Politics of the Soviet Union - wikipedia Politics of the Soviet Union This is the current revision of this page, as edited by PrimeBOT ( talk contribs ) at 21 : 11, 25 June 2017 ( Replace magic links with templates per local RfC - BRFA ). The present address ( URL ) is a permanent link to this version. Revision as of 21 : 11, 25 June 2017 by PrimeBOT ( talk contribs ) ( Replace magic links with templates per local RfC - BRFA ) ( diff ) ← Previous revision Latest revision ( diff ) Newer revision → ( diff ) Soviet Union This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Soviet Union Leadership Leaders President ( list Vice President ) Collective leadership State Council Presidential Council Communist Party Congress Central Committee History General Secretary Politburo Secretariat Orgburo Legislature Congress of Soviets ( Central Executive Committee ) Supreme Soviet Soviet of the Union Soviet of Nationalities Presidium Congress of People 's Deputies Speaker 1989 Legislative election Governance Constitution Official names 1924 1936 1977 Government Ministries State Committees Executive Officer Premiership Cabinets Council of People 's Commissars Council of Ministers Cabinet of Ministers Judiciary Law Supreme Court People 's Court Procurator General History 1917 -- 27 Revolution Civil War 1927 -- 53 World War II 1953 -- 64 Khrushchev Thaw 1964 -- 82 Era of Stagnation 1982 -- 91 Dissolution Ideology Soviet democracy Marxism -- Leninism Leninism Stalinism Khrushchevism De-Stalinization Society Economy Agriculture Consumer goods Five - Year Plan Kosygin reform New Economic Policy Science and technology Era of Stagnation Material balance planning Transport Culture Demographics Education Family Phraseology Religion Repression Censorship Censorship of images Great Purge Gulag system Collectivization Human rights Ideological repression Suppressed research Political abuse of psychiatry Political repression Population transfer Propaganda Red Terror Other countries Atlas The political system of the Soviet Union was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ( CPSU ), the only party permitted by the Constitution. For information about the government, see Government of the Soviet Union. Contents 1 Background 2 Legislative branch 2.1 Congress of Soviets ( 1922 -- 1936 ) and the Supreme Soviet ( 1936 -- 1989 ) 2.2 Congress of People 's Deputies and State Council ( 1989 -- 1991 ) 3 Executive branch 3.1 Premier and the Council ( 1922 -- 1991 ) 3.2 President and the Cabinet ( 1991 ) 4 Judicial branch 5 Role of the Communist Party 5.1 Organization 5.2 Ideology 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading Background The Bolsheviks who took power during the October Revolution, the final phase of the Russian Revolution, were the first Communist Party to take power and attempt to apply the Leninist variant of Marxism in a practical way. Although they grew very quickly during the Revolution, from 24,000 to 100,000 members, and some support, 25 % of the votes for the Constituent Assembly in November, 1917, the Bolsheviks were a minority party when they took power by force in Petrograd and Moscow. Their advantages were discipline and a platform supporting the movement of workers, peasants, soldiers and sailors who had seized factories, organized soviets, appropriated the lands of the aristocracy and other large landholders, deserted from the army and mutinied against the navy during the Revolution. Karl Marx made no detailed proposals for the structure of a socialist or communist government and society other than the replacement of capitalism with socialism, and eventually communism, by the victorious working class. Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks, had developed the theory that a Communist Party should serve as the vanguard of the proletariat, ruling in their name and interest, but, like Marx, had not developed a detailed economic or political program. The new Communist government of the Soviet Union faced alarming problems : extending practical control beyond the major cities, combatting counter-revolution and opposing political parties, coping with the continuing war, and setting up a new economic and political system. Despite their relative discipline, the Bolsheviks were not of one mind, the Party being a coalition of committed revolutionaries, but with somewhat differing views as to what was practical and proper. These diverging tendencies resulted in debates within the Party over the next decade, followed by a period of consolidation of the Party as definite programs were adopted. Legislative branch Congress of soviets ( 1922 -- 1936 ) and the Supreme Soviet ( 1936 -- 1989 ) Main articles : Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union and Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Congress of Soviets was the supreme organ of power, in accordance with Article 8 of the 1924 Soviet Constitution. The Congress was replaced in the 1936 Soviet Constitution by the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union ; in accordance with Article 30, it functioned as the highest state authority and the only legislative branch of the USSR. According to Article 108 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution, the Supreme Soviet was empowered to deal with all matters within the jurisdiction of the USSR. The admission of new republics ; creation of new Autonomous Republics and Autonomous Regions ; approval of the five - year plan for social and economic development ; creation of the state budget and the institution of bodies to which the USSR was accountable were the exclusive prerogative of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Law of the USSR was enacted by the Supreme Soviet or by referendum. The Supreme Soviet consisted of two chambers : the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities ; both chambers had equal rights. The Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities had an equal number of deputies. The Soviet of the Union was elected by constituencies with equal populations ; the Soviet of Nationalities was elected on the basis of the following representation : 32 deputies from each Union Republic, 11 deputies from each Autonomous Republic, five deputies from each Autonomous Region, and one deputy from each Autonomous Area. The Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities ( upon submission by the elected credentials commissions ) had the power to decide the validity of the elected deputies ' credentials, and ( in cases where election law had been violated ) would declare the election null and void. Both chambers elected a Chairman and four Deputies. The Chairmen of the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities presided over sessions of their respective chambers and conducted their affairs. Joint sessions of the chambers were presided over by ( alternately ) the Chairman of the Soviet of the Union and the Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities. Congress of people 's Deputies and state Council ( 1989 -- 1991 ) Main articles : Congress of People 's Deputies of the Soviet Union and State Council of the Soviet Union Through a constitutional amendment made by Mikhail Gorbachev, the Supreme Soviet became a permanent parliament which was elected by the Congress of the People 's Deputies. In the 1989 Soviet legislative election the Soviet people, for the first time, elected candidates democratically. The new amendment called for a smaller working body ( later known as the Supreme Soviet ), to be elected by the 2,250 - member Congress of People 's Deputies. One - third of the seats in the Congress of People 's Deputies was reserved for the Communist Party and other public organisations. The amendment clearly stated that multiple candidates could participate in elections, and Soviet voters stunned the authorities by voting for non-CPSU candidates and reformers. However, genuine reformers were estimated to have won only about 300 seats. Following the failed August Coup attempt, the State Council became the highest organ of state power `` in the period of transition ''. Executive branch Premier and the Council ( 1922 -- 1991 ) See also : Premier of the Soviet Union Main articles : Council of People 's Commissars and Council of Ministers ( Soviet Union ) According to the 1924 Soviet Constitution, the executive branch was headed by the Council of People 's Commissars ; in the 1977 Soviet Constitution, the Council of Ministers was the head of the executive branch. The Council of Ministers was formed at a joint meeting of the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities. The Council consisted of the Chairman, the First Deputies, the Deputies, the ministers, the chairmen of the state committees and the Chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Republics. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers could recommend to the Supreme Soviet other heads of organisations in the USSR as members of the Council. The Council of Ministers laid down its power before the first session of the newly elected Supreme Soviet. The Council of Ministers was both responsible for and accountable to the Supreme Soviet, and in the period between sessions of the Supreme Soviet it was accountable to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. The Council of Ministers regularly reported to the Supreme Soviet on its work. It was tasked with resolving all state administrative duties within the jurisdiction of the USSR, to the degree that they did not come under the competence of the Supreme Soviet or the Presidium. Within its limits, the Council of Ministers had authority to : Ensure management of the national economy and its socio - cultural construction and development Formulate and submit the five - year plan of `` economic and social development '' and the state budget to the Supreme Soviet, and submit its fulfilment to the Supreme Soviet Defend the interests of the state, socialist property and public order, and protect the rights of Soviet citizens Ensure state security Exercise general leadership of the Soviet armed forces and determine how many were to be drafted into service Exercise general leadership over Soviet foreign relations ; trade and the economic, scientific - technical and cultural cooperation of the USSR with foreign countries. It also confirmed and announced international treaties signed by the USSR. Set up necessary organisations within the Council of Ministers in matters of economics, socio - cultural issues and defence It also had the power to issue decrees and resolutions, and to later verify their execution. All organisations were obligated to follow the decrees and resolutions issued by the All - Union Council of Ministers. The All - Union Council also had the power to suspend all issues and decrees made by itself or organisations subordinate to it. It coordinated and directed the work of the republics and their ministries, state committees and other organs subordinate to the All - Union Council. Finally, the competence of the Council of Ministers and its Presidium in their procedures and activities ( and its relationship with subordinate organs ) was defined in the Soviet constitution by the Law on the Council of Ministers of the USSR. President and the cabinet ( 1991 ) Main articles : President of the Soviet Union and Cabinet of Ministers ( Soviet Union ) In 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev created the office of the President of the Soviet Union, the head of the executive branch. In the meantime, the Council of Ministers was dissolved and replaced by the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR. The new cabinet was headed by the Premier. Gorbachev 's election as President marked the third time in one year he was elected to an office equivalent to that of Soviet head of state ; he was elected by the Congress of People 's Deputies on all three occasions. Judicial branch Main articles : Law of the Soviet Union, Supreme Court of the Soviet Union, and Procurator General of the Soviet Union The Supreme Court was the highest judicial body in the country ; it supervised the administration of justice by the courts of the USSR and its Soviet Republics within the limits of established law. The leadership of the Supreme Court was elected by the Supreme Soviet ; the exceptions were the Chairmen of the Supreme Courts of the Soviet Republics, who were ex officio members. The organisation and the procedures of the Supreme Court were defined by law. As written in Article 157 of the Brezhnev constitution, `` Justice is administered in the USSR on the principle of the equality of citizens before the law and the court. '' In the following articles it was made clear that all individuals ( no matter their circumstances ) had the right to legal assistance. All judicial proceedings in the USSR were conducted in the language of the Soviet Republic, `` Autonomous Republic, Autonomous Region, or Autonomous Area, or in the language spoken by the majority of the people in the locality ''. People who participated in court proceedings without knowledge of the language had the right to become fully acquainted with the materials in the case, the right to an interpreter during the proceedings and the right to address the court in their own language. The Procurator General was ( according to Article 165 ) appointed to the office by the Supreme Soviet. The Procurator was responsible and accountable to the Supreme Soviet or, between sessions of the Supreme Soviet, to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. The Procurator General supervised most activities of Soviet agencies such as ministries, state committees and local Prosecutor Generals. Subordinate agencies of the Procurator General exercised their functions independent from meddling by the Soviet state, and were subordinate only to the Prosecutor 's office. The organisation and procedures of these subordinates were defined in the Law on the Procurator 's Office of the USSR. Role of the Communist Party See also : Communist Party of the Soviet Union and List of leaders of the Soviet Union According to Article 6 of the Soviet Constitution, the Party was `` the leading and guiding force of Soviet society and the nucleus of its political system, of all state organisations and public organisations, is the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU exists for the people and serves the people. '' The Communist Party was officially a Marxist - Leninist communist party, which determined the general development of Soviet society both in domestic and foreign policy. Also, it directed the `` great work '' of building communism through economic planning and the struggle for the victory of communism. All Communist Party organisations had to follow the framework laid down by the 1977 Soviet Constitution. After mounting pressure against him by the reformers, Mikhail Gorbachev removed the phrase `` the leading and guiding force '' and replaced it with `` the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and other political parties ''. The Nomenklatura was the Soviet Union 's ruling group, and remained one of the main reasons why the USSR existed as long as it did. Members of the Nomenklatura were elected by the CPSU to all important posts in Soviet society ; this could mean a locally or nationally significant office. This, along with the CPSU 's monopoly on power, led to the gradual physical and intellectual degeneration of the USSR as a state. As long as the General Secretary of the CPSU commanded the loyalty of the Politburo he would remain more - or-less unopposed, and in all probability become the leader of the country. Organization This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2013 ) The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. ( March 2013 ) The CPSU controlled the government apparatus and took decisions affecting economy and society. The Communist Party followed the ideology of Marxism - Leninism and operated on the principle of democratic centralism. The primary CPSU bodies were the Politburo, the highest decision - making organ ; the Secretariat, the controller of party bureaucracy ; and the Central Committee, the party 's policy forum. CPSU membership reached more than 19 million ( 9.7 percent of the adult population ) in 1987, and was dominated by male Russian professionals. Party members occupied positions of authority in all officially recognized institutions throughout the country. Single party rule, combined with democratic centralism, which, in practice, consisted of a hierarchal structure which with the aid of a secret police organization enforced decisions made by the ruling party as well on the personnel of all governmental institutions, including the courts, the press, cultural and economic organizations and labor unions. The Soviet Union is considered by many to have been a totalitarian state for much of its existence. Critics include Western authors such as Robert Conquest and Russian critics such as Alexander Yakovlev. Ideology This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2013 ) Main article : State ideology of the Soviet Union Education and political discourse proceeded on the assumption that it was possible to mold people using collectivist institutional forms into an ideal Soviet man or woman, new Soviet man. The validity of ideas, public discourse, and institutional form were evaluated in terms of the official ideology of Marxism - Leninism, as interpreted by the Communist Party. See also Economy of the Soviet Union History of the Soviet Union USSR Heads of State Premier of the Soviet Union List of Governments of the Soviet Union References Jump up ^ Article # 8 of the 1924 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of January 1924 Article 8... Jump up ^ Article # 30 of the 1936 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 5 December 1936 Article 30... Jump up ^ Article # 14 of the 1936 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 5 December 1936 Article 14... Jump up ^ Article # 31 of the 1936 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 5 December 1936 Article 31... Jump up ^ Article # 108 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 108... Jump up ^ Article # 109 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 109... Jump up ^ Article # 110 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 110... Jump up ^ Article # 111 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 111... Jump up ^ Soviet Union law No 9853 - XI `` On amendments and additions to the Constitution ( Basic Law ) of the USSR ^ Jump up to : `` Gorbachev 's Reform Dilemma ''. Library of Congress Country Studies. Retrieved 16 October 2010. Jump up ^ Government of the USSR : Gorbachev, Mikhail ( 21 March 1972 ). УКАЗ : ПОЛОЖЕНИЕ О МИНИСТЕРСТВЕ ЮСТИЦИИ СССР ( Law : About state governing bodies of USSR in a transition period On the bodies of state authority and administration of the USSR in Transition ) ( in Russian ). sssr.su. Retrieved 15 October 1991. Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ Article # 37 of the 1924 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of January 1924 Article 37... Jump up ^ Article # 128 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 128... Jump up ^ Article # 129 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 129... Jump up ^ Article # 130 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 130... Jump up ^ Article # 131 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 131... Jump up ^ Article # 133 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 133... Jump up ^ Article # 134 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 134... Jump up ^ Article # 135 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 135... Jump up ^ Article # 136 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 136... Jump up ^ Polmar, Norman ( 1991 ). The Naval Institute guide to the Soviet. United States Naval Institute. p. 1. ISBN 0 - 87021 - 241 - 9. Jump up ^ McCauley, Martin ( 2007 ). The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. Pearson Education. p. 490. ISBN 0 - 582 - 78465 - 4. Jump up ^ Article # 153 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 153... Jump up ^ Article # 157 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 157... Jump up ^ Article # 158 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 158... Jump up ^ Article # 159 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 159... Jump up ^ Article # 165 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 165... Jump up ^ Article # 164 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 164... Jump up ^ Article # 168 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 168... Jump up ^ Article # 6 of the 1977 constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ) of 7 October 1977 Article 6... Jump up ^ Government of the USSR : Gorbachev, Mikhail ( 21 March 1972 ). УКАЗ : Об учреждении поста Президента СССР и внесении изменений и дополнений в Конституцию ( Основной Закон ) СССР ( Law : Establish the post of President of the USSR and the amendments to the Constitution ( Fundamental Law ) of the USSR ) ( in Russian ). constitution.garant.ru. Retrieved 14 March 1990. Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ Chubarov, Alexander ( 2001 ). Russia 's bitter path to modernity : a history of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 58 -- 60. ISBN 0 - 8264 - 1350 - 1. This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/. - Soviet Union Further reading Alexander N. Yakovlev, Anthony Austin, Paul Hollander, Century of Violence in Soviet Russia, Yale University Press ( September, 2002 ), hardcover, 254 pages, ISBN 0 - 300 - 08760 - 8 Soviet Union topics History Index of Soviet Union - related articles Russian Revolution February October Russian Civil War Russian SFSR USSR creation treaty New Economic Policy Stalinism Great Purge Great Patriotic War ( World War II ) Cold War Khrushchev Thaw 1965 reform Stagnation Perestroika Glasnost Revolutions of 1989 Dissolution Nostalgia Post-Soviet states Geography Subdivisions Republics autonomous Oblasts autonomous Autonomous okrugs Closed cities list Regions Caspian Sea Caucasus Mountains European Russia North Caucasus Siberia Ural Mountains West Siberian Plain Politics General Constitution Elections Foreign relations Brezhnev Doctrine Government list Human rights LGBT Law Leaders Collective leadership Passport system State ideology Marxism -- Leninism Leninism Stalinism Bodies Communist Party organisation Central Committee Politburo Secretariat Congress General Secretary Congress of Soviets ( 1922 -- 1936 ) Supreme Soviet ( 1938 -- 1991 ) Congress of People 's Deputies ( 1989 -- 1991 ) Supreme Court Offices Premier President Deputy Premier First Deputy Premier Security services Cheka GPU NKVD MVD MGB KGB Political repression Red Terror Collectivization Great Purge Population transfer Gulag list Holodomor Political abuse of psychiatry Ideological repression Religion Suppressed research Censorship Censorship of images Economy Agriculture Central Bank Energy policy Five - Year Plans Net material product Inventions Ruble ( currency ) Internet domain Transport Science Communist Academy Academy of Sciences Academy of Medical Sciences Lenin All - Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences Sharashkas Naukograds list Society Crime Demographics Soviet people working class 1989 census Languages Linguistics LGBT Culture Ballet Cinema Fashion Literature Music opera Propaganda Sports Stalinist architecture Opposition Soviet dissidents and their groups list Anthem republics Emblem republics Flag republics Templates Departments Russian Revolution 1917 Joseph Stalin Stagnation Era Fall of Communism Book Category Commons Portal WikiProject Politics of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Other entities European Union Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Politics_of_the_Soviet_Union&oldid=787517124 '' Categories : Politics of the Soviet Union Hidden categories : Articles containing Russian - language text CS1 errors : dates CS1 uses Russian - language script ( ru ) CS1 Russian - language sources ( ru ) Articles needing additional references from March 2013 All articles needing additional references NPOV disputes from March 2013 All NPOV disputes Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Library of Congress Country Studies Talk Article Talk More Contents About Wikipedia In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Català Español Bahasa Indonesia Magyar Bahasa Melayu Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 25 June 2017, at 21 : 11. 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Question: the soviet union set up what kind of political economic system
Answer: replacement of capitalism with socialism, and eventually communism