The emergence of the sociologiсal theory of la w in the USSR

Introduction: the article is devoted to the analysis of the genesis of the Soviet theory of law, in particular, of the sociological concept of law by P. Stuchka. In this regard, the relation of jurisprudence with other social sciences, such as philosophy, political science and sociology, acquires particular importance. Special attention is paid to the attempts of reconciliation of Marx's concept of withering away of the state and the law in a communist society with the realities of the young Soviet state. Purpose: to form a concept of prerequisites and peculiarities of formation of Russian legal theory in the 1920-30s. Methods: theoretical methods offormal and dialectic logic have been applied. Results: the analysis shows that in their attempt to reconcile Marxist theory with the reality and inner logic of the law the Soviet jurists relied on the achievements ofpre-revolutionary Russian legal theory, primarily a sociological theory of law. In addition, the relative epistemic pluralism of social sciences in the first decades of the Soviet regime allowed them to elaborate original concepts, for example, the concept of codification. Conclusions: the Soviet theory of law in its early stages faced the problems of determining the essence and the content of law, and of the relationship between the law, state and society of a new type. The problems were caused by the dominant ideology of Marxism-Leninism and epis-temological obstacles in legal knowledge. The attempts to solve these problems undertaken by the Soviet jurists are of great interest to modern legal theorists who are in search for appropriate methods of legal research.