The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR)[a] was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. It was based on the principle of unified power, which was the only branch of government in the Soviet state.
Prior to 1936,[3] the Congress of Soviets was the supreme legislative body. During 1989–1991 a similar, but not identical structure was the supreme legislative body. The Supreme Soviet appointed the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court, and the Procurator General of the USSR as well as elected the Presidium which served as the USSR's collective head of state under both the 1936 and 1977 Soviet Constitutions.[3]
By the Soviet constitutions of 1936 and 1977, the Supreme Soviet was defined as the highest organ of state power in the Soviet Union and was imbued with great lawmaking powers. In practice, however, it was a toy parliament which did nothing other than ratify decisions already made by the USSR's executive organs and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) – always by unanimous consent[3] – and listen to the General Secretary's speeches.[3] This was in accordance with the Stalinist CPSU's principle of democratic centralism and became the norm for other Communist legislatures.
The Supreme Soviet was composed of two chambers, each with equal legislative powers:[4]
Under the 1936 Constitution, the Supreme Soviet was elected for a four-year term, and the Soviet of the Union had one deputy for every 300,000 people.[4] This was changed by the 1977 constitution; the term was extended to five years, and the number of seats in the Soviet of the Union was changed to be the same as the Soviet of Nationalities, regardless of the population size.[5][6]
The Supreme Soviet convened twice a year, usually for less than a week. For the rest of the year, the Presidium performed its ordinary functions. Often, the CPSU bypassed the Supreme Soviet altogether and had major laws enacted as Presidium decrees. Nominally, if such decrees were not ratified by the Supreme Soviet at its next session, they were considered revoked. In practice, however, the principle of democratic centralism rendered the process of ratifying Presidium decrees a mere formality. In some cases, even this formality was not observed.[3]
After 1989 it consisted of 542 deputies (divided into two 271 chambers) decreased from a previous 1,500. The meetings of the body were also more frequent, from six to eight months a year. In September 1991, after the August Coup, it was reorganised into the Soviet (council) of Republics and the Soviet of The Union, which would jointly amend the Soviet Constitution, admit new states, hear out the President of the Soviet Union on important home and foreign policy issues, approve the union budget, declare war and conclude peace. The Soviet of Republics would consist of 20 deputies from each union republic, plus one deputy to represent each autonomous region of each republic, delegated by the republics' legislatures. Russia was an exception with 52 deputies. The Soviet Union consisted of deputies apportioned by the existing quotas.[7]
In 1989, its powers were:
Acts by the Supreme Soviet entered into force after signature by the President and publication.
Between 1938 and February 1990, more than 50 years, only 80 laws were passed by the Supreme Soviet, less than 1% of total legislative acts.[8]
No. | Portrait | Name (Born-Died) |
Term of office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
1 | Mikhail Kalinin (1875–1946) | 17 January 1938 | 19 March 1946 | 8 years, 61 days | |
2 | Nikolai Shvernik (1888–1970) | 19 March 1946 | 15 March 1953 | 6 years, 361 days | |
3 | Kliment Voroshilov (1881–1969) | 15 March 1953 | 7 May 1960 | 7 years, 53 days | |
4 | Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) | 7 May 1960 | 15 July 1964 | 4 years, 69 days | |
5 | Anastas Mikoyan (1895–1978) | 15 July 1964 | 9 December 1965 | 1 year, 147 days | |
6 | Nikolai Podgorny (1903–1983) | 9 December 1965 | 16 June 1977 | 11 years, 189 days | |
(4) | Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) | 16 June 1977 | 10 November 1982 † | 5 years, 147 days | |
– | Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990) Acting | 10 November 1982 | 16 June 1983 | 218 days | |
7 | Yuri Andropov (1914–1984) | 16 June 1983 | 9 February 1984 † | 238 days | |
– | Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990) Acting | 9 February 1984 | 11 April 1984 | 62 days | |
8 | Konstantin Chernenko (1911–1985) | 11 April 1984 | 10 March 1985 † | 333 days | |
– | Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990) Acting | 10 March 1985 | 27 July 1985 | 139 days | |
9 | Andrei Gromyko (1909–1989) | 27 July 1985 | 1 October 1988 | 3 years, 66 days | |
10 | Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) | 1 October 1988 | 25 May 1989 | 236 days |
No. | Portrait | Name (Born-Died) |
Term of office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
1 | Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) | 25 May 1989 | 15 March 1990 | 294 days | |
2 | Anatoly Lukyanov (1930–2019) | 15 March 1990 | 4 September 1991 | 1 year, 160 days |
Beside the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, each of its constituting union republics and each autonomous republic had a supreme soviet. These supreme soviets also had presidiums, but all consisted of only one chamber. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, some soviets of the succeeded independent republics simply changed their name to their more historic name or to emphasise their importance as a national parliament, while others changed to double-chamber assemblies.
Soviet Republics dissolved before the dissolution of the Soviet Union Parliaments not formally recognized by some countries such as the Western Bloc
Soviet Republic | Supreme Soviet | Established | Disbanded | Succeeded by | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Russian SFSR | Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR
Верховный Совет РСФСР |
1938 | 1993 | Constitutional Conference (1993) Federal Assembly (1993–present) | |
Ukraine | Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR
Верховный Совет Украинской ССР |
1937 | 1996 | Verkhovna Rada | |
Byelorussia | Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR
Верховный Совет Белорусской ССР |
1938 | 1994 | Supreme Council (1994–96) National Assembly (1996–present) | |
Uzbekistan | Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR
Верховный Совет Узбекской ССР |
1938 | 1992 | Supreme Council (1992–1995) Oliy Majlis (1995–present) | |
Kazakhstan | Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR
Верховный Совет Казахской ССР |
1937 | 1993 | Supreme Council (1993–95) Parliament (1996–present) | |
Georgia | Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR
Верховный Совет Грузинской ССР |
1938 | 1992 | State Council (1992–1995) Parliament (1995–present) | |
Azerbaijan | Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR
Верховный Совет Азербайджа́нской ССР |
1938 | 1995 | National Assembly | |
Lithuania | Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR
Верховный Совет Литовской ССР |
1940 | 1990 | Supreme Council (1990–1992) Seimas (1992–present) | |
Moldavia | Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR
Верховный Совет Молдавской ССР |
1941 | 1993 | Parliament | |
Latvia | Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR
Верховный Совет Латвийской ССР |
1940 | 1990 | Supreme Council (1990–1993) Saeima (1993–present) | |
Kirghizia | Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR
Верховный Совет Киргизской ССР |
1938 | 1994 | Supreme Council | |
Tajikistan | Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR
Верховный Совет Таджикской ССР |
1937 | 1994 | Supreme Assembly | |
Armenia | Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR
Верховный Совет Армянской ССР |
1938 | 1995 | National Assembly | |
Turkmenia | Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR
Верховный Совет Туркменской ССР |
1938 | 1992 | Assembly (1992–2021, 2023–present) National Council (2021–2023) | |
Estonia | Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR
Верховный Совет Эстонской ССР |
1940 | 1990 | Supreme Council (1990–92) Riigikogu (1992–present) | |
Karelo-Finnish SSR | Supreme Soviet of the Karelo-Finnish SSR
Верховный Совет Карело-Финской ССР |
1940 | 1956 | Supreme Soviet (ru) |
List of known autonomous republics councils:
Autonomous Republic | Supreme Soviet | Established | Disbanded | Succeeded by | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bashkiria | Supreme Soviet of the Bashkir ASSR (ru)
Верховный Совет Башкирской АССР |
1938 | 1995 | State Assembly | |
Buryatia | Supreme Soviet of the Buryat ASSR (ru)
Верховный Совет Бурятской АССР |
1938 | 1994 | People's Khural | |
Karelia | Supreme Soviet of the Karelian ASSR (ru)
Верховный Совет Карельской АССР |
1938 1956 |
1940 1994 |
Legislative Assembly | |
Tatarstan | Supreme Soviet of the Tatar ASSR (ru)
Верховный Совет Татарской АССР |
1938 | 1995 | State Council | |
Tuva | Supreme Soviet of the Tuvan ASSR (ru)
Верховный Совет Тувинской АССР |
1961 | 1993 | Great Khural | |
Chuvashia | Supreme Soviet of the Chuvash ASSR (ru)
Верховный Совет Чувашской АССР |
1938 | 1994 | State Council | |
Karakalpakstan | Supreme Soviet of the Karakalpak ASSR
Верховный Совет Каракалпакской АССР |
1938 | 1994 | Supreme Council | |
Abkhazia | Supreme Soviet of the Abkhaz ASSR
Верховный Совет Абхазской АССР |
1938 | 1996 | People's Assembly | |
Adjara | Supreme Soviet of the Adjarian ASSR
Верховный Совет Аджарской АССР |
1938 | 1991 | Supreme Council | |
Nakhichevan | Supreme Soviet of the Nakhichevan ASSR
Верховный Совет Нахичеванской АССР |
1938 | 1990 | Supreme Assembly (Nakhchivan) |