Supreme Soviet

{{Short description|Legislatures of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union}}

{{about||the fictional superhero team|Soviet Super-Soldiers|the primary legislative body of the USSR|Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union}}

File:Badge of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.svg

The Supreme Soviet ({{langx|ru|Верховный Совет|Verkhovny Sovet|Supreme Council}}) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, established in 1938, and were nearly identical.{{Cite book|last=Roeder|first=Philip G.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XAItI5C_JPUC&pg=PA70|title=Where Nation-States Come From: Institutional Change in the Age of Nationalism|date=2007-08-05|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-13467-3|pages=70|language=en}}

Party-approved delegates to the Supreme Soviets were periodically elected unopposed in show elections.{{Cite book|last=Kelley|first=Larry D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5H902xXOXEC&pg=PA52|title=Perestroika-era Politics: The New Soviet Legislature and Gorbachev's Political Reforms|date=1990-12-31|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-87332-830-2|pages=52|language=en}} The first free or semi-free elections took place during perestroika in late 1980s, in which Supreme Soviets themselves were no longer directly elected. Instead, Supreme Soviets were appointed by directly elected Congresses of People's Deputies based somewhat on the Congresses of Soviets that preceded the Supreme Soviets. The soviets until then were largely rubber-stamp institutions, approving decisions handed to them by the Communist Party of the USSR or of each SSR.

The soviets met infrequently (often only twice a year for only several days) and elected the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a permanent body, to act on their behalf while the soviet was not in session.{{Cite book|last=Feldbrugge|first=Ferdinand Joseph Maria|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JWt7MN3Dch8C&pg=PA192|title=Russian Law: The End of the Soviet System and the Role of Law|date=1993-06-17|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn=978-0-7923-2358-7|pages=192|language=en}} The presidiums were also empowered to issue decrees in lieu of law. If such decrees were not ratified by the Supreme Soviet at its next session, they were to be considered revoked. In practice, the principles of democratic centralism meant this power of veto was almost never exercised, meaning that Presidium decrees de facto had the force of law.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZH9nkBOxrZQC&q=Supreme+Soviet+rubber+stamp&pg=PA165|title=Ideology, Politics, and Government in the Soviet Union: An Introduction|author1=John Alexander Armstrong|publisher=University Press of America|date=1986|isbn=0819154059}}

Under the 1936 and 1977 Soviet Constitutions, the Presidium of a Supreme Soviet served as the collective head of state of its republic.

{{Cite book|last1=Armstrong|first1=John Alexander|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZH9nkBOxrZQC&q=presidium+of+the+supreme+soviet+collective+head+of+state&pg=PA165|title=Ideology, Politics, and Government in the Soviet Union: An Introduction– Google Knihy|date=January 1, 1978|isbn=9780819154057|pages=165|access-date=2016-11-26}}

The Supreme Soviets also elected Councils of Ministers (Councils of People's Commissars before 1946), which were executive bodies.

After the dissolution of the USSR in late December 1991, most of these soviets remained the legislatures of independent countries until Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan abandoned the system in 1995.

Supreme Soviets of the Soviet Republics

{{legend2|#FFB6B6|Soviet Republics dissolved before the dissolution of the Soviet Union |border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

class="wikitable sortable"

!class="unsortable"|

!Soviet Republic

!Supreme Soviet

!Established

!Disbanded

!Succeeded by

56x56px

|{{flagicon|Russian SFSR}}/{{flag|Russia|1991|name=Russia}}

|Supreme Soviet of Russia
Congress of People's Deputies of Russia

Верховный Совет РСФСР (Российской Федерации)
Съезд народных депутатов РСФСР (Российской Федерации)

|1938 (Supreme Soviet of Russia)
1990 (Congress of People's Deputies of Russia)

|1993

|{{flagicon|Russia|1991}} Constitutional Conference (1993)
{{flagicon|Russia}} Federal Assembly (1993–present):
• Federation Council
• State Duma

56x56px

|{{flag|Ukrainian SSR|name=Ukraine}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR

Верховный Совет Украинской ССР
Верховна Рада Української РСР

|1937

|1991 (De facto)
1996 (De jure)

|{{flagicon|Ukraine}} Verkhovna Rada

52x52px

|{{flag|Byelorussian SSR|name=Byelorussia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR

Верховный Совет Белорусской ССР
Вярхоўны Савет Беларускай ССР

|1938

|1991 (De facto)
1994 (De jure)

|{{flagicon|Belarus|1991}} Supreme Council (1994–96)
{{flagicon|Belarus}} National Assembly (1996–present)

55x55px

|{{flag|Uzbek SSR|name=Uzbekistan}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR

Верховный Совет Узбекской ССР
Ўзбекистон ССР Олий Совети

|1938

|1992

|{{flagicon|Uzbekistan}} Supreme Council (1992–1995)
{{flagicon|Uzbekistan}} Oliy Majlis (1995–present)

57x57px

|{{flag|Kazakh SSR|name=Kazakhstan}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR

Верховный Совет Казахской ССР
Қазақ ССР Жоғарғы Советі

|1937

|1993

|{{flagicon|Kazakhstan}} Supreme Council (1993–95)
{{flagicon|Kazakhstan}} Parliament (1996–present)

50x50px

|{{flag|Georgian SSR|name=Georgia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR

Верховный Совет Грузинской ССР
საქართველოს სსრ უმაღლესი საბჭო

|1938

|1992

|{{flagicon|Georgia|1990}} State Council (1992–1995)
{{flagicon|Georgia}} Parliament (1995–present)

57x57px

|{{flag|Azerbaijan SSR|name=Azerbaijan}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR

Верховный Совет Азербайджа́нской ССР
Азәрбаjҹан ССР Али Совети

|1938

|1995

|{{flagicon|Azerbaijan}} National Assembly

58x58px

|{{flag|Lithuanian SSR|name=Lithuania}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR

Верховный Совет Литовской ССР
Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausioji Taryba

|1940

|1990

|{{flagicon|Lithuania|1988}} Supreme Council (1990–1992)
{{flagicon|Lithuania}} Seimas (1992–present)

54x54px

|{{flag|Moldavian SSR|name=Moldavia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR

Верховный Совет Молдавской ССР
Совиетул Супрем ал РСС Молдовеняскэ (Moldovan)
Sovietul Suprem al RSS Moldovenească (Romanian)

|1941

|1993

|{{flagicon|Moldova}} Parliament

53x53px

|{{flag|Latvian SSR|name=Latvia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR

Верховный Совет Латвийской ССР
Latvijas PSR Augstākā Padome

|1940

|1990

|{{flagicon|Latvia}} Supreme Council (1990–1993)
{{flagicon|Latvia}} Saeima (1993–present)

59x59px

|{{flag|Kirghiz SSR|name=Kirghizia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR

Верховный Совет Киргизской ССР
Кыргыз ССР Жогорку Совети

|1938

|1994

|{{flagicon|Kyrgyzstan|1992}}{{flagicon|Kyrgyzstan}} Supreme Council

53x53px

|{{flag|Tajik SSR|name=Tajikistan}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR

Верховный Совет Таджикской ССР
Совети Олӣ РСС Тоҷикистон

|1937

|1994

|{{flagicon|Tajikistan}} Supreme Assembly

50x50px

|{{flag|Armenian SSR|name=Armenia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR

Верховный Совет Армянской ССР
Հայկական ՍՍՀ Գերագույն Խորհուրդ

|1938

|1995

|{{flagicon|Armenia}} National Assembly

54x54px

|{{flag|Turkmen SSR|name=Turkmenia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR

Верховный Совет Туркменской ССР
Түркменистан ССР Ёкары Советы

|1938

|1992

|{{flagicon|Turkmenistan|1992}} Assembly (1992–2021)
{{flagicon|Turkmenistan}} National Council (2021–present)

55x55px

|{{flag|Estonian SSR|name=Estonia}}

|Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR

Верховный Совет Эстонской ССР
Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu

|1940

|1992

|{{flagicon|Estonia}} Riigikogu

bgcolor=#FFB6B6| 59x59px

|bgcolor=#FFB6B6| {{flag|Karelo-Finnish SSR}}

|bgcolor=#FFB6B6| Supreme Soviet of the Karelo-Finnish SSR

Верховный Совет Карело-Финской ССР

|bgcolor=#FFB6B6| 1940

|bgcolor=#FFB6B6| 1956

|bgcolor=#FFB6B6| {{flagicon|Karelia|1978}} {{ill|Supreme Soviet of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|ru|Верховный Совет Карельской АССР|lt=Supreme Soviet}}