Academician Vyshinsky: A path through the thorns of the theory of state and law

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Abstract

No era has been devoid of bias in evaluating major political and public figures and the results of their activities. These assessments are often extremely emotional and not constructive, and do not take into account the complex context surrounding those who made crucial decisions. This fully applies to the perception of the state activity of A. Ya. Vyshinsky, which is very thoroughly analyzed in the Russian literature. At the same time, his contribution to the development of issues of the theory of state and law recedes into the background. In the article A. Ya. Vyshinsky presents himself as a scientist, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who offered his own understanding of the state and law, their functional characteristics and principles of construction, and defended this vision in numerous works, at meetings and meetings, while always relying on his own encyclopedic knowledge, fundamental theoretical base and the opinion of the staff of the Institute of Law of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Objective perception of the theoretical positions of A. Ya. Vyshinsky and their place in history and the system of scientific views contribute to the characterization of the challenges that faced him, as well as the opinions of his opponents. Special attention is paid to a number of issues from the field of the theory of judicial evidence, which were the focus of scientific research by A. Ya. Vyshinsky, the results of which received a distorted interpretation in the scientific and public narrative.

About the authors

A. N. Savenkov

Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: an61s@yandex.ru
10 Znamenka str., 119019 Moscow, Russia

S. A. Bochkarev

Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: bo4karvs@yandex.ru
10 Znamenka str., 119019 Moscow, Russia

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