Russian Opposition Figures Discuss the Modern Relevance of Stalin’s Constitution

Opposition figures Ekaterina Schulmann and Maksim Kurnikov speak at George Washington University on October 10 (Kuzma Shepelev).

Exiled Russian opposition figures Ekaterina Schulmann and Maksim Kurnikov discussed the new Soviet Constitution adopted under Stalin in 1936 at Lisner Auditorium on October 10. They also examined archival records on the 1937 Soviet Legislature Election, drawing parallels to modern Russian elections.

Ekaterina Schulmann is a Russian political scientist who left the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after which the Russian government designated her a foreign agent. Schulmann is known for her YouTube channel, where she analyzes current events, among other topics. Maksim Kurnikov is a Russian journalist who is the head of the independent Russian media organization Ekho Online. Together, Kurnikov and Schulmann host “Status,” a weekly news show produced by German media organization BILD.

Schulmann described the new Soviet constitution under Stalin as an abandonment of the USSR’s initial avant-garde, revolutionary values, which its1924 constitution emphasized, in favor of a traditional authoritarian model. The 1924 constitution was rooted in the idea that the government would gradually destroy itself over the course of the transition to communism, at which point it would no longer be necessary. Based on this idea, the 1924 constitution included provisions to prevent the formation of a hardened bureaucracy. Schulmann also highlighted that much like the modern Russian constitution, Stalin’s constitution codified certain rights, including the freedoms of speech and assembly. However, these freedoms existed only on paper, much like they do in modern Russia.

Kurnikov argued against the traditional view of the Stalin era as a monolith, pointing out that there was great opposition within the USSR to his rule. He focused on opposition and protest during the 1937 Soviet legislative elections, the first elections held after the new constitution was implemented. These acts of protest bear striking resemblance to those practiced during Russian elections today. 

For example, many people wrote “Trotsky” or simply the letter “T” on their ballot as a protest vote against the USSR’s abandonment of its initial revolutionary ideology. During the 2024 Russian presidential election, Russians who opposed Putin wrote “Navalny” on their ballots to express their support for the Russian opposition leader who died under suspicious circumstances in a Russian prison mere weeks before the election.

During the 1937 elections, multiple reports of arson attacks on polling stations emerged, along with reports of people tearing down propaganda posters inside these stations. During the 2024 election, people set at least four polling stations on fire, and poured dye into ballot boxes in several cities across Russia. One particularly striking report about the 1937 election described a note thrown into a ballot box on which someone wrote, “this is all a puppet comedy.” Kurnikov closed his remarks by noting that many aspects of Soviet elections lasted longer than the USSR itself.