The prehistory of the constitution in Russia dates back to the beginning of the XIX century.
The first constitutional project can be called the "Plan of State Transformation", developed in 1809 by Count Mikhail Speransky.
The document enshrined the idea of a constitutional monarchy, limited by parliament, and the abolition of serfdom.
The Decembrists Pavel Pestel and Nikita Muravyov proposed their draft constitutions.
At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Alexander I, the idea of reforming the political system of the country appeared by creating a constitution that guarantees personal freedom and civil rights to subjects.
In 1820, the "State Charter of the Russian Empire" was developed, but the adoption of the document was postponed indefinitely.
During the reformist reign of Alexander II, Russia was close to adopting a constitution.
A draft constitution was prepared by Mikhail Loris Melikov, in which a program of transformations was proposed, including the restructuring of local government, the expansion of the rights of Old Believers, the revision of the passport system, the settlement of relations between entrepreneurs and workers, changes in the public education system, etc.
However, in 1881, on the eve of signing the manifesto suggesting the implementation of reforms, Alexander II was killed by the People's Deputies.
The constitutional process in Russia was interrupted.
After the 1905 revolution, Emperor Nicholas II signed manifestos (August 6 and October 17), according to which the State Duma and the "Regulations on Elections"were established.
These documents were perceived as the first step towards a legal system.
After the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government assumed the function of governing the country until the convocation of the Constituent Assembly, which was called to begin the formation of a rule of law state in Russia.
However, the assembly, created by the beginning of 1918, was dissolved by the decision of the Central Executive Committee on January 6 of the same year.
The first Constitution of the RSFSR, approved at the V All Russian Congress of Soviets on July 10, 1918, had a pronounced class character.
It embodied the slogans proclaimed by the Bolsheviks: all power was transferred to the Soviets, private ownership of land was abolished, restrictions were imposed on political rights for individual social groups.
On January 31, 1924, the Constitution of the USSR was adopted, which largely included the provisions of the 1918 Constitution.
In accordance with the provisions of the Union Constitution, a new version of the Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted in 1925.
Its peculiarity was that it did not contain provisions on the suppression of the exploiting classes and the world revolution.
One of the main provisions is the differentiation of the powers and competence of the bodies of the USSR and the RSFSR.
On December 5, 1936, the VIII Extraordinary Congress of Soviets adopted the following Soviet Constitution, which enshrined the thesis of the leading role of the Communist Party.
The document also included norms that affirm the economic foundations of socialism.
For the first time in the history of the state, the text of the Constitution spoke about political and personal rights and freedoms.
The Third Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted on January 21, 1937.
Its features include the introduction of the norm on the right of withdrawal of the RSFSR from the USSR.
The Constitution of the USSR, adopted on October 7, 1977.
A special feature of this document was the presence of an introductory theoretical part, which listed the main stages of building a developed socialist society in the USSR.
The Constitution of the RSFSR of April 12, 1978, was based on the Union Constitution of 1977.
It expanded the list of rights and freedoms of Soviet citizens, in particular, the rights to housing and health protection appeared.
On March 14, 1990, article 6 on the leadership role of the CPSU was deleted from the Constitution of the USSR, and corresponding amendments were made to the Constitution of the RSFSR.
On June 12, 1990, the First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR proclaimed state sovereignty throughout the country, adopting the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the RSFSR.
This document proclaimed the need to adopt a new Constitution that reflects the new political realities.
The first Constitution of the new Russia was adopted on December 12, 1993.
