Politics of the Soviet Union

Politics of the Soviet Union
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The

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The

The

External videos
Soviet election in 1938

The Supreme Soviet consisted of two

Through a constitutional amendment made by

According to the

The Council of Ministers was both responsible for and accountable to the Supreme Soviet, and in the period between sessions of the Supreme Soviet it was accountable to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. The Council of Ministers regularly reported to the Supreme Soviet on its work.^[15] It was tasked with resolving all state administrative duties within the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union, to the degree that they did not come under the competence of the Supreme Soviet or the Presidium. Within its limits, the Council of Ministers had authority to do the following tasks:^[16]

• Ensure management of the national economy and its socio-cultural construction and development.
• Formulate and submit the
  state budget
  to the Supreme Soviet and submit its fulfilment to the Supreme Soviet.
• Defend the interests of the state, socialist property and public order and protect the rights of Soviet citizens.
• Ensure state security.
• Exercise general leadership of the
  Soviet armed forces
  and determine how many were to be drafted into service.
• Exercise general leadership over
  Soviet foreign relations; trade
  and the economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation of the USSR with foreign countries. It also confirmed and announced international treaties signed by the USSR.
• Set up necessary organisations within the Council of Ministers in matters of economics, socio-cultural issues and defence.

The Council of Ministers also had the power to issue decrees and resolutions and to later verify their execution. All organisations were obligated to follow the decrees and resolutions issued by the All-Union Council of Ministers.[17] The All-Union Council also had the power to suspend all issues and decrees made by itself or organisations subordinate to it.^[18] It coordinated and directed the work of the republics and their ministries, state committees and other organs subordinate to the All-Union Council.^[19] Finally, the competence of the Council of Ministers and its Presidium in their procedures and activities (and its relationship with subordinate organs) was defined in the Soviet constitution by the law on the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.^[20]

In 1990,

The

According to

The nomenklatura was the Soviet Union's ruling group and remained one of the main reasons why the Soviet Union existed as long as it did. Members of the nomenklatura were elected by the Communist Party to all important posts in Soviet society which could mean a locally or nationally significant office. Along with the Communist party's monopoly on power, this led to the gradual physical and intellectual degeneration of the Soviet Union as a state. As long as the General Secretary of the Communist Party commanded the loyalty of the Politburo, he would remain more-or-less unopposed and in all probability become the leader of the country.^[32]

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The Communist Party controlled the government apparatus and made decisions affecting the economy and society. The Communist Party followed the ideology of

, the party's policy forum. Party membership reached more than 19 million (9.7 percent of the adult population) in 1987 and was dominated by male Russian professionals. Party members occupied positions of authority in all officially recognized institutions throughout the country.

Alexander Yakovlev

.

Ideology

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Main article:

State ideology of the Soviet Union

Education and political discourse proceeded on the assumption that it was possible to mold people using collectivist institutional forms into an ideal Soviet man or woman (see new Soviet man). The validity of ideas, public discourse, and institutional form were evaluated in terms of the official ideology of Marxism–Leninism as interpreted by the Communist Party.

• Economy of the Soviet Union
• History of the Soviet Union
• List of governments of the Soviet Union
• List of heads of state of the Soviet Union
• Premier of the Soviet Union