Marking the anniversary of the Basic Law of the country. History of the Constitution of Russia illustrated in the Presidential Library’s materials

December 12, 2021 our country celebrates an important and significant public holiday - the Constitution  Day of the Russian Federation, the anniversary of the adoption of the country's 1993 Basic Law.

Preservation of the history of the main document of Russia is the most important direction in the work of the Presidential Library. Its portal features the electronic collection Constitution - Basic Law. It includes the texts of the Fundamental Laws of the Russian State of various historical eras. These are the first Constitution of the RSFSR of 1918, three Constitutions of the USSR (1924, 1936 and 1977), the Constitutions of the RSFSR of 1925, 1937 and 1978, the current Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993 as amended and approved during the all-Russian vote on July 1, 2020, and constitutions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

In addition, the collection contains digital copies of official documents, as well as their editions; research, journalism, memoirs, videos illustrating the details of the creation and discussion of the Basic Law.

The collection is based on materials from the Archive of the President, the Library of the Presidential Administration, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, as well as rare documents from private collections of direct participants in the development of the text of the Constitution, video recordings of their speeches.

A separate section of the collection is devoted to the history of the development and adoption of the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation. It contains documents that spotlight the direct participation of the President of the Russian Federation in the work on the draft Constitution. Many documents contain edits and notes by Boris Yeltsin. The collection provides the atmosphere in which the work on the project was going on, gains a deeper understanding of the historical significance of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

The current Basic Law of 1993 and previous constitutional projects are also mentioned in the film The Right to a Constitution available on the Presidential Library's portal.

One of the interactive projects of the Presidential Library - a 3D tour - makes it possible to virtually visit the Constitution Hall located in the building of the institution. The exposition tells about the constitutions of Russia of the XX century, about the stages of creation and adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. It features printed publications, historical documents, including those with edits and notes by the country's top official, digitized subscription lists that the heads of state filled out after taking the oath, photo and newsreels and other materials related to the institution of the presidency and state symbols of Russia. The main exhibit of the exhibition is an exact copy of the inaugural copy of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, presented by the head of state on the opening day of the Presidential Library on May 27, 2009.

In addition, thanks to the video tour, one has opportunity to visit the exhibition The history of constitutionalism in Russia: drafts and constitutions of the 18th – 20th centuries, which tells about the development of legislation in our country and the first attempts to create a document that defines the basic duties and rights of citizens.

The institution’s portal provides access to the Electronic Museum of the Constitutional History of Russia, which involves a joint work among the Russian Historical Society, the Academic Educational and Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences - Moscow State University and the Presidential Library. Its collection includes video and audio recordings, photographs, digital copies of archival documents, scientific publications, three-dimensional images of genuine artifacts. This project in an interactive form tells about the constitutional history and development of law from Anna Ioannovna Konditsiy, the manifesto of Alexander I, constitutional projects of the Decembrists and the plans of Mikhail Speransky to the constitutional reform of 1905-1906 and the modern era.

Senate Square, 3 regularly holds multimedia lessons, video lectures, legal dictations, conferences and excursions dedicated to the formation of the statehood of our country and its people.