Local councils of people’s deputies in the "Stalin" Constitution of the USSR (1936) and their subsequent organizational and legal development up to the "Brezhnev" Constitution of the USSR (1977)

The article explores the peculiarities of the institute of local Soviets of People’s Deputies (Councils of People’s Deputies) in the period between the "Stalin" Constitution of the USSR, 1936 and the "Brezhnev" Constitution of the USSR, 1977. It is noted that the system of local Soviets in the constitutional norms was regulated in general on a democratic basis. In particular, the Constitution of the USSR, 1936 implied that local Soviets, as the lower level of state power in the country, are the holders of power of people, as evidenced by the election of deputies of all levels by direct universal suffrage by secret ballot. However such provisions denied other provisions of the same "Stalin" Constitution, especially on the administrative subordination of the Soviets at various levels, and on the leading role of the Communist Party, what reduced democracy to a minimum and reflected the so-called "State theory" of local self-government. Such situation also occurred in the "Brezhnev" Constitution. At the same time, in reality the highly centralized system of power in 1930 - mid1950s after Stalin''s death became transformed in the direction of greater liberalization. Thus, some democratization was manifested in early 1960s, what is reflected in the draft of the new Federal Constitution, which had been discontinued. At the turn of 1970, a number of new laws on local Soviets were adopted, which continued this trend. In addition, in the "Brezhnev" Constitution the class attribute of the Soviet power was reflected to a lesser extent.