Is Soviet Law Still Relevant to Legal Academic Research? Polish Contributions to Soviet Legal Studies: Revisiting a Forgotten Jurisprudence

Abstract

Although the Soviet Union has collapsed and Soviet law no longer functions as a living legal system, its significance as an object of legal scholarship remains an open and pressing question. The legacy of Soviet law is not merely of historical interest; it also provides an important lens for understanding the ways in which law can be instrumentalised for political ends and how legal systems may be shaped or distorted by authoritarian power. This article argues that the continued study of Soviet law offers valuable insights into contemporary challenges to the rule of law, particularly in post-socialist contexts where legal institutions often retain traces of their Soviet heritage. In pursuing this argument, the article pays particular attention to the often-overlooked contributions of Polish legal scholars. Already in the interwar period, Polish academics provided some of the earliest and most incisive analyses of Soviet legal theory and practice. Later, the postwar Polish émigré community produced a significant body of scholarship that critically examined Soviet law from a comparative and international perspective. Their work not only enriched the broader understanding of the Soviet legal system but also highlighted its global implications for legal theory and practice. Finally, the article underscores the importance of internationalising this intellectual legacy. By bringing Polish scholarship into closer dialogue with global Soviet legal studies, we can better appreciate the complexity of Soviet law and its enduring relevance, while simultaneously broadening the scope of comparative legal history.