Unification of document flow in the USSR: historical and legal aspect

The subject. The growth of document flow is associated with a complex of reasons, among which there are objective factors. However, there is often an unjustified increase in the number of documents created and processed in institutions. This is due to the presence of unnecessary, unused forms, duplication of electronic documents with traditional and others. Measures to improve and rationalize the organization of document flow contribute to solving these problems. Identifying the main trends and problems in this area will help determine ways to improve the current system of document management standardization in Russia. In Russian science, no attempts have been made so far to identify the main stages in the history of the development of standardization of document management. In this connection, the problem of periodization of the development of standardization of document flow in Russia for the purpose of systematization and scientific generalization of this field of knowledge comes to the fore.The purpose of the article is to identify the prerequisites for the origin of document unification, as well as to characterize the periods of development and main directions of document flow standardization in the USSR.The methodology includes historical-legal method, formal-legal method, systematic approach, chronological method, analysis, synthesis.The main results of research. This study identifies and characterizes the main periods of development and the main directions of standardization of document flow in the USSR, and also defines the characteristic features of standardization of document flow in the designated period. A chronological approach can serve to achieve this goal, which allows us to trace the evolutionary development of document management standardization in the Soviet period.Conclusions. The study of the legal regulation of standardization of documentation in the USSR allows us to conclude that the Soviet stage was associated with the direct emergence of standardization as a sphere of state policy in general and document management in particular. In this regard, it is proposed to distinguish three periods in the historiography of the problem: 1917 – early 1960s and 1960s – 1970s.