Constitutions of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

See also: Constitution of the Soviet Union

The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the Soviet Union, had four successive constitutions during its existence. The first (1919) was in Russian and the final three were in Ukrainian.

The final constitution remained effective until the Constitution of Ukraine came into force in 1996.

Constitution of 1919

Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR
The 1919 Constitution of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic (cover page, by the All-Ukrainian Publishing. Kharkiv, 1920)
Ratified	March 10, 1919
Location	Kharkiv, Ukraine
Signatories	Presidium of the 3rd All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets[a] Presidium of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee[b]

Further information: ru:s:Конституция Украинской ССР (1919)

The constitution was approved by the 3rd All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets on 10 March 1919 and its final version was approved by the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee session on 14 March 1919.^[1] The draft of the constitution was created on resolution of the 3rd congress of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine by the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee and the Ukrainian Sovnarkom^[1] and was approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine. It was based on the 1918 Constitution of the Russian SFSR.^[1]

It was the first fundamental law (basic law) of the Ukrainian SSR.^[1] The constitution acknowledges that Ukrainian SSR and Ukraine is one and the same, particularly starting with the words in part 2, Article 6, "To the authority of the Soviet power in Ukraine are subjected:". The constitution consisted out of four parts and 35 articles.^[1] The text of the constitution starts with the Article 1, "The Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic is an organization of dictatorship of working and exploited masses of proletariat and the poorest peasantry over their ages long oppressors and exploiters, capitalists and landowners". The main task of the dictatorship was ensuring "transition from bourgeois system to socialism by carrying out socialist transformations and systematic suppression of all counter-revolutionary manifestations from the side of affluent classes".^[1]

Parts and articles

1. Fundamental provisions
2. Structure of Soviet power
   1. Organization of central power
   2. Organization of Soviet power locally
3. Declaration of rights and obligation of working and exploited people of Ukraine
4. About coat of arms and flag of Ukr.S.S.R.

Constitution of 1929

Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR
Ratified	May 15, 1929
Location	Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union
Signatories	The 11th All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets

Further information: uk:s:Конституція Української Соціалістичної Радянської Республіки (1929)

Articles

1. Principles
2. Organizations of Soviet Power
   1. Organs of Central Power
      1. About All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets
      2. About All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee
      3. About Presidium of All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee
      4. About Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic
   2. Organs of Local Power
      1. About Congress of Soviets
      2. About Executive Committees
      3. About Soviets of Deputies
      4. About Competence of Local Organs of Power
3. About electoral rights
4. About Budget of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic
5. About Coat of Arms, Flag and Capital of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic

Constitution of 1937

Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR
Ratified	January 30, 1937
Location	Kyiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union
Signatories	The 14th All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets (extraordinary)

Further information: uk:s:Конституція (Основний Закон) Української Радянської Соціалістичної Республіки (1937)

Parts and articles

1. Social organization
2. State organization
3. Higher organs of state power of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
4. Organs of state administration of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
5. Higher organs of state power of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
6. Organs of state administration of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
7. Local organs of state power
8. Budget of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
9. Court and the Prosecutor's Office
10. Principle rights and obligations of citizens
11. Electoral system
12. Coat of arms, flag, capital city
13. Constitutional amendments procedure

1978 Constitution of the UkrSSR

Further information: uk:s:Категорія:Конституція УРСР 1978 р.

The 1978 Constitution of the UkrSSR (Ukrainian: Конституція УРСР 1978 р.)^[c] was a fundamental law of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the fourth and the last of Constitutions of the UkrSSR.^[2] It was based on the 1977 Constitution of the USSR (Russian: Конституция СССР and adopted on 20 April 1978 by the extraordinary seventh sessions of Supreme Council of the UkrSSR of 9th convocation.^[2] After the 1991 Ukrainian Declaration of Independence, the constitution was amended and renamed into the Constitution of Ukraine.^[3] Formally, it lost its validity on 28 June 1996 with adoption of the new constitution.^[2]

In its preamble, the constitution indicated on its succession of constitutional development of Ukraine, ideas and principles of which were fixed in constitutions of 1919, 1929, and 1937.^[2]

Articles

The 1978 Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the UkrSSR was divided into 10 sections and 19 chapters:

• Preamble

1. Fundamentals of social system and politics of the Ukrainian SSR
   1. Chapter 1 Political system
   2. Chapter 2 Economic system
   3. Chapter 3 Social development and culture
   4. Chapter 4 Foreign policy and defence of socialist Fatherland
2. State and Individual
   1. Chapter 5 Citizenship of the Ukrainian SSR. Equality of citizens
   2. Chapter 6 Fundamental rights, freedoms and duties of citizens of the Ukrainian SSR
3. State-National and Administratively Territorial System of the Ukrainian SSR
   1. Chapter 7 The Ukrainian SSR is a union republic within the USSR
   2. Chapter 8 Administratively territorial system of the Ukrainian SSR
4. Councils of People's Deputies of the Ukrainian SSR and Order of Their Election
   1. Chapter 9 System and principles councils people's deputies
   2. Chapter 10 Electoral system
   3. Chapter 11 People's Deputy
5. The Highest Organs of State Power and Administration of the Ukrainian SSR
   1. Chapter 12 Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR
   2. Chapter 13 Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR
6. Local Organs of State Power and Administration of the Ukrainian SSR
   1. Chapter 14 Local councils of people's deputies
   2. Chapter 15 Executive committees of local councils of people's deputies
7. State Plan of Economical and Social Development of the Ukrainian SSR and State Budged of the Ukrainian SSR
   1. Chapter 16 State plan of economical and social development of the Ukrainian SSR
   2. Chapter 17 State Budget of the Ukrainian SSR
8. Justice, Arbitration and Prosecutor's Supervision
   1. Chapter 18 Court trials and arbitration
   2. Chapter 19 Prosecutor's Office
9. Coat of Arms. Flag, Anthem and Capital of the Ukrainian SSR
10. Execution of the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR and Order of Its Amendement

See also

• Constitution of Ukraine
• Constitution of the Soviet Union

Notes

1. Christian Rakovsky, Georgy Pyatakov, Andrei Bubnov, Emanuel Kviring
2. Vladimir Zatonskiy, Aleksandr Khmelnitskiy
3. after the 1991 implemented text constitutional amendments as Constitution of Ukraine^[2]

References

1. Boiko, V. The 1919 Constitution of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic (КОНСТИТУЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ СОЦІАЛІСТИЧНОЇ РАДЯНСЬКОЇ РЕСПУБЛІКИ 1919). Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2008
2. Myronenko, O. The 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (КОНСТИТУЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ РАДЯНСЬКОЇ СОЦІАЛІСТИЧНОЇ РЕСПУБЛІКИ 1978). Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2008
3. "Про внесення змін і доповнень до Конституції (Основного Закону) Української РСР". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-11-22.

Source

• text of the 1978 Constitution