Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
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| Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Центральный Исполнительный Комитет СССР Верховный Совет СССР |
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| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Timeline | |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Established | 1922 |
| Preceded by | Various |
| Succeeded by | Several post-Soviet parliaments In Russia: Supreme Soviet of Russia, then State Duma of the Russian Federation |
| Disbanded | 1991 |
| Leadership and Structure | |
| Members | 542 (at dissolution) 1500 (at highest point) |
| Election | |
| voting system | Appointed by Congress of Soviets (1922—1936) Direct single-canditate elections of parliamentary seats (1936—1989) Appointed by Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union (1989—1991) |
| Last election | 25 May, 1990 |
| Meeting place | |
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| The Kremlin | |
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (Russian: Верховный Совет СССР, Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the Supreme Soviet (highest legislative body) in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. It elected the Presidium, formed the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court, and appointed the Procurator General of the USSR.
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[edit] Structure
From the formation of the USSR (1922) until the approval of the 1936 Soviet Constitution, it was named Central Executive Committee of the USSR (Центральный Исполнительный Комитет СССР or ЦИК СССР, or, romanized, TsIK SSSR) and functioned until 1938 under this name. It was made up of two chambers according to the 1924 Soviet Constitution: the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities. Beside it there were Central Executive Committees in federal republics, such as All-Russian Central Executive Committee (in Russia), Belorussian Central Executive Committee (in Belorussia) and All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee (in Ukraine).
The Supreme Soviet was made up of two chambers, each with equal legislative powers, with members elected for four-year terms: [1]
- The Soviet of the Union, elected on the basis of population with one deputy for every 300,000 people in the Soviet federation
- The Soviet of Nationalities, supposed to represent the ethnic populations, with members elected on the basis of 32 deputies from each union republic (excluding the autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts, and autonomous okrugs in its territory, which would send in separate members), 11 from each autonomous republic, five from each autonomous oblast (region), and one from each autonomous okrug (district). The administrative units of the same type would send in the same number of members regardless of their size or population.
Until Perestroika and the partially free elections in 1989, the Supreme Soviet functioned as a rubber stamp to legislation originating from less representative but more powerful bodies, like the Politburo.
After 1989 it consisted of 542 deputies (down from previously 1,500). The meetings of the body were also more frequent from six to eight months a year.[2] The Presidium carried out the day-to-day operations of the Supreme Soviet when it was not in session.
[edit] Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR
This position was held by four people at once.
- Mikhail Kalinin (December 30, 1922 - January 12, 1938) (office renamed) (concurrently Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR)
- Grigory Petrovsky (December 30, 1922 - January 12, 1938) (concurrently Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Ukrainian SSR)
- Aleksandr Chervyakov (December 30, 1922 - June 16, 1937) (concurrently Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Belorussian SSR)
- Nariman Narimanov (December 30, 1922 - March 19, 1925)
- Gazanfar Musabekov (May 21, 1925 - June 1937)
- Nedirbay Aytakov (May 21, 1925 - 21 July 1937) (concurrently Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Turkmen SSR)
- Fayzulla Khodzhayev (May 21, 1925 - June 17, 1937)
- Nusratullo Maksum (or Nusratullo Lutfullayev) (March 18, 1931 - January 4, 1934) (concurrently Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Tajik SSR)
- Abdullo Rakhimbayev (4 January 1934 - September 1937)
[edit] Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1938–1989)
- Mikhail Kalinin 1938–1946
- Nikolay Shvernik 1946–1953
- Kliment Voroshilov 1953–1960
- Leonid Brezhnev 1960–1964
- Anastas Mikoyan 1964–1965
- Nikolay Podgorny 1965–1977
- Leonid Brezhnev (second term) 1977–1982
- Yuri Andropov 1983–1984
- Konstantin Chernenko 1984–1985
- Andrey Gromyko 1985–1988
- Mikhail Gorbachev October 1, 1988 – May 25, 1989
[edit] Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1989–1991)
- Mikhail Gorbachev May 25, 1989 - March 15, 1990
- Anatoly Lukyanov March 15, 1990 - August 22, 1991
- + Rafiq Nishonov (acting) August 1991–1991
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd edition, entry on "Верховный Совет СССР", available online here
- ^ Peter Lentini (1991) in: The Journal of Communist Studies, Vol. 7, No.1,pp. 69-94
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