1954 · Constitutions

Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1954)

China

The first constitution of the People's Republic of China, which set up the National People's Congress as the highest organ of state power.

Why it matters

It was modelled on the Soviet constitution, and shows the influence of the Soviet model on socialist legal systems.

Built on

1936

Soviet Constitution of 1936

Soviet Union

followed the Soviet constitution's structure and language

Went on to shape

1982

Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1982)

China

restored many features of the 1954 text

Countries in the Legal Families Atlas

China

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s timeline lists links of influence only where the borrowing is widely documented. Historians sometimes disagree about how much one text shaped another. It is an educational overview, not legal advice.