The Form and Content of Crime and Punishment in the Period of Revolutionary Transition: Interrogating E. B. Pashukanis’ Interventions at the 1929 International Conference of Jurists in Berlin

2026/01/01 by Igor Shoikhedbrod · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies #Criminal Law and Policy #Soviet and Russian History

paper · doi:10.5771/2364-1355-2026-1-26

openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/03/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/09

Abstract

Drawing on a newly discovered transcript of a speech that Evgeny Pashukanis delivered at the 1929 International Conference of Jurists in Berlin, this article critically re-examines Pashukanis’ treatment of crime and punishment during the period of revolutionary transition in the USSR. It does so by relating Pashukanis’ speech to his earlier reflections on crime and punishment in the General Theory of Law and Marxism, and it interprets Pashukanis’ views on these topics in the specific context of the transformations then taking place in Soviet penal policy. Pashukanis’ views on crime and punishment are also contrasted with those of Karl Marx. The article is accompanied by the first-ever English translation of Pashukanis’ newly discovered speech.

Discussions

• You've captured Pashukanis' critique of the retributive 'dosage' system well. However, the persisting issue of coercion is a blind spot in Pashukanis, too, and he does not offer suitable alternatives [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

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