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Soviet Union [USSR] The 1977 Constitution
On October 7, 1977, the Supreme Soviet unanimously adopted the
fourth constitution, also known as the "Brezhnev" Constitution,
named after CPSU general secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev
(see Soviet Union USSR - Supreme Soviet
, this ch.). The preamble stated that "the aims of the
dictatorship of the proletariat having been fulfilled, the Soviet
state has become the state of the whole people." That is, according
to the new Constitution, the government no longer represented the
workers alone but expressed "the will and interests of the workers,
peasants, and intelligentsia, the working people of all nations and
nationalities in the country." Compared with previous
constitutions, the Brezhnev Constitution extended the bounds of
constitutional regulation of society. The first chapter defined the
leading role of the CPSU and established principles for the
management of the state and the government. Later chapters
established principles for economic management and cultural
relations.
The 1977 Constitution was long and detailed. It included
twenty-eight more articles than the 1936 constitution. The
Constitution explicitly defined the division of responsibilities
between the central and republic governments. For example, the
Constitution placed the regulation of boundaries and administrative
divisions within the jurisdiction of the republics. However,
provisions established the rules under which the republics could
make such changes. Thus, the Constitution concentrated on the
operation of the government system as a whole.
Data as of May 1989
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