"The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991."
The world's first socialist state, established after the Russian Revolution in 1917, which became a major geopolitical player during the Interwar period.
The Russian Revolution (1917): The overthrow of the Tsarist regime and the establishment of the Soviet government.
Socialist Realism: The state-mandated artistic and literary style in the Soviet Union that aimed to promote socialist values.
Five-Year Plans: The economic programs introduced by the Soviet government in 1928 to rapidly industrialize the country.
Collectivization: The process of merging small farms into larger ones under state control in order to increase agricultural productivity.
Propaganda: The government's use of media to promote Soviet ideology and suppress dissent.
Purges: The mass arrests and executions of suspected enemies of the state during the late 1930s.
Stalin's leadership: The impact of Joseph Stalin's consolidation of power and policies on Soviet society and government.
The Great Terror: The widespread political repression and purges that occurred during the late 1930s.
International relations: The Soviet Union's foreign policy objectives and relations with other countries during the interwar period.
The cult of personality: The elevation of Stalin's image as a heroic leader and symbol of Soviet power.
Bolsheviks: Also known as communists, they were the ruling party of the Soviet Union. They believed in a one-party socialist state that would later transition to communism.
Mensheviks: They were a minority faction within the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party who opposed the Bolsheviks. They believed in a multi-party socialist state that would gradually transition to communism.
Left Communists: They were a faction within the Bolshevik Party who were critical of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and advocated for a more radical, immediate transition to communism.
Right Communists: They were a faction within the Bolshevik Party who supported the NEP and believed in a gradual transition to communism.
Trotskyists: They were followers of Leon Trotsky, a leading Bolshevik who was eventually exiled and later assassinated by the Soviet government. They believed in a more internationalist approach to communism and opposed Stalin's leadership.
Stalinists: They were supporters of Joseph Stalin and his policies, which included rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture. They believed in a strong centralized state and often engaged in political purges to eliminate perceived enemies.
Social Democrats: They were a moderate socialist party that favored a democratic, multi-party state and gradual social and economic reforms.
Anarchists: They opposed all forms of government and believed in a stateless, decentralized society based on mutual aid and cooperation.
Nationalists: They believed in the primacy of their own nation or ethnicity and often sought to create independent states or gain greater autonomy within the Soviet Union.
Non-aligned: There were various groups and individuals who did not align themselves with any particular faction or ideology within the Soviet Union.
"Both its government and its economy were highly centralized until its final years."
"It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the city of Moscow serving as its capital."
"Other major cities included Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kiev (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR), and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR)."
"The country's roots lay in the October Revolution of 1917, which saw the Bolsheviks overthrow the Russian Provisional Government that formed earlier that year."
"The new government, led by Vladimir Lenin, established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (RSFSR), the world's first constitutionally guaranteed socialist state."
"Stalin inaugurated a period of rapid industrialization and forced collectivization that led to significant economic growth, but also contributed to a famine in 1930–1933 that killed millions."
"The combined Soviet civilian and military casualty count—estimated to be around 20 million people—accounted for the majority of losses of Allied forces."
"The Eastern Bloc of the Soviet Union confront[ed] the Western Bloc of the United States," and "the latter [became] largely united in 1949 under NATO and the former [became] largely united in 1955 under the Warsaw Pact."
"There was no direct military confrontation between the two organizations; instead, the conflict was fought on an ideological basis and through proxy wars."
"In the mid-1980s, the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, sought to reform the country through his policies of glasnost and perestroika."
"In 1991, Gorbachev initiated a national referendum... that resulted in the majority of participating citizens voting in favour of preserving the country as a renewed federation."
"The attempt failed, with Boris Yeltsin playing a high-profile role in facing down the unrest."
"The Communist Party was subsequently banned."
"The Russian Federation became the Soviet Union's successor state."
"The Soviet Union produced many significant social and technological achievements and innovations... It had the world's second-largest economy, and the Soviet Armed Forces comprised the largest standing military in the world."
"It was a founding member of the United Nations as well as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council."
"It was the largest country in the world, covering over 22,402,200 square kilometres (8,649,500 sq mi) and spanning eleven time zones."
"All of the other republics emerged from the USSR's collapse as fully independent post-Soviet states."
"An NPT-designated state, it possessed the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world."