Study commenting on the relationship between the legal system and political system as refleted in legislation in the USSR - discusses the ideology of Soviet law; examines issues relating to democracy, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, the right to work, religious freedom, cultural rights, etc.; considers the impact of social stratification on the legal status of citizens and on judicial procedures; includes judicial decisions. References.

The Latvian-born legal theorist P.I. Stuchka (1865-1932), generally recognized as one of the principal architects of modern Soviet legal theory and the Soviet legal system itself, was a prodigious author and editor. Twenty essays by Stuchka written between 1917 and 1931 were selected for translation

Socialist Law has now joined the Common Law and Civil Law as one of the three main families of legal systems. Soviet foreign policy is an outgrowth of the USSR's internal economic and political structure, which is reflected in Soviet Law. Soviet Law is an integral element of the arena in which the competition and struggle between Socialist and Capitalist systems occurs.

The revised Encyclopedia follows the format of the 1973 edition. It is a compilation of nearly 500 short, factual articles on Soviet domestic and international law.

This is the first treatise on Russia's new legal system, as it emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The first part of the book analyses in detail the political and economic origins of "perestroika," indispensable for understanding the basic parameters of the evolution of Russian law. In the following chapters all major legal subjects are discussed against the background of their Soviet past and as the result of the radical changes in the political, social and economic make-up of the country. The appendices include the texts of the U.S.S.R. and Russian Constitutions, the Agreement of Minsk, The Russian Federation Treaty, bibliographical sources, and extensive indices of Soviet and Russian legislation. The book has been written for legal practitioners, comparative lawyers, and students of Russian law, but will also be of interest to a wider audience of political scientists, journalists, etc.