trials and arrests were sweeping the country. The gap between text and terror was the point its critics seized on.
On paper the charter guarantees work, rest, education, free speech, and the vote for every citizen, priests included. It describes a federation of republics with an elected Supreme Soviet at its head. In practice, the Communist Party's grip, mentioned in a single article, overrode every promise. Foreign admirers quoted the rights; Soviet citizens learned not to test them. The constitution of the purges' apogee remains the classic case of rights proclaimed by a state that honored none of them.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | USSR |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 1936 |
| COLLECTION | DOCUMENTS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 40231 |
| LICENSE | Public Domain |
| RIGHTS | PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| SOURCE | Wikisource |