Soviet constitution of 1977
The Soviet constitution of 1977 ( Russian Конституция СССР 1977 года , also known as the Brezhnev constitution ) was the third and last of the constitutions of the USSR . It was adopted on October 7, 1977 by the Supreme Soviet under the chairman of the Presidium Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev and replaced the 1936 constitution .
The constitution defended the absolute rule of the workers , the so-called dictatorship of the proletariat , under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the proposals for the development of communism in the country; the constitution also established a new text for the hymn of the Soviet Union and changes to the flag and coat of arms of the Soviet Union .
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics should be a nation composed of all of the peoples that make up it, committed to the values and needs of workers, peasants , intellectuals and the working class of all nations and nationalities.
The constitution regarded so-called parasitism , which manifested itself in the exploitation of workers, as a grave crime . Military service was compulsory as an expression of love for the fatherland of the working people. The socialist property should against vandalism and corruption to be defended. Defending socialism required educating new people with socialist consciousness.
Individual rights were only respected in relation to the needs of the collective . The constitution increased the right to practice religion and granted freedom of the press , demonstration and speech , including rights to art, privacy and home and family security as well as social security.
The constitution also contained a section on the departure of republics from the union of the USSR, which would later become significant at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union .
The date of adoption of the Constitution, October 7, 1977, referred to the beginning of the Great October Socialist Revolution on November 7, 1917.
The socialist constitution was replaced by the 1993 constitution of the Russian Federation , which defended basic individual rights and civil liberties.
The formal state structure of the Soviet Union from 1977 to 1988 consisting of the so-called Soviets of the various levels and nations is shown in the following diagram:
