All-Russian Central Executive Committee Research Articles

Formation of the Kyrgyz State as a Political System of Kyrgyzstan

On October 14, 1924, the II session of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets, having considered the resolution of the Turk Central Executive Committee on national-state delimitation, made and approved the following changes: it was decided to transform the Tajik Autonomous Region into the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Uzbek SSR; The Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Region was introduced into the Kyrgyz (Kazakh) Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Kara-Kyrgyz (Kyrgyz) Autonomous Region directly into the RSFSR.Thus, the national statehood of the Kyrgyz people dates back to October 14, 1924.

Борьба с беспризорностью несовершеннолетних в Енисейской губернии в контексте деятельности Комиссии по улучшению жизни детей. 1921 г.

Early years of the Soviet regime were a period of implementation of the ideological doctrine that stated that children welfare should be the exclusive remit of the State. The study of the entire range of solutions for the so called children’s problem in early Soviet state requires involvement of multiple kinds of sources. The object of our interest was the report of Robert Krishyanovich Lepsis (1896–1942), a representative of Yenisseyskii Provincial Executive Committee on the Improvement of Children’s Lives, about the condition of childcare facilities by July 1921. The report was prepared for the Commission for the Improvement of Children’s Lives under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. The document included into the publication was identified as part of Fund P-93 “Department of National Education of the Yenisseyskii Provincial Executive Committee” in State Archive of Krasnoyarsk Territory. The document is reliable and informative; it provides details of geographical location and regional aspects of formation and activities of Soviet machinery during its establishment. The document also gives an idea of searching for humane mechanisms to eliminate juvenile homelessness. We failed to find papers that would highlight organization and initial steps of the Commission for the Improvement of Children’s Lives in Yenisseyskaya Province. The published document the data on the condition and supply of orphanages and shelters in Yenisseyskaya Province; it evaluates the activities of the representatives for the improvement of children’s lives and mechanisms of solution for the problem of juvenile homelessness. The author of the report does not hide the fact that the problems of homeless and neglected children are not a priority in the activities of all the Soviet institutions or administrative organizations. However, due to his being at the same time a Chairman of the Provincial Extraordinary Commission, he manages to solve some urgent issues of childcare facilities. We applied diachronic method to analyze information from the source. As a result we came to a conclusion that they did not manage to change the situation with children’s homelessness in Yenisseyskaya Province radically by July 1921. But a process of introduction of newly formed Soviet institutions into the solution of the above mentioned problem started. Due to the lack of financial and material resources, as well as poor staffing, orphanages and shelters were in poverty. They did not properly solve the educational tasks assigned to them, but at least they served as feeding stations where one could survive in the midst of destruction and famine. The information from the source may be of interest to those who study Soviet society, forms and practical activities of addressing the problems of children’s homelessness.

Reconstruction of the Biography of G. K. Ozhigov in the Context of the Revolutionary Events of 1905–1917 in Russia

Referring to regional material, this article actualizes the tradition of studying the biographies of historical figures in the context of an institutional concept, which makes it possible to describe and explain the controversial facts of political history of the new time in the era of mass social movements. The authors aim to reconstruct the later imperial period (until October 1917) of the life of Grigorii Kondratyevich Ozhigov, a representative of the national revolutionary cohort, who took an active part in the events that occurred in the Urals, Ukraine, the Baltics, Finland, and other areas of the former Russian Empire in the late twentieth century. Methodologically, the work relies on the modernization paradigm, the “new social history”, and related everyday discourse, including the anthropological approach, historical, and biographical methods. Since G. K. Ozhigov’s biography studied by a few Ural historians is replete with inaccuracies, the study is based on sources which have never been referred to previously, including official documents, periodicals, sources of personal origin, autobiographies, and memoirs by Ozhigov himself. The documents kept in the fund of the Ozhigov family of the Central State Archive of the Udmurt Republic are characterized by a complex nature. The study demonstrates that Ozhigov, who came from a peasant family, a worker of Izhevsk factories, managed to rise first to the interregional, and in 1917, to the all-Russian level, reaching the status of a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the first convocation. In the political sphere, he passed a difficult path of evolution from a militant of the Ural Lbovtsy partisans during the First Russian Revolution of 1905–1907, to a member of the RCP(b) and an active participant in the implementation of the project of the proletarian state.

Early Soviet Regional History in the Fates of Compatriots Through the Example of G.K. Ozhigov’s Biography

The early Soviet period in the life of Grigory Kondratievich Ozhigov (Ozhegov) (1878-1935) is reconstructed within the author’s paper. A native of a Vyatka peasant family, a worker at the Izhevsk defense factories, a Socialist-Revolutionary militant, as well as a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the first convocation, who was at party work in the Baltic States and Finland, Orzhigov had a varied career The authors through their work have introduced into scientific use new sources analyzed in the context of the theory of social adaptation, through anthropological approach as well as historical-biographical methodology. Of greatest interest are the materials of the: Revolutionary Civil Council of Izhevsk (1918), Soviet commissions on the affairs of former Red Guards and Red partisans (the 1930s), and the autobiography and memoirs of G.K. Ozhigov himself . The documents of the private origin fund of the Ozhigov family are stored in the Central State Archive of the Udmurt Republic, and are of a complex nature. The study of the biography of Ozhigov, who had turned out to be among the most revolutionary-minded citizens, as shown in other empirical material, does explain why he supported the left-wing radical societal project in Udmurtia. A region by the beginning of modern times which has been the largest agrarian and industrial region of Russia, while largely preserving its traditional way of life.

Крымская АССР, как реализованное право на самоопределение крымскотатарского народа в 1921–1945 гг.: создание, этнокультурные, социально-политические процессы

The article considers one of the most important periods of the Soviet history of the Crimean Tatar people. The process of realizing the right to self-determination in the form of the Soviet autonomous republic – the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. Purposeful actions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Council of People’s Commissariat for Nationality of the RSFSR to prepare conditions for the declaration of autonomy of the Crimean Tatar people. The difficulties faced by the young republic in the initial period of its existence, land problems, the causes and consequences of the famine of 1921–1923. The implementation of the course on indigenization is Tatarization, as the purposeful actions of the state to involve the indigenous people in the management of autonomy, equalize their socio-economic situation, train personnel through the development of the system of general and professional education of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

“Screen on the Chum”: Social Reconstruction and Mobile Film Propaganda in the North of the Ob region in the 1930s

Drawing on the example of agitation and propaganda campaigns carried out in the north of the Ob region in the 1930s among the indigenous population, a specific tool of the Soviet ideological indoctrination of the Great Break period — a mobile cinema (installations designed to screen silent and sound films to a small audience in open areas and in premises not equipped with stationary film projectors) — has been comprehensively studied. The mobile cinema is considered as one of the varieties of cultural management technologies that are equally characteristic of all states and empires of the modern era, including the USSR, where, due to the existence of state ideology and low literacy of the population, it was even more important than other cultural technologies. The management supported and strengthened the centralized power, serving as a complement to force and coercion. Based on the materials of the State Archive of the Socio-Political History of the Tyumen Region, it has been es-tablished that the first mobile cinema in the north of the Ob region was created under the auspices of the Commit-tee of the North under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the USSR, but it reached its fullest flou-rishing in the area during the period when the region came under the jurisdiction of the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route (1935–1938). The repertoire of a mobile cinema was compiled centrally, and it included popular science and feature films, united by a common goal, which was the ideological indoctrination of the audi-ence. For representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North, movie screening itself was the most important experience of joining a new life, akin to the rite of initiation. Indigenous peoples were most interested in movies that narrated about their own daily life: hunting, fishing, travelling. Mobile cinemas were moved around the north by sled and specially equipped boats. The work of a mobile cinema in the north of the Ob region was associated with constant overcoming of a number of problems: the shortage of films, frequent breakdowns of movie cameras, and the lack of qualified projectionists. Nevertheless, mobile cinemas made significant contribution to the mo-dernization of everyday life and worldview of the indigenous peoples of the Ob North.

«The Official Position of Mr. Rychkov is Still a Mystery»: Centre’s Emissary K.M. Rychkov in the Altai Okrug (1917-1918)

The article is devoted to an unknown episode in the biography of ethnographer and journalist K.M. Rychkov during his service in Altai in 19171918. Using historical-biographical method, the author reconstructs for the first time the official and sociopolitical activities of K.M. Rychkov in the Altai Province. Based on extensive sources, the author reveals the role of ethnographer in the administrative and economic reforms in the Altai Okrug in 1917 — first half of 1918. As a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Provisional Government and then of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, K.M. Rychkov joined the bodies of the economic management of the region. When Soviet power was temporarily established in Altai, K.M. Rychkov was a member of the Revision Commission of Altai Provincial Land Committee, headed the Department of State Property Management at the Provincial Council, became one of the developers of instructions for reorganization of management in the Altai Okrug, promoted removal from power of pre-revolutionary bureaucracy. The author concludes that the ethnographer made a significant contribution to the process of reorganizing the administration in the Altai Okrug and influenced the nature and direction of transformations in the economy of the region.

Muslim Schools in Tatar Villages of the Simbirsk — Ulyanovsk Volga Region in the 1920s–1930s

The article discusses the functioning of Muslim schools in the Simbirsk — Ulyanovsk Volga Region of the 1920s and 1930s. The article was prepared on the analysis of documents of the State Archive of the Ulyanovsk Region and the State Archive of the Recent History of the Ulyanovsk Region. The article has a general overview of the implementation of the Soviet state’s policy towards Muslim religious schools. The actual material analyzes the practice of applying the Decree on the separation of church from school of January 23, 1918, and the resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR of June 9, 1924 on the permission of religious education in mosques. In the Simbirsk — Ulyanovsk Volga Region, the campaign to liquidate Muslim religious schools began in the first half of 1923. The Soviet state wanted to liquidate Muslim religious schools and implement Soviet schools. Muslim Tatars of the Simbirsk-Ulyanovsk Volga Region have repeatedly filed petitions for the organization of religious education for children at mosques. In the 1920s, in the region at the same time there were a few legally open schools and there were various underground forms of religious education for Tatar children. The process of liquidating religious schools ended at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s. The latest applications for the organization of religious training from the Muslim Tatars of the Simbirsk — Ulyanovsk Volga Region were received at the same time.

Legislation on societies and unions of Soviet Russia (1917-1930s)

This article outlines a number of sources of law of various legal force that determine the legal status of non-governmental organizations in Soviet Russia in the 1917-1930s. Primarily, these are the Constitutions of the RSFSR and the USSR and Resolutions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People’s Commissars on societies and unions. The authors examine doctrinal documents (resolutions of party congresses, excerpts from speeches by party leaders, etc.) that characterize self-organization of Soviet society and legal framework for the activities of mass voluntary associations. The legal foundations for voluntary associations operation in Soviet Russia, as well as specifics of legislative acts regulating their formation and activities, and the forms of control over them by the authorities, have not been fully studied in academic literature. This research aims to bridge this gap. Based on the analysis of a wide range of published sources, as well as the standpoint of modern methodology of critical legal research, the article investigates legal policy of the Soviet government aimed at developing a new legal framework for the activities of societies and unions including the principles of their relationship with the state in terms of formation, re-registration and termination of activities of mass voluntary organizations.

Градации возраста в уголовном праве советского периода (1917–1991 гг.)

The article features the formation and development of age gradations in the Soviet criminal law. The research covered various legal acts. e.g., Decrees of the Council of People's Commissars, Instructions, Decrees of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, etc. The analysis made it possible to identify the emergence of a two-stage age threshold for criminal liability. The Criminal Codes of the RSFSR (1922, 1926, 1960) and Soviet criminal legislation were studied for the legal regulation of both the age of the subject of crime and the age of the victim, as well as other actors who affected the crime typology and sentence. The author identified the maximal age threshold for criminal liability. This innovation appeared during war time and was applied to dodging conscription in production, construction, and agriculture, as well as to unauthorized absence from work, which were considered criminal liability. The article also features the historical dynamics of the age criminal responsibility.

Historical sources of the education system 1920-1930

The article characterizes the sources of the history of education in the 1920-1930s. It describes the funds and documents of the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the state archives of Almaty, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, Orenburg regions and the state archives of the Russian Federation. Are characterized funds 4, 5, 127, 173, 194, 377 of the Kyzylorda Regional State Archive The value of the 77th fund of the state archive of the city of Almaty is estimated. Information about the development of education in the republic is given in the collection “Materials for the report of the Central Executive Committee of the Kazakh ASSR at the 3rd session of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the 13th convocation.” The content of the collection of documents and materials “People’s education of the Kazakh SSR” is revealed. The role of the collection “Cultural Construction in Kazakhstan” in the study of the history of the formation of the Soviet education system is assessed, in which protocols, resolutions of the Turkestan Central Executive Committee and the Council of People’s Commissars, resolutions of district committees and city committees of the party, orders and instructions of departments of public education, etc. were introduced. organization and management of education in the 1920s. prepared on the basis of documents of the Central State Archive of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Are considered Periodicals published in 1918-1930 and articles on their pages.

АНАЛИЗ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ КОМИССИИ ПО ВОПРОСАМ КУЛЬТОВ ПРИ ПРЕЗИДИУМЕ ВЦИК В 1929–1930 ГГ.

The article deals with the work of the Commission on Cults under the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in 1929–1930. The research topic is relevant, because. Currently, there is a rethinking of the Soviet experience of interaction between state power and the Russian Orthodox Church in the Soviet period of our history. The purpose of the study is to analyze the work of the Commission on Cult Issues and to understand its role in the development of the anti-religious policy of the Soviet government. This article examines the problems faced by the commission in resolving issues related to the interaction of the authorities, the population and the church. A great contribution to the study of the activities of the Commission on Cults was made by O.B. Prikazchikova, A.S. Kochetova, A.L. Ershov. The merit of these authors lies in the fact that they analyzed the statistical aspect of the commission's work. The main emphasis in their articles is placed on the period from 1931 to 1935. This article examines in detail the period of work of the commission from 1929 to 1930. A new substantive aspect of the commission's work is considered. The methodology of this article includes the historical-diachronic method, which made it possible to understand the internal laws of the development of the political course of the Soviet government in relation to the Russian Orthodox Church and clergy. The comparative historical method made it possible to compare some aspects of the policy of the state power of the Russian Empire and the Soviet government in relation to the Orthodox Church. The structural-system method made it possible to study the genesis of the policy of the Soviet government on the issue of its interaction with the Russian Orthodox Church in its entirety and in certain aspects. As a result of the study, it was possible to study the complaints and petitions received by the commission, the reaction of the commission members to these citizens' appeals. The activity of the chairman of the commission of the Soviet state and party leader P.G. Smidovich. In this study, archival materials from the collections of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GA RF) are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The materials and conclusions contained in the study may be useful for teaching the "History of Russia", in the preparation of textbooks, special courses on the history of interaction between the Soviet government and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Commission made decisions regarding the Russian Orthodox Church and clergy in accordance with the current legislation of the USSR at that time. However, this legislation itself was aimed at excluding the church from social and political life and the complete eradication of faith from the minds of citizens.

An attempt to close the Orthodox Renovation Cathedral in Sretensk in 1930 as an example of the anti-religious activities of local authorities

The paper describes an attempt to close the Orthodox religious building the cathedral of Sretensk in the Sretensky District of the Far East (since July 1930 in the East Siberian Territories). The decision of the local authorities, approved by the Far Eastern Regional Executive Committee, was canceled by the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. The funds of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (SA RF) contain a separate voluminous file dedicated to this event. It becomes possible, using the example of a specific cult building, to trace the mechanism or procedure of closing from beginning to end. It is concluded that the initiative came from the budgetary authorities, who used two methods of work: intensifying the anti-religious activities of the public and increasing the rent for the land under the cathedral and taxes from the building. The decision of the Sretensky District executive committee was supported by the authorities of the Far Eastern Territory, which in 1930 were aimed at the massive widespread closure of religious buildings of all religious teachings for services. The cancellation of the decision to close the Sretensky Cathedral and leaving it to the community of believers, according to the authors, is predetermined, on the one hand, by the violation of Soviet legislation on cults by local and regional authorities, and on the other hand, by the personalities of individual statesmen who often spoke on the side of believers. The issues under consideration require further study, which implies serious work with sources.

Revision of Court Decisions in Civil Proceedings During the New Economic Policy Period

The institution of revision in civil procedure is designed to ensure the achievement of the legality and validity of court decisions. The purpose of the work is to study the historical experience of revising court decisions that have entered into legal force in civil proceedings during the period of the new economic policy. Comparative historical and formal legal research methods are used. As a result of the study, the following conclusions were made. In 1923, the course was in effect for the implementation of the principle of a single court, and only the Supreme Court of the RSFSR was vested with the power to review court decisions that had entered into legal force in civil proceedings. In 1930, a course towards decentralization appeared, and the lower courts were vested with the right to review. During the NEP period, the norms of the legislation on the revision of court decisions were repeatedly changed. Circulars of the People’s Commissariat of Justice of the RSFSR and clarifications of the Supreme Court of the RSFSR were of leading importance for law enforcement practice. Legislatively enshrined two forms of revision of court decisions that entered into legal force in civil proceedings: on newly discovered circumstances and in the order of prosecutor’s supervision. They differed in terms of limitation period, grounds and methods of initiating a revision. Distinctive features of the prosecutor’s protest were: no statute of limitations; grounds for protest – a material violation of laws and a real or potential violation of the interests of the state or workers when the court decision is upheld. The list of subjects for initiating the review was not limited to the parties and the prosecutor; this right was also granted to the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Presidium of the Supreme Court, and the Civil Cassation Board of the Supreme Court of the RSFSR, the People’s Commissar of Labor.

ПОПЫТКИ РЕШЕНИЯ АДМИНИСТРАТИВНО-ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНЫХ ПРОБЛЕМ СИБИРИ БОЛЬШЕВИКАМИ 1920–1930 ГГ.

The purpose of this study is to study the organization and the main stages of the activities of the central and regional bodies of Soviet power to solve the problem of the administrative-territorial structure of Siberia in the 1920– 1930. Objectives of the study: 1. To reveal the relationship of Sibrevkom with the central and local bodies of Soviet power. 2. To investigate the project of Sibrevkom on the administrative-territorial division of Siberia. 3. To analyze the main stages of the transformation of the administrative-territorial structure of Siberia in 1920–1930. The object of the study is the administrative-territorial bodies of Soviet power on the territory of Siberia in 1020–1930. The subject of the research is the activities of the party and Soviet bodies to solve the problem of the administrative-territorial structure of Siberia in the first post-revolutionary decades of Soviet power. The article notes that the beginning of solving the problem of the administrative-territorial structure of Siberia was laid by the creation, by decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of August 27, 1919, of the Siberian Revolutionary Committee (Sibrevkom) as the authorized body of Soviet power to maintain revolutionary order in Siberia and lead all administrative-territorial bodies local authorities. The activities of the central bodies of the party and Soviet authorities in the search for optimal forms of government in Siberia are revealed in the main stages, determined by economic and political factors. At the first stage in 1923–1924. volosts were transformed into districts, which made it possible to bring authorities closer to the population and take into account their general economic needs. At the second stage (1924–1925) districts were created as administrative units, which included several districts each. The stage ended with the formation of the Siberian Territory, the highest administrative body of which was the Siberian Regional Executive Committee. In order to more effectively manage the territories of Siberia, at the third stage, which ended in 1930, Sibkrai was divided into the West Siberian and East Siberian territories. Taking into account the interests of Soviet, economic and public organizations, at the fourth stage in 1934, territories and regions were created, including the Krasnoyarsk Territory on December 7, 1934. Thus, the changes in the administrative-territorial structure of Siberia were based on socio-economic and national factors. The process of searching for optimal forms of governance in Siberia was completed with the formation of regions and territories, and thus an attempt was made to find the balance of power between the regions and the center necessary to solve the problems of a particular time.

К вопросу о поводах и правовых основаниях к конфискации промышленных предприятий советскими органами

The relevance of the chosen direction of research is due to the constant interest of the scientific legal community in various aspects of the legitimization of power in various historical periods. The problem of legal forms of the exercise of power allows us to single out one of these aspects, which is associated with the motives for social transformations in transitional periods of the socio-economic development of society. The October Revolution led to a change in the socio-economic system, and the stability of Soviet power was determined not only by the support of the masses, but also by the state of the economy. However, many industrial enterprises, due to the actions of the owners, were under the threat of cessation of production or closure. The purpose is to show what reasons and legal grounds led to the adoption of acts of confiscation and nationalization of enterprises in post-revolutionary Russia. Methods - historical-legal, concrete-historical, legal logic, inductive-deductive analysis. Based on scientific research and archival sources, some of which are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, it is assumed that the socio-political activity of labor collectives at many enterprises manifested itself in appeals to authorities, which gave sociological reasons for the adoption of decrees and resolutions on the confiscation of enterprises and accelerating the process of nationalization of industry. In addition to them, ideological, political and situational (associated with the alienation of local property without the sanctions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars) reasons stand out. The legal grounds for the adoption of such acts are constitutional, legislative acts, including the regulation on worker control, and protocol decisions of authorized bodies.

ФАКТОРЫ ЭТНИЧНОСТИ ПРИ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНОМ РАЗМЕЖЕВАНИИ УРАЛЬСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ И БАШКИРСКОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ В 1920-Е ГОДЫ

The article analyzes the situation of border conflicts between the Ural region and the Bashkir Autonomous Socialist Republic (BASSR) over the territory of the bend of the Belaya and Kama rivers in the 1920s. It is emphasized that nowadays, there is a narrative in historiography about the predominance of “national republics” in the USSR in the 1920s, but this provision may be revised. Until 1918, the lands in question belonged to Bashkir landowners, but were inhabited by Russian peasants who took them on lease. After the Bolsheviks came to power and the abolition of lease relations, both the Ural region and the Republic of Bashkortostan claimed these territories. The former pointed to the Russian composition of the population, the latter indicated the established economic ties. The paper examines in detail the development of this conflict, the application of the existing mechanisms and tools of decision-making of that time, as well as the role of the ethnic component in them. After lengthy negotiations at the level of local authorities, no compromise was reached. The authorities of the Republic of Bashkortostan campaigned among the local population and engaged specially trained respondents for surveys, while representatives of the Ural region refused to accept any opinion that did not correspond to the idea of local peasants transferring with their land to the Ural region. As a result, the issue was considered by the Administrative Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and the disputed territories were assigned to the Ural region. Therefore, in a state that has abandoned the prejudices of the past, the ethnic principle has played a key role in defining the boundaries of regions. This example shows that the Bolsheviks, even in the early years of Soviet power, were guided not only by the policy of unconditional preferential treatment of “national republics”.

Конституционно-правовой статус Крымской (ССР) АССР в составе РСФСР (1921–1946 гг.)

We analyze the constitutional and legal processes in the Crimean (SSR) ASSR during the period of Soviet state building. The adoption of the first constitution of the republic in 1921 was initiated by the central authorities of the RSFSR and found the support of local authorities, as this was in the interests of the region. The constitution secured the state status within the RSFSR. With the adoption of the first Constitution of the USSR in 1924 in the Crimean SSR, additions are made to the Constitution of 1921, on the basis of which local authorities seek to build relations with the RSFSR and the USSR on a contractual basis. The Constitution of the RSFSR of 1925 assigned the official name of the Crimean ASSR to the autonomy. In turn, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR, endowed with the right to cancel the acts of the congresses of the Soviets of the autonomous republics, did not approve the 1924 Constitution of the Crimean SSR with amendments. The new version of the Constitution of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of 1929, which reflected changes in the state-legal construction in the autonomy, was also not approved by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR. The adopted Constitution of the Crimean ASSR in 1937 became an important stage in the constitutional and legal development of the autonomy. It reflected the changes in the socio-economic, socio-political life of the republic and was approved by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR. We conclude that the elimination of autonomy in the post-war years contradicted the ideology and practice of Soviet state building and created the prerequisites for subsequent voluntaristic decisions.

Doctrinal arrangement of social-territorial structure of the Soviet system in 1918 (based on the materials of the Commission for Drafting the Constitution of the Soviet Republic under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee)

Based on the vast array of archival materials, the article reconstructs the discussions that took place in the process of adoption of the 1918 Constitution of the RSFSR. It is worth noting that the issues that are somehow related to the model of the Soviet federation were the most discussed. Such situation existed due to the fact that the Marxism-Leninism ideology was initially internationalistic, and the Bolsheviks were enormously interested in expanding their influence. The federation was also a fully legal instrument for uniting the communist parties of various countries into economic, military and political alliance. Although V. I. Lenin had a dialectical perception of federation and the state, this did not diminish the interest of the members of the commission to this problematic. The question of federalism was strictly practical and tactical, since the fate of the world socialist revolution depended on the extent to which the federation would be proletarian and unique. Therefore, the members of the commission had to solve the issues associated with the type of federation, ethnic question, the administrative-territorial division of the state, and representation in the councils. The latter was of crucial importance, since both the social base of the political regime and the governability of the entire Soviet state depended on the content of the Soviet institutions. Therefore, the Bolsheviks placed emphasis namely on the representation of workers, rather than peasants. The conclusion is made that the legal issues of the structure of the Soviet federation were equally as important as the ideological arrangement of the Soviet state.

The Soviet Federation and the principles of its construction in the context of constitutional discussions of 1918

The Bolsheviks, alongside their mentors K. Marx and F. Engels, were staunch opponents of the federal structure. However, the political goals of the revolutionary party were put at the forefront; thus, V. I. Lenin viewed federation as the method for uniting the proletariat into a single union. The leader of the revolution developed the forms of structurization of this union on multinational basis throughout his entire creative life. The article traces the evolution of V. I. Lenin's representations of the state structure of Soviet Russia – from the unitary centralized state to the federation of free nations. Such political and legal views on the Soviet federation underlines the development of the constitutional doctrine of the Soviet State. However, the constitutional commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee did not reach a common ground on which type of federation should be built on the territory of the former Russian Empire, thereby offering different projects of federal structure. The author describes the reflection of Lenin’s ideas on the Soviet federation in perception of majority of the members of the constitutional commission, as well as the corresponding political projects.