Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union

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The Supreme Soviet was composed of two chambers, each with equal legislative powers, with members elected for four-year terms:[2]

• The Soviet of the Union, elected on the basis of the population with one deputy for every 300,000 people in the Soviet federation.
• 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.

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 did little more than approve decisions made already by the USSR's executive organs and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).[1] This was in accordance with the Communist Party's principle of democratic centralism, and became the norm for other Communist legislatures.

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.[1]

After 1989 it consisted of 542 deputies (divided into two 271 chambers). (decreased from previously 1,500). The meetings of the body 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 1 deputy to represent each autonomous region of each republic, delegated by the republics legislatures. Russia was an exception with 52 deputies. The Soviet Union consisted of deputies apportioned by the existing quotas.[3]

In 1989, its powers were:

• Passing and initiating laws.
• Submitting questions to the President of the Soviet Union, the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, scheduling elections of deputies.
• Convening the Congress of People's Deputies.
• Appointing the Chairman of the Council of Ministers on the submission of the president.
• 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 Council of Ministers proposal.
• 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 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.[4]

• 1st convocation session 1938–1946, World War II
• 2nd convocation session 1946–1950
• 3rd convocation session 1950–1954
• 4th convocation session 1954–1958
• 5th convocation session 1958–1962
• 6th convocation session 1962–1966
• 7th convocation session 1966–1970
• 8th convocation session 1970–1974
• 9th convocation session 1974–1979
• 10th convocation session 1979–1984
• 11th convocation session 1984–1989
• 1st convocation 1989–1991[5] (unofficially 12th convocation), sessions were conducted in the form of Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
• New composition 1991,[6] (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.

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.

Supreme soviets of union republics

Main article: Supreme Soviet

  Soviet Republics dissolved before the dissolution of the Soviet Union

	Soviet Republic	Supreme Soviet	Established	Disbanded	Succeeded by
	Russian SFSR	Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR Верховный Совет РСФСР	1938	1993	Federal Assembly
	Ukraine	Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR Верховна Рада Української РСР	1937	1991	Verkhovna Rada
	Byelorussia	Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR Вярхоўны Савет Беларускай ССР	1938	1991	Supreme Council
	Uzbekistan	Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR Ўзбекистон ССР Олий Совети	1938	1991	Supreme Council
	Kazakhstan	Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR Қазақ ССР Жоғарғы Советі	1937	1993	Supreme Council
	Georgia	Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR საქართველოს სსრ უმაღლესი საბჭო	1938	1990	Supreme Soviet
	Azerbaijan	Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR Азәрбаjҹан ССР Али Совети	1938	1995	National Assembly
	Lithuania	Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausioji Taryba	1940	1990	Supreme Soviet
	Moldavia	Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR Совиетул Супрем ал РСС Молдовеняскэ	1941	1993	Parliament
	Latvia	Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR Latvijas PSR Augstākā Padome	1940	1990	Supreme Council
	Kirghizia	Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR Кыргыз ССР Жогорку Совети	1938	1994	Supreme Council
	Tajikistan	Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR Совети Олӣ РСС Тоҷикистон	1937	1994	Supreme Assembly
	Armenia	Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR Հայկական ՍՍՀ Գերագույն Խորհուրդ	1938	1995	National Assembly
	Turkmenia	Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR Түркменистан ССР Ёкары Советы	1938	1992	Assembly
	Estonia	Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu	1940	1992	Riigikogu
	Karelo-Finnish SSR	Supreme Soviet of the Karelo-Finnish SSR Верховный Совет Карело-Финской ССР	1940	1956	Supreme Soviet (ru)

Supreme councils of autonomous republic

List of known autonomous republics councils:

	Autonomous Republic	Supreme Soviet	Established	Disbanded	Succeeded by
	Bashkiria	Supreme Soviet of the Bashkir ASSR (ru) БАССР Юғары Советы	1938	1995	State Assembly
	Buryatia	Supreme Soviet of the Buryat ASSR (ru) Буряадай АССР-эй Верховно Совет	1938	1994	People's Khural
	Karelia	Supreme Soviet of the Karelian ASSR (ru) Верховный Совет Карельской АССР	1938 1956	1940 1994	Legislative Assembly
	Tatarstan	Supreme Soviet of the Tatar ASSR (ru) ТАССР Югары Советы	1938	1995	State Council
	Tuva	Supreme Soviet of the Tuvan ASSR (ru) Тыва АССР-ниң Дээди Соведи	1961	1993	Great Khural
	Chuvashia	Supreme Soviet of the Chuvash ASSR (ru) Чӑваш АССР Верховнӑй Совечӗ	1938	1994	State Council
	Karakalpakstan	Supreme Soviet of the Karakalpak ASSR Қарақалпақстан АССР Жоқарғы Совети	1938	1994	Supreme Council
	Abkhazia	Supreme Soviet of the Abkhaz ASSR Аҧснытәи АССР Иреиҳаӡоу Асовет	1938	1996	People's Assembly
	Adjara	Supreme Soviet of the Adjarian ASSR აჭარის ასსრ უმაღლესი საბჭო	1938	1991	Supreme Council
	Nakhichevan	Supreme Soviet of the Nakhichevan ASSR Нахчыван МССР Али Совети	1938	1990	Supreme Assembly (Nakhchivan)

• All-Russian Central Executive Committee
• Supreme Soviet of Russia
• Federal Assembly of Russia
• National People's Congress – Chinese equivalent
• Supreme People's Assembly – North Korean equivalent
• National Assembly of People's Power – Cuban equivalent
• National Assembly (Laos) – Laotian equivalent
• National Assembly (Vietnam) – Vietnamese equivalent
• Volkskammer – East German equivalent
• Federal Assembly – Czechoslovak equivalent

• Bibliography of Stalinism and the Soviet Union § Government
• Bibliography of the Post Stalinist Soviet Union § Government

• Electoral law of 1937