The Standing Committees and the Ministries

The 23rd Congress of the CPSU posed the task of enhancing the role of the supreme Soviets and defined the principal directions to be followed in solving this task. The most important of them are the further improvement in the activity of the standing committees [postoiannye komissii], which contribute to the development of socialist democracy, the improvement in the work of the supreme Soviets and the agencies of state administration, and the activization of deputies. At the first session of the seventh Supreme Soviet [sed'mogo sozyva] of the USSR, the report by N. V. Podgorny, Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, "On Organizing the Standing Committees of the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities," emphasized the major role of the standing committees in social and economic development and expressed confidence that their functioning would promote the fulfillment of the tasks facing the country. (1) The seventh supreme Soviets of the USSR and of the union republics carried out a number of practical measures to implement the instructions of the party to increase the role of the standing committees.     

Relations Between the Ussr Supreme Court and the Supreme Courts of the Union Republics

As we know, the Supreme Court of the USSR and the supreme courts of the union republics did not come into being simultaneously. The supreme courts of the union republics came first, followed by the USSR Supreme Court.     

A Political Economy Model of Workers Representation: The Case of Union Elections in Spain

In this article we present a political economy model to analyse the effects of union elections. Union elections are the prerequisite for participating in collective bargaining and they are a unique Spanish institution for union recognition. We apply standard political economy assumptions to model the union elections in order to understand their influence on the dynamics of the unemployment rate. Although union elections give the right to vote to virtually all workers, we show that insider power exists and that it introduces a hysteresis effect on the unemployment rate. In addition, the model shows how the date of the union elections can amplify the business cycle. An empirical analysis confirms the main predictions of the model.JEL Classification: K31, J51, E24     

Local Soviets in the Ukraine during the Years of the Great Patriotic War

From the very first day of the Great Patriotic War, local Soviets of all the Soviet republics contributed in every possible way to the use of all forces and means for the needs of defense of the Motherland and the defeat of the enemy. The Ukraine was one of the first to experience all the hardships of the fascist invasion: the death of people, the destruction of cities and villages, and the bestial cruelty perpetrated by Hitler's minions on the occupied territory. With the direct participation of the local Soviets of the republic, about 2 million people were mobilized into the ranks of the Red Army in the first months of the war alone, 657 fighting battalions were formed, sections of the People's Army numbering more than a million persons were created, and over 2 million citizens worked to build equipment for defense. The Soviets also used their efforts to organize the evacuation of the population, industrial enterprises, and various material goods from the territory near the front. By the end of 1941, more than 550 enterprises, 427 machine tractor stations, a huge volume of agricultural products, and over 4 million Soviet citizens had been evacuated from the territory of the republic.¹ This tremendous work was done under the leadership of Party organizations, the supreme organs of government, and the central administrative bodies of the republic. The entire country of Soviets gave all-round assistance to the Ukrainian SSR.     

Improving the Effectiveness of Supervision by the Procuracy

A seminar-conference on general supervision was held in Moscow, July 2-4 of this year, to which were invited the chiefs of general supervision of the procuracies of the republics of a number of territories and regions, and of Moscow, Leningrad, Alma-Ata, and other cities, some vice-procurators of union republics, and procurators of autonomous republics, territories, regions, cities, and districts. Responsible personnel of the CPSU Central Committee and of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, as well as legal scholars, also took part in the conference.     

Changes in the Administrative-Territorial Organization of the Union Republics (As of Early 1963)

In conjunction with the reorganization of party and soviet agencies on the production principle, considerable changes in the administrative-territorial organization of the union republics occurred in 1962 and early 1963.     

Elections and the Soviets

Elections for the local Soviets now functioning were held in March 1961. The number of Soviets elected in the USSR as a whole was 49,858, of which 7 were for territories, 107 for regions, 9 for autonomous regions, 10 for national areas, 3,401 for districts, 1,678 for towns, 343 for districts in cities, 3,061 for settlements, and 41,242 for villages.     

An Important form of Improvement of the Professional Skills of Justice Personnel

In accordance with the joint decree of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers of July 30, 1970, "On Measures to Improve the Work of Judicial and Procuracy Organs," and Decree No. 640 of November 12, 1970, of the RSFSR Council of Ministers, permanent republic-wide courses for improving the qualifications of justice personnel in the RSFSR have been organized in that federation. Here members of supreme courts of autonomous republics, members of territorial, regional, city, and national area courts, presiding judges of district (or city) people's courts, people's judges, consultants of departments of justice and of courts, notaries, and defense attorneys will undergo retraining. Branches of the republic-wide courses for bailiffs, office heads, secretaries of courts and hearings, clerks, and inspectors are being established in affiliation with the ministries of justice of autonomous republics and the justice departments of the executive committees of territorial and regional Soviets of working people's deputies.     

Report on the Work of the Civil College of the USSR Supreme Court

Under the USSR Constitution and the Statute on the USSR Supreme Court, supervision of the judicial activity of the courts of the USSR, and of the courts of the union republics within the limits established by law, is realized by this College, as well as by the USSR Supreme Court as a whole.     

Administrative Law

The decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet of June 21, 1961, "Further Limitation of the Levying of Administrative Fines," which establishes a number of fundamental propositions on administrative responsibility, came into effect in January 1962. The union republics have adopted appropriate legislation in furtherance of this decree.     

Direct transfers between the former Soviet Union central budget and the republics: Past evidence and current implications

This paper examines the magnitude of direct transfers between the former Soviet Union central buget and individual republics. It shows that Kazakhstan and Central Asian republics were primary recipients of large net transfers of funds from the Soviet central budget amounting in some cases to about ten percent of their GNP. On the contrary, Russia was the single largest net donor of funds to the Soviet central budget through more transfers paid to the union budget than received from it, both in rouble terms and as a share of the GNP. With the dissolution of the central budget in November 1991, these transfers were discontinued. This has caused a dent in fiscal budgets and a large negative income shock in recipient republics. To some extent, external saving is suggested as the way to ease up the burden of the loss of income induced by the collapse of the fiscal system and the system of direct transfers within the former Soviet Union.     

An Important Stage in the Development of Soviet Civil Law

In December of 1961 the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in its Seventh Session, approved the Principles of Civil Legislation of the USSR and the Union Republics. New civil codes had to be enacted in the union republics in accordance with the Principles. The latter will also serve as the basis for developing and bringing up to date civil legislation within the jurisdiction of the USSR.     

Delimitation Of Competence Between USSR Agencies and Republic Agencies in the Field of Economic Guidance

The question of the scientific bases for distribution of powers [polnomochii] between the USSR and its entities [sub'ekty], the union republics, in the field of economic guidance is of political, practical, and theoretical importance.     

Games in the Fresh Air: Street Protests: Exhibitions of Extremism or Expressions of Civil Will?

The coming year will be a year of sharp political conflict. In March there will be regional elections, and in December elections for Parliament.     

Pressing Problems in Improving the Legislation on Administrative Responsibility

In publishing this and other articles on improving the legislation on administrative responsibility, the editors seek to familiarize their readers with the problems arising in generalizing the experience in applying the decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, "On Further Limitation of the Imposition of Fines by Administrative Procedure," of June 21, 1961, and the decrees of the presidiums of the supreme soviets of the union republics adopted in accordance therewith, and also to be of aid in improving the legal acts prevailing in this field.     

The Rhythm of the Construction "conveyor Belt"

The All-Union Seminar-Conference to Study and Disseminate the Experience of Evenly Timed Putting into Operation of Housing and Public Buildings and Structures was held in Orel. It was organized by the USSR Council of Ministers' State Committee on Construction [Gosstroi], other construction agencies, the Orel Regional Committee, and the City Committee of the CPSU. Ranking executives of the State Planning Commission, Gosstroi, the USSR Bank for Construction [Stroibank], Party and government agencies, and design and construction organizations of all the union republics took part in the work of the conference.     

The Neighbor who Shares your Apartment: A Discussion

Note by editors of Sotsialisticheskaia zakonnost': Professor A. Ushakov's article poses sharply the inadequacy of the present legislation on exchange of dwelling space. Often an exchange of dwelling space worsens the housing conditions of the neighbors sharing a communal apartment and produces overcrowding. And this is sometimes justified by citing the law and the instructions issued by ministries of municipal services of the union republics. To engage in such a practice means to infringe on citizens' rights to housing.     

The New Codification of Civil Law and Protection of the Honor and Dignity of the Citizen

With the issuance of the Principles of Civil Legislation of the USSR and the Union Republics, the first, but very important, stage in the new codification of Soviet civil legislation to correspond with the needs of the period of the comprehensive building of communism has been realized. What must now follow is the adoption of civil codes by the union republics, in which the general, fundamental and primary propositions of the Principles will be appropriately concretized and detailed, developed and augmented.     

Ways of Filling Gaps in Soviet Legislation on Questions Of International Civil Procedure

Soviet civil law and civil procedure underwent a period of renovation in 1961-1965. In December of 1961 we adopted the Principles of Civil Legislation and the Principles of Civil Procedure of the USSR and the Union Republics, which served as the basis for the new codes of civil law and civil procedure in the union republics. These Principles also contain a number of norms of international private law (including norms of international civil procedure) which have been embodied without change in the new codes of civil law and civil procedure.     

Informing the Population About the Activity of State Agencies

Under the conditions of developed socialism, the general problem of informing the population, and that of its knowledge about matters of state and law in particular, becomes increasingly more pertinent. "The development of socialist democracy," said L. I. Brezhnev at a meeting with voters of the Bauman Electoral District in Moscow on June 10, 1966, "demands the solution of many problems that the Party has placed on the order of business." One of these tasks is "providing fuller information to the people about everything happening within the country and on the world scene, and increasing publicity [glasnost'] about the work of the agencies of Soviet government." The Communist Party associates improvement of socialist democracy particularly with the level of society's information "about the policies of the Party and state." (1) Therefore, the Soviet government pays much attention to the solution of questions associated with informing the citizenry about the work of governmental agencies and also about their regulation by law. Thus, for example, in the RSFSR law "On the District Soviet of Working People's Deputies of the RSFSR" (June 29, 1971), we read about the responsibility of the executive committee to inform the population about questions placed on the order of business of the soviet (Article 33), to bring decisions of the district soviet to the knowledge of the citizens (Article 38), and to report on its work at meetings of the working population and at citizens' places of employment (Article 55). Article 93 reads: "The district soviet of working people's deputies is responsible for informing the population about its functioning. …" Presidiums of the supreme Soviets of union and autonomous republics monitor observation of provisions of the law, assuring that the population will be widely informed on the work of state agencies. (2) In this connection, examination of the question of the content and forms whereby the population of the USSR becomes informed about the activity of state agencies is of interest.