Soviet Union Divorce History

In the aftermath of the 1917 Revolution, the Soviet Union went through a period of very informal divorces that could be obtained just by one spouse announcing the divorce. Moscow reported 5,000 divorce petitions in the first few months after the change. The rules for marriage and divorce were relaxed even further after 1926, when the divorced spouse was sometimes notified by letter (or postcard). Mass confusion reportedly ensued over who was married or divorced - and may not have been helped by the slow and inefficient postal service. During Stalin's regime, the informal family law was dramatically revoked. Divorce became difficult and expensive to obtain until the divorce law was again liberalized after 1968 following Stalin's death.

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