Marina Sergeevna Salamatova,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Transformation of Scientific Approaches in the Latest Domestic Historiography to the Study of the Formation of the Soviet Electoral System
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-1-9
A systematic analysis of scientific approaches to the study of the Soviet electoral system has shown that its understanding was carried out within the framework of two distinct periods: the Soviet period, covering the period from the 1920s to the 1980s, and the modern period, represented by studies of the last three decades. Research of the Soviet period was characterized by methodological limitations and a schematic analysis of the problems of Soviet construction, which did not allow going beyond the stereotypical approaches and assessments of the Soviet electoral system and elections that had developed in Soviet social science. Modern scientific research is characterized by a variety of methodological approaches and a significant expansion of the problems studied. The most significant results were achieved in the study of electoral practices that developed in the 1920s; a large-scale reconstruction of the institution of disenfranchisement was carried out. The political moods of the population and the features of the formation of the political culture of Soviet citizens are studied at a new methodological level. Along with the achievements, noticeable gaps remain in the study of electoral practices of the 1930s, understanding of political contexts and their influence on electoral processes, research into the role of institutions and electoral practices in the process of legitimization of the Soviet political regime. The essential features of the Soviet electoral system, the formation and development of its institutions, the mechanism for organizing Soviet election campaigns, the activities of electoral bodies at all levels, the institutions of cassation of elections, norms of representation, holding election meetings and congresses are studied in fragments. The models of behavior of Soviet voters, the reasons for the prevalence of conformist and absentee forms, the ways of their manifestation, and the features of interaction between government representatives and voters require further study.
Publishing: 24/02/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 10/11/2024
How to cite: Salamatova M.S. Transformation of Scientific Approaches in the Latest Domestic Historiography to the Study of the Formation of the Soviet Electoral System // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 1 (39), pp. 106–135. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-1-09.pdf]
Links: Issue 1 2025
Keywords: Soviet electoral system; Soviet elections; social scientists; methodological approaches; Soviet historiography; modern historiography