1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union

The 1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union, formally the Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was the communist state constitution adopted on 7 October 1977. Also called the Brezhnev Constitution or the Constitution of Developed Socialism, it was the third and last constitution of the Soviet Union, passed unanimously by the Supreme Soviet and signed by Leonid Brezhnev, and it replaced the 1936 Constitution. Its preamble declared the state one of the whole people, and its first chapter set out the leading role of the Communist Party. It was longer than the 1936 text and defined the division of responsibilities between Moscow and the republics, and Article 72 granted the republics a right to secede. It was repealed on 26 December 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved.