In any political process, there are events that are symbolic in nature. Their advance means that the Rubicon has 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 Constitution of the USSR became the Rubicon, which separated the old Soviet system from the new Russian.
The essence of the political system of the USSR under the 1977 Constitution
The so-called Brezhnev Constitution, pompously adopted at the session of the Supreme Council on October 7, 1977, not only guaranteed numerous rights and freedoms to citizens, but also consolidated the political system that had developed by then. As in previous versions of the Basic Law, the supreme power belonged to the bicameral Supreme Council, which was elected at the congress of deputies. The sixth article became an innovation, in which the ruling Communist Party recognized the role of the only political force that has the right to exercise power. At the highest legislative level, even the idea of the opposition and alternative elections was rejected.
Perestroika and changes in political life
The abolition of the 6th article of the Constitution of the USSR was not some kind of spontaneous phenomenon. The country has been steadily moving towards this event, starting with the coming to power in the spring of 1985, M.S. Gorbachev. The perestroika declared by him first of all found itself precisely in the political sphere. The policy of publicity and the rehabilitation of victims of reprisals, an open discussion on many issues and political debate on the pages of newspapers and magazines - all these phenomena became commonplace and made citizens 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 in spring 1989 of the first congress of popularly elected people's deputies, the election of which was held for the first time in a long time on an alternative basis.
Cancellation of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR: the first step has been taken
The first congress played a huge role in the political processes of the late 1980s and early 1990s that led to the collapse of the great power and the beginning of the construction of a democratic state in our country. Among other things, it was at this congress for the first time that a clear demand was made that the abolition of Article 6 of the USSR Constitution was necessary. The year when this happened was largely significant for our country: the end of the next five-year period was nearing, the results of which were very far from bright. The gradual collapse of the socialist camp in Eastern Europe was supplemented by the desire of a number of republics (primarily Baltic) to withdraw from the Union. It was in such a situation that one of the leaders of the opposition Interregional Group A. Sakharov demanded to cancel the notorious sixth article. Most did not support him, but the foundation stone was laid.
II Congress of Soviets: the struggle for cancellation 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 plenary sessions. All the same, the Interregional 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 two hundred thousand demanded decisive amendments to the Constitution. The authorities no longer had the right to ignore the mood of people.
Consensus search
When the impossibility of maintaining a one-party system in the country became apparent, the top party leadership began to look for the most acceptable way out of the 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 Constitution of the USSR. The year had just begun, but it was obvious that it was becoming increasingly difficult to restrain the masses, instigated by radical politicians on all sides. Most of the participants in the plenum, according to eyewitnesses, were very negatively inclined towards these innovations, however, when voting, everyone raised their hands in agreement. The monopoly of the Communist Party in the country a sentence was signed.
Legal consolidation and consequences
The decision adopted by the highest party authority still had to pass legislative approval. To this end, in March 1990, a third - extraordinary - Congress was convened, which was to adopt the relevant amendments to the Constitution of the country. There was no serious controversy this time, and significant events took place on March 14, 1990: the CPSU ceased to be a “guiding force” in society, and M. Gorbachev got the opportunity to become the first President of a gradually crumbling country. As it turned out, the abolition of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR did not lead to a stabilization of the political situation, but to an even deeper crisis. The country has lost its linking parts, 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 moments in the process of the collapse of a powerful power, while others, on the contrary, indicate that the country simply returned to the situation of the beginning of the twentieth century, when there was a multi-party system, and development proceeded in a democratic way. What the two sides agree on is that the retention of this clause of the fundamental law no longer corresponds to the political realities of 1990.
Having lost its monopoly, the ruling party, very recently, very quickly lost its position. Soon after the events of August 1991, it will be outlawed, and the communists will begin the painful process of finding their political identity.