1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910311948703321

Autore

Lomb Samantha

Titolo

Stalin's constitution : Soviet participatory politics and the discussion of the 1936 draft constitution / / Samantha Lomb

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London, [England] ; ; New York : , : Routledge, , 2018

©2018

ISBN

1-351-75983-3

1-315-19400-7

1-351-75984-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (178 pages)

Collana

Routledge Studies in Modern European History

Disciplina

342.4702 23

Soggetti

Constitutional history - Soviet Union

Political participation - Soviet Union - History

Soviet Union Politics and government

Soviet Union Social conditions History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Citizenship and a social contract : the drafting of the 1936 Constitution -- Daily life in Kirov in the 1930's -- Local realities : the implementation of the discussion of the draft constitution --Validators of Socialist victory : the discussion in the local press -- Popular voices : interpreting citizens' rights and duties -- Integration, exclusion, and accountability -- The constitution, the 1937 elections, and repression.

Sommario/riassunto

"Upon its adoption in December 1936, Soviet leaders hailed the new so-called Stalin Constitution as the most democratic in the world. Scholars have long scoffed at this claim, noting that the mass repression of 1937-1938 that followed rendered it a hollow document. This study does not address these competing claims, but rather focuses on the six-month long popular discussion of the draft Constitution, which preceded its formal adoption in December 1936. Drawing on rich archival sources, this book uses the discussion of the draft 1936 Constitution to examine discourse between the central state leadership and citizens about the new Soviet social contract, which delineated the roles the state and citizens should play in developing



socialism. For the central leadership, mobilizing its citizenry in a variety of state building campaigns was the main goal of the discussion of the draft Constitution. However, the goals of the central leadership at times stood in stark contrast with the people's expressed interpretation of that social contract. Citizens of the USSR focused on securing rights and privileges, often related to improving their daily lives, from the central government."--Provided by publisher.