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Soviet Union [USSR] The 1936 Constitution
The 1936 constitution, adopted on December 5, 1936, and also
known as the "Stalin" constitution, redesigned the government. The
constitution repealed restrictions on voting and added universal
direct suffrage and the right to work to rights guaranteed by the
previous constitution. The constitution also provided for the
direct election of all government bodies and their reorganization
into a single, uniform system.
The 1936 constitution changed the name of the Central Executive
Committee to the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics. Like its predecessor, the Supreme Soviet contained two
chambers: the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities.
The constitution empowered the Supreme Soviet to elect commissions,
which performed most of the Supreme Soviet's work. As under the
former constitution, the Presidium exercised the full powers of the
Supreme Soviet between sessions and had the right to interpret
laws. The chairman of the Presidium became the titular head of
state. The Sovnarkom (after 1946 known as the Council of Ministers)
continued to act as the executive arm of the government.
Data as of May 1989
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