ABSTRACT
The PRC 1954 constitution and the USSR 1936 constitution are similarly based on Marxist legal theory, but they differ in terms of political and economic stage development. They were also based in different cultural settings: (1) Politically, China’s, New Democracy, or the “people’s democratic dictatorship,” was the transition from feudal-colonial society to socialist society, while the USSR was “socialist.” Therefore, China protected the interests of capitalists, while the USSR did not. China had four ownerships: capitalist, state-owned, collective, and small plots, while USSR had two: state-owned and collective (although small plots continued). (2) In terms of economics, China’s constitution did not mention whether the education was free – actually, pre-college education was not free, while the USSR offered free education for all. (3) In terms of cultural/historical circumstances, the USSR’s republics had more autonomy, while China’s autonomous regions had less.
