Amendments to the R.S.F.S.R. Constitution of 1918 *
In the period of the Civil War and military intervention of the imperialist states some amendments and addenda to the Constitution of the R.S.F.S.R. were adopted. For instance, the seventh All-Russian Congress of Soviets, held in December 1919, legislatively sanction the formation of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, defined its powers and established that the sessions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee were to be convened every two months.
The Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee directed the sittings of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, supervised the execution of decisions adopted by the latter, guided the activity both of the central and local state organs, exercised the right of pardon, and decided a number of other administrative questions. In the intervals between the sessions of the All-Russian Central Executive committee the Presidium had the right to approve or annul decisions of the Council of People's Commissars, to appoint People's Commissars on the recommendation of the Council of People's Commissars, to decide questions relating to administrative-territorial division and to make preparations for the convocation of the All-Russian congresses of Soviets and sessions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
According to the decision of the seventh All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the Executive Committees were elected by the gubernia, uyed, and volost congresses of Soviets and were considered the highest organs of Soviet state power within the territories of the gubernias, uyeds and volosts in the intervals between the sessions of the corresponding congresses of Soviets, The gubernia Executive Committees were empowered to supervise and inspect the activity of all governmental institutions on the territories under their jurisdiction (except institutions belonging to the Army in the Field), and were obliged to report back immediately to the respective central organs on the results of such supervision and inspection.
The decision of the eight All-Russian Congress of Soviets 'Concerning Further Development of the Soviets, ' adopted on December 29, 1920, extending the powers of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. The latter was vested with the authority to annul decisions of the Council of People's commissars, and to adopt necessary administrative decisions on behalf of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee; at the same time it was obliged to submit reports on its activity to the regular sessions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
The eight All-Russian Congress of Soviets also extended the powers of the Council of Peoples' Commissars. The decision of the congress stated that all urgent decrees and measures of nationwide importance, including legislative acts related to military affairs, as well as measures in the sphere of foreign relations which might impose certain commitments upon the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic, were to be considered and approved by the Council of Peoples' Commissars. The latter had the right to adopt legislative acts of nationwide importance, along with the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, All-Russian Central Executive Committee and Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. The People's Commissariats had the rights to issue decisions and orders only within the limits of their jurisdiction strictly defined in corresponding decrees of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, is Presidium and the Council of People's Commissars.
By a decision of the eighth All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the gubernia executive committees had the right only in extraordinary cases to suspend the execution of certain orders issued by individual People's Commissars.
All the aforementioned amendments in no way affected the fundamental principles of the Constitution of the R.S.F.S.R. as a whole.
* (An excerpt from A. Denisvo and M. Kirichenko, Soviet State Law (Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1960), pp. 50-52.