Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union

Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Верховный Совет СССР
Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ; Верховный Совет СССР
Type
Type	Bicameral
Chambers	Soviet of Nationalities; Soviet of the Union;
History
Established	12 January 1938
Disbanded	26 December 1991
Preceded by	Congress of Soviets
Succeeded by	Congress of People's Deputies; Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States; Several post-Soviet; parliaments: list Supreme Soviet of Russia; Supreme Council of Belarus; Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Supreme Council of Armenia; Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan; Supreme Council of Georgia; Supreme Soviet of Kazakhstan; Supreme Soviet of Kyrgyzstan; Supreme Soviet of Moldova; Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan; Supreme Soviet of Turkmenistan; Supreme Council of Uzbekistan; Supreme Council of Estonia; Supreme Council of Latvia; Supreme Council of Lithuania; ;
Structure
Seats	1,500 (after 1984 election); 542 (at dissolution)
Soviet of Nationalities political groups	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (521); Independents (229)
Soviet of the Union political groups	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (551); Independents (199)
Elections
Soviet of Nationalities voting system	Direct election
Soviet of the Union voting system	Direct election
First Soviet of Nationalities election	12 December 1937
First Soviet of the Union election	12 December 1937
Last Soviet of Nationalities election	4 March 1984
Last Soviet of the Union election	4 March 1984
Meeting place
	Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow Kremlin; (Joint sessions of both houses)

The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest organ of state authority of the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the Soviet state, and headed the unified state apparatus.

Prior to 1936, the Congress of Soviets was the highest organ of state authority. During 1989–1991 a similar, but not identical organ acted as the highest organ of state authority. The Supreme Soviet appointed the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court, and the Procurator General of the Soviet Union as well as elected the Presidium which served as the Soviet Union's collective head of state under both the 1936 and 1977 Soviet Constitutions.

By the Soviet constitutions of 1936 and 1977, the Supreme Soviet was defined as the highest organ of state power in the Soviet Union and was imbued with great lawmaking powers. In practice, however, it was a rubber stamp parliament which did little more than ratify decisions already made by the Soviet Union's executive organs and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) – always by unanimous consent – and listen to the General Secretary's speeches. This was in accordance with the Stalinist CPSU's principle of democratic centralism and became the norm for other Communist legislatures.