Comparing the US constitution to the 1918 Soviet Constitution
In 1918, while the rest of Europe was still engaged in World War I, a newly formed communist government was developing in Russia. Much like 18th century Americans, they had just managed to overthrow what was viewed as a tyrannical government and hoped to form a new nation free of the injustices of the previous rule. Both countries wrote a new constitution as well as a declaration of rights to facilitate this, but their respective documents had vast differences. These disparities stemmed from differences in the ideologies of the new governments. The primary objectives of the Russian Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People and the later constitution were the "abolition of all exploitation of man by man, complete elimination of the division of society into classes, merciless suppression of the exploiters, socialist organization of society, and victory of socialism in all countries." Americans wanted equality of opportunity and personal freedom instead of the social equality desired by the Russians. The American constitution and Bill of Rights were created to protect personal liberties and individual freedom while the Russians were more concerned with the welfare and equality of the population as a whole. Thi
Unlike the American Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People seems to have been meant to apply to all of mankind eventually, as is shown in Article 4: Expressing firm determination to wrest mankind from the clutches of finance capital and imperialism, which have in this most criminal of wars drenched the world in blood, the Third Congress of Soviets unreservedly endorses Soviet policy of denouncing the secret treaties, organizing most extensive fraternization with the workers and peasants of the combatant armies and achieving at all costs by revolutionary means a democratic peace for the working people, without annexations of indemnities, on the basis of free self-determination of nations. Several other liberties were provided for in the Russian constitution, many of which appear remarkably similar to freedoms provided for in the American Bill of Rights. Article 14 provided for freedom of expression, while Article 15 ensured "genuine freedom of assembly" and Article 13 guaranteed a separation of church and state as well as freedom of religious and anti-religious propaganda. All of these seem similar to the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution, but they even went farther. Article 14 not only provided for freedom of press, but even promised every citizen access to "all the technical and material requisites for the publication of newspapers, pamphlets, books and all other printed material" as well as promising "their unhindered circulation throughout the country." Article 15, besides guarantying freedom of assembly, promised to provide heated, lighted and furnished buildings for their gatherings. All things come at a price however, and all of these gifts from the government came at the price of true freedom of expression and assembly, as illustrated by Article 23: "Guided by the interests of the working class as a whole, the Russian Socialist Federative So
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Approximate Word count = 1292
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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