Comparative analysis of sources of the civil legislation of the countries of the former USSR

The article deals with the problem of sources of law. The paper gives a comparative analysis of the sources of the Civil Code of the former USSR states based on their civil codes. The article considers the problems of inter-branch ties of civil law in the USSR states. Similarity of norms in the issue under consideration is due to the historic roots of civil law and the common character of the socialist doctrine. The author shows and systematizes the concrete examples of the inter-connections in the Civil Code of the USSR states, reveals the importance thereof for the process of modernization of civil-law regulation. The author stresses that at the present stage of law-making work the main task is not only preservation but strengthening of the role of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation as a centre of civil-law legislative system. The author of the article focuses on differences in the regulation of civil legal in USSR states. The author examines and answers the following questions, for example: Is the Constitution a source of civil law? The Constitution and laws declared in positivist theory as having the highest legal force in civil law. May be the acts of local self-government the source of civil law? The author make proposal to recognize the court practice as the source of the civilian process law. The author concludes that assigning courts with the law-making function would benefit the efficiency of current legislation refinement. The article considers a problem of a definition and role of a custom in legal system of Russia and in other USSR states. Custom, the main guarantee of which is public opinion, is not always in harmony with law, the main guarantee of which is a plain force. However, the essential differences discussed in the paper confirm, to a large extent, harmonization, rather than unification, of the national civil legislation. In the end of the article author considered the basic tendencies of development of the civil law of Russia. Considering the process of formation of contemporary Russian concept of sources of law, the author finds the elements of succession and renovation in the system of sources of law, detects the rules of their evolution, determines the ways of solution of controversial issues.