Discussion on the federal structure of Soviet Russia (based on the materials of the State Archive of the Russian Federation)

Abstract

The subject of the study is the discussion that unfolded during the work of the Commission on drafting the Constitution of the Soviet Republic regarding the model of the state structure. The purpose of this study was to study the positions regarding the federal structure of Soviet Russia, expressed during the meetings of the Commission on drafting the Constitution of the Soviet Republic by such state and public figures as D.A. Magerovsky, M.N. Pokrovsky, M.A. Reisner, I.V. Stalin, Yu.M. Steklov, A.A. Schrader. To achieve this goal, a set of universal (dialectics), general scientific (analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction, structural-system method), private scientific methods (historical method), special methods (formal legal, comparative legal) were used. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that on the basis of archival documents, the author proposed a classification of positions regarding the federal structure of Soviet Russia, expressed during the work of the Commission on drafting the Constitution of 1918. (the federation of Russia on the syndicalist principle of the unification of communes, as well as the formation of a federation on the basis of a national or territorial community, as well as their combination), their implementation in the basic law of the country is justified. In addition, it is noted that the concept of a two–tier federation developed in 1918 later formed the basis of a unique state - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. A special contribution of the author to the study of the topic is the introduction of archival documents into scientific circulation.