Every Soviet student of government and law read Vyshinsky's book. Admistrators and jurists used it for reference. It is, in a sense, the militant handbook of those who engaged in Soviet government. It provides a guide through the intricacies of the central and local levels of administration, an explanation of the Constitution, and a documented analysis of the laws relating to the courts, elections, and rights and duties of citizens. It was designed also as a means of instilling in the public official a firm conviction that they were part of a system of government which had no equal in the world outside. Originally published in 1948 and republished in 2022 by Laika Press for the Socialist Politics & Legislation Series.