In any political process there are events that are significant. Their offensive means that the Rubicon has been passed and a return to the old is no longer possible. Perestroika in the Soviet Union had a significant impact on all aspects of public life, but as long as the legal dominance of one party remained, many ordinary people and politicians considered even the most serious changes as temporary. The abolition of Article 6 of the USSR Constitution became the Rubicon that separated the old Soviet system from the new Russian one.
The essence of the political system of the USSR according to the Constitution of 1977
The so-called Brezhnev Constitution, pompously adopted at the session of the Supreme Council on October 7, 1977, not only guaranteed citizens numerous rights and freedoms, but also consolidated the political system that had developed by that time. As in previous editions of the Basic Law, the supreme power belonged to the bicameral Supreme Council, whichelected at the congress of deputies. The innovation was the sixth article, which recognized the role of the only political force with the right to exercise power for the ruling communist party. Even the idea of opposition and alternative elections was rejected at the highest legislative level.
Perestroika and changes in political life
The abolition of the 6th article of the USSR Constitution was not some kind of spontaneous phenomenon. The country has been steadily moving towards this event, since M. S. came to power in the spring of 1985. Gorbachev. The perestroika announced by him first of all found itself in the political sphere. The policy of glasnost and the rehabilitation of victims of repression, an open discussion on many issues and political controversy on the pages of newspapers and magazines - all these phenomena became commonplace and set the citizens up to the fact that the government is ready for serious changes. One of these reforms was an attempt to separate the powers of party and Soviet bodies, which led to the convening of the first congress of popularly elected people's deputies in the spring of 1989, the elections to which were held on an alternative basis for the first time in a long time.
Repeal of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR: the first step has been taken
The First Congress played a huge role in those political processes of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which led to the collapse of a great power and the beginning of the construction of a democratic state in our country. Among other things, it was at this congressFor the first time, a clear demand was made that Article 6 of the USSR Constitution should be repealed. The year when this happened was in many ways significant for our country: the end of the next five-year plan was approaching, the results of which were very far from rosy. The gradual collapse of the socialist camp in Eastern Europe was supplemented by the desire of a number of republics (primarily the B altic ones) to secede from the Union. It was in this situation that one of the leaders of the oppositional Interregional Group, A. Sakharov, demanded that the notorious Article 6 be cancelled. The majority did not support him, but the foundation stone was laid.
II Congress of Soviets: fight for abolition continues
At the Second Congress of Soviets, which began in the second decade of December 1989, the political situation became even more radical. The abolition of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR became the main issue even before the start of the plenary sessions. The same Inter-regional group demanded that consideration of this issue be included in the agenda, but the conservative majority of the congress did not support it. Then Sakharov threatened with mass protests, the first of which took place after his death, in February 1990. A huge crowd of 200,000 demanded drastic changes to the Constitution. The authorities no longer had the right to ignore the mood of the people.
Search for consensus
When the impossibility of maintaining a one-party system in the country became obvious, the top party leadership began to look for the most acceptablea way out of the current situation. At the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which was held on February 5, Gorbachev proposed a compromise: the introduction of the institution of the president and the abolition of Article 6 of the USSR Constitution. The year was just beginning, but it was obvious that it was becoming increasingly difficult to contain the masses, incited from all sides by radical politicians. Most of the participants in the plenum, according to the recollections of eyewitnesses, were extremely negative towards these innovations, however, when voting, everyone raised their hands in agreement. The Communist Party's monopoly in the country was signed the verdict.
Legal enforcement and consequences
Accepted by the highest party authority, the decision had yet to pass legislative approval. To this end, in March 1990, the third - extraordinary - Congress was convened, which was supposed to adopt the appropriate amendments to the Constitution of the country. There was no serious controversy this time, and on March 14, 1990, significant events took place: the CPSU ceased to be the "guiding force" in society, and M. Gorbachev got the opportunity to become the first President of a gradually collapsing country. As it turned out, the abolition of Article 6 of the USSR Constitution did not lead to the stabilization of the political situation, but to an even greater deepening of the crisis. The country has lost the link that holds it together, the process of disintegration has become virtually irreversible.
Today, the consequences of the abolition of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR are assessed differently. Some researchers consider this one of the main points in the processthe collapse of a powerful state, while others, on the contrary, indicate that the country simply returned to the situation of the early twentieth century, when there was a multi-party system, and development proceeded in a democratic way. What both parties agree on is that the retention of this clause of the basic law no longer corresponded to the political realities of 1990.
Having lost its monopoly, the ruling party has very quickly lost its positions. Soon after the events of August 1991, it will be outlawed, and the communists will begin the painful process of finding their political identity.
