Demyanchuk T. The Evolution of Historical and Legal Approaches to the Study of the Soviet Penal System

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33098/2078-6670.2025.19.31.40-47

Purpose. This article aims to analyze the stages of formation, transformation, and current relevance of historical and legal approaches to the study of the Soviet penal system as a component of the USSR’s state policy; to identify key scholarly concepts reflecting the evolution of assessments of this system in legal historiography; and to clarify contemporary methodological guidelines for its study in the context of human rights, repressive policies, and political responsibility. Methods. The study employs a set of interdisciplinary methods, including: the historical-legal method – to reconstruct the stages of development of scholarly discourse on the Soviet penal system; the hermeneutic method – to interpret sources and literary texts from different historical periods; the comparative-legal method – to contrast approaches in Soviet and post-Soviet academic traditions; critical discourse analysis – to reveal ideological influence on legal interpretations of the activities of Soviet punitive institutions; and the method of systems analysis – to identify the interconnection between legal concepts, political practice, and public perception of the repressive apparatus. Results. The article presents a comprehensive historical-legal analysis of the Soviet penal system as an institutionalized tool of state terror. It traces the evolution of scholarly interpretations from normative-apologetic to critically axiological and interdisciplinary approaches. The main stages of research into the USSR’s penitentiary policy in Ukrainian academic tradition are identified, along with key directions and methodological shifts. A clear transition from formal-legal analysis to value-based assessment, grounded in human rights and historical memory, is outlined. The need for a new research paradigm, oriented toward democratic legal principles and decommunization, is substantiated. The relevance of the human rights approach is emphasized, particularly in the context of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Originality. For the first time, the stages and methodological transformations in the study of the Soviet penal system in Ukrainian historical-legal discourse are systematized, considering the contemporary political and legal context. Practical significance. The research results can be used to update the content of legal education, inform national memory policy, and improve approaches to the legal qualification of repressions during the totalitarian period.

Key words: penal system, Soviet terror, historical-legal analysis, GULAG, political repressions, human rights approach, decommunization, rule of law.

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