The Formation of the Soviet Court and the Development of the Judicial System (1917-1921)

The present study focuses on the formation of the Soviet court and the development of the judicial system in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1917–1921). Special attention is paid to the question, which could be framed in the following way: what consequences of the enactment of Decrees and Acts on the court are observed in the system of justice. To answer the question the author intends to pay particular attention to legal acts (as they were a basis for the disruption of the judicial system and the formation of completely new justice institutions: people's courts and revolutionary tribunals) and viewpoints of scientists. It will be shown that pre-revolutionary courts did not have any chance to exist and the Bolsheviks put in place the viable system of justice, notwithstanding they did not have a concrete plan of reforms.