[Rezension zu] B. Mirkine-Guetzévitch: Die rechtstheoretischen Grundlagen des Sowjetstaates

Felix Kaufmann: Review of Die rechtstheoretischen Grundlagen des Sowjetstaates (1933)

Felix Kaufmann’s brief journal review evaluates B. Mirkine-Guetzévitch’s study of Soviet law in Rita Willfort’s German translation. It moves from the book’s sources and critical purpose to a qualification of its conclusions, ending with praise for its documentary contribution and translation.

The study draws on constitutional texts, legislative acts, and Soviet jurists’ commentaries. Kaufmann stresses the importance of the latter because those applying Soviet law possess extensive discretion. He identifies the book’s declared approach:

Er setzt sich das Ziel, mit Hilfe dieses Materials eine Kritik des Sowjetrechtes vom Standpunkte der Rechtstechnik zu geben.

English translation: He sets himself the goal of using this material to provide a critique of Soviet law from the standpoint of legal technique.

The resulting condemnation is severe. Kaufmann reports the book’s alignment with political and moral denunciations of Soviet despotism, but questions whether its verdict follows from legal technique alone:

Freilich bleibt es dem Leser keineswegs verborgen, daß ihr Ergebnis nicht bloß auf rechtstechnischer Kritik basiert, sondern eine seiner Hauptwurzeln in der leidenschaftlich demokratischen Überzeugung des Verfassers hat.

English translation: Admittedly, it is by no means hidden from the reader that its conclusion rests not merely on criticism from the standpoint of legal technique, but has one of its principal roots in the author’s passionately democratic conviction.

The review’s central distinction is between the basis of the condemnation and the value of the research. Democratic commitment helps shape the judgment, yet does not diminish the achievement of assembling illuminating material. That contribution justifies the German edition; Kaufmann also praises Willfort’s subject expertise and linguistic skill. His assessment thus preserves the study’s scholarly usefulness while qualifying its claim to a specifically technical critique.