By the Soviet constitutions of 1936 and 1977, the Supreme Soviet was defined as the highest organ of state power in the Soviet Union and was imbued with great lawmaking powers. In practice, however, it was a rubber stamp parliament which did little more than ratify decisions already made by the Soviet Union's executive organs and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) – always by unanimous consent – and listen to the General Secretary's speeches. This was in accordance with the Stalinist CPSU's principle of democratic centralism and became the norm for other Communist legislatures.
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР, Verkhovny Sovet SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union and developed through several distinct phases between 1938 to 1991. It succeeded the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union and functioned as the nominal supreme organ of state power according to the 1936 Soviet Constitution.
The 1936 Constitution redesigned Soviet governance by replacing the Congress of Soviets with the Supreme Soviet. The Central Executive Committee of the Congress of Soviets was replaced by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which exercised the full powers of the Supreme Soviet between sessions and held the right to interpret laws.
After its first election in 1937, the Supreme Soviet met for its first session in January 1938. It functioned mainly through brief annual sessions in which legislation, economic plans, and state appointments were approved with little debate. Deputies were elected through single candidate ballots organized by Communist Party controlled organizations, making the institution more ceremonial than deliberative during this period.
The Supreme Soviet replaced the Congress of Soviets in 1938 and was theoretically the highest authority in the USSR. In practice, however, it usually rubber-stamped decisions made by the Communist Party and its Politburo.
During the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, legislative authority largely shifted to emergency organs such as the State Defense Committee (GKO). The Supreme Soviet continued to exist but met infrequently, reflecting the concentration of wartime decision making in executive and part leadership structures.
In the decades after the war, The Supreme Soviet's sessions formally ratified national economic plans, treaties, and changes to the union republic structure. Deputies often represented trade unions, collective farms, or professional groups, reflecting the Soviet concept of representation through social organizations rather than competitive political parties.
Beginning in the Khrushchev and Brezhnev periods, standing committees of the Supreme Soviet became somewhat more active in reviewing draft legislation and supervising ministries. Although these committees still operated under party oversight, they provided a limited forum for policy discussion among officials and specialists alike.
Although the Supreme Soviet was formally the highest organ of state power, real authority rested with the Communist Party until Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms in the late 1980s. Under perestroika, it became a somewhat genuine parliamentary body after the creation of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union in 1989, from which the Supreme Soviet was elected as a smaller working legislature.
The last session of the Supreme Soviet was held in December 1991, shortly before the formal dissolution of the USSR.
Structure
The Supreme Soviet was composed of two chambers, each with equal legislative powers:
The Soviet of the Union, which represented the population of the Soviet federation as a whole, with each deputy representing the same number of voters.
The Soviet of Nationalities, which represented the ethnic populations as units, with members elected on the basis of 32 deputies from each union republic, 11 from each autonomous republic, five from each autonomous oblast (region), and one from each autonomous okrug (district). The administrative units of the same type would send the same number of members regardless of their size or population.
Under the 1936 Constitution, the Supreme Soviet was elected for a four-year term, and the Soviet of the Union had one deputy for every 300,000 people. This was changed by the 1977 constitution; the term was extended to five years, and the number of seats in the Soviet of the Union was changed to be the same as the Soviet of Nationalities, regardless of the population size.
The Supreme Soviet convened twice a year, usually for less than a week. For the rest of the year, the Presidium performed its ordinary functions. Often, the CPSU bypassed the Supreme Soviet altogether and had major laws enacted as Presidium decrees. Nominally, if such decrees were not ratified by the Supreme Soviet at its next session, they were considered revoked. In practice, however, the principle of democratic centralism rendered the process of ratifying Presidium decrees a mere formality. In some cases, even this formality was not observed.
After 1989 it consisted of 542 deputies (divided into two 271 chambers) decreased from a previous 1,500. The meetings of the Supreme Soviet were also more frequent, from six to eight months a year. In September 1991, after the August Coup, it was reorganised into the Soviet (council) of Republics and the Soviet of The Union, which would jointly amend the Soviet Constitution, admit new states, hear out the President of the Soviet Union on important home and foreign policy issues, approve the union budget, declare war and conclude peace. The Soviet of Republics would consist of 20 deputies from each union republic, plus one deputy to represent each autonomous region of each republic, delegated by the republics' legislatures. Russia was an exception with 52 deputies. The Soviet of the Union consisted of deputies apportioned by the existing quotas.
Ratify international treaties and approve economic plans.
Sessions were generally short, held twice a year, with most legislative work done by standing commissions or the Presidium.
Between sessions, its powers were exercised by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which could issue decrees (ukazy) with the force of law, subject to later approval.
In 1988, the constitution was amended to create a new body, the Congress of People's Deputies, with many of the powers formerly assigned to the Supreme Soviet. The Congress also served as an electoral college with the duty to elect the Supreme Soviet, which accordingly became a subsidiary of the new body, in a relationship somewhat similar to the Supreme Soviet's own relationship with its Presidium.
Ratifying the composition of the Council of Ministers and changes in it on the submission on the Chairman.
Forming and disbanding ministries and state committees on the proposal of the Council of Ministers.
Overriding a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority.
Ratifying presidential declarations of war.
Impeaching the President.
Hearing reports by organs of appointed officials.
Implementing laws regulating property, management of the economy, social and cultural issues, budget and finance, salaries, prices, taxes, environmental protection, natural resource, and civil rights,
Laying down the principals of local and republic state power and the legal status of social organisations,
Submitting for ratification (and ratifying and amending) by the congress long-term national and social and economic development plans, the national budget, monitoring implantation of the state plan and budget, and ratifying reports on their performance.
Ratifying international treaties.
Overseeing the granting of foreign aid and negotiating foreign loans.
Determining basic measures for national security, including declarations of war, mobilizing troops, and meeting international treaty obligations.
Acts by the Supreme Soviet entered into force after signature by the President and their subsequent publication.
Between 1938 and February 1990, more than 50 years, only 80 laws were passed by the Supreme Soviet, less than 1% of total legislative acts.
Leaders
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (1938–1989)
New composition 1991, (unofficially 13th convocation) unlike previous convocations, there were no elections for the new composition of the Supreme Council instead members of the council were delegated from the council of union republics that continued to be members of the Soviet Union.
Supreme Soviets of the republics
Beside the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, each of its constituting union republics and each autonomous republic had a supreme soviet. These supreme soviets also had presidiums, but all consisted of only one chamber. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, some soviets of the succeeded independent republics simply changed their name to their more historic name or to emphasise their importance as a national parliament, while others changed to double-chamber assemblies.
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