DOI: 10.7256/2454-0641.2017.1.21953

Abstract: The research subject is the problem of participation of the Soviet representative and legislative power in the foreign policy of the state in 1917 – 1991. The paper describes the approaches of different scholars. The author shows that during the Soviet period, the impact of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the foreign policy of the state wasn’t decisive. Foreign policy was formed and realized by a narrow group of people, the key representatives of the ruling elite, and in the postwar years – within the Central Committee of the Communist Party, which had enough authorities, information and expert resources. In the result of reforms of “perestroika”, the role of the Supreme Soviet in the foreign policy of the state increased. In 1989 – 1991 this institution had performed important international political and diplomatic actions to realize the course, adopted by the first Congress of People’s Deputies. Those actions led to the significant changes in the USSR positioning on the international stage and its relations with particular countries, and determined the subsequent transformation of the international system. The research methodology is based on the system approach. The author applies institutional, historical and genetic, and socio-psychological methods. The author proves that during the mentioned period, the general trend of the Russian state functioning had been manifesting itself: the defense and foreign issues were controlled not by the head of the executive power, but, generally, by the supreme leader. His milieu, consisting of the most influential politicians of that period, played a decisive role in decision making in the sphere of foreign policy. 

Keywords: Congress of People's Deputies, Supreme Soviet, foreign policy actions, foreign policy decisions, foreign policy, foreign policy mechanism, USSR, parliament, Soviet ruling elites , the Central Committee of the Communist Party machinery