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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | |
|---|---|
| 1922–1991 | |
 Flag
(1955–1991) .svg) State Emblem
(1956–1991) | |
| Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! "Workers of the world, unite!" | |
Anthem:
| |
.svg) The Soviet Union during the Cold War | |
| Capital and largest city | Moscow 55°45′N 37°37′E / 55.750°N 37.617°E |
| Official languages | Russian[b] |
| Recognised regional languages | |
| Ethnic groups (1989) |
|
| Religion |
|
| Demonym(s) | Soviet |
| Government | Federal Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic |
| Leader | |
• 1922–1924 (first) | Vladimir Lenin[c] |
• 1924–1953 | Joseph Stalin[d] |
• 1953[f] | Georgy Malenkov[e] |
• 1953–1964 | Nikita Khrushchev[g] |
• 1964–1982 | Leonid Brezhnev[h] |
• 1982–1984 | Yuri Andropov |
• 1984–1985 | Konstantin Chernenko |
• 1985–1991 (last) | Mikhail Gorbachev[i] |
| Head of State | |
• 1922–1946 (first) | Mikhail Kalinin[j] |
• 1988–1991 (last) | Mikhail Gorbachev[k] |
| Premier | |
• 1922–1924 (first) | Vladimir Lenin[l] |
• 1991 (last) | Ivan Silayev[m] |
| Legislature |
|
| |
| Soviet of the Union (1936–1991) | |
| Historical era | |
| 7 November 1917 | |
| 30 December 1922 | |
| 31 January 1924 | |
| 5 December 1936 | |
| 1939–1940 | |
| 1941–1945 | |
| 25 February 1956 | |
| 9 October 1977 | |
| 1988–1991 | |
| 19–22 August 1991 | |
| 8 December 1991[o] | |
| 26 December 1991[p] | |
| Area | |
• Total | 22,402,200 km2 (8,649,500 sq mi) (1st) |
• Water | 2,767,198 km2 (1,068,421 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 12.3 |
| Population | |
• 1989 census |  286,730,819[2] (3rd) |
• Density | 12.7/km2 (32.9/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 1990 estimate |
• Total | $2.7 trillion (2nd) |
• Per capita | $9,000 |
| GDP (nominal) | 1990 estimate |
• Total | $2.7 trillion[3] (2nd) |
• Per capita | $9,000 (28th) |
| Gini (1989) | 0.275 low |
| HDI (1990 formula) | 0.920[4] very high |
| Currency | Soviet ruble (Rbl) (SUR) |
| Time zone | (UTC+2 to +12) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +7 |
| ISO 3166 code | SU |
| Internet TLD | .su[q] |
With the exception of the CIS – an intergovernmental organization and legal successor to the Soviet Union – only states that are former Soviet republics, now members of the United Nations, are listed as successors. | |
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics[r] (USSR),[s] simply known as the Soviet Union,[t] was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. It was the first country to declare itself socialist and build towards a communist society. It was a union of 14 Soviet socialist republics and one Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR).
The Soviet Union was created about five years after the Russian Revolution. In which the Russian Empire was destroyed after years of fighting in World War I. It was announced after Vladimir Lenin overthrew Alexander Kerensky as Russian leader. The communist government developed from an agriculture based economy to an industry one, and over time became a major, powerful union. The largest country in the Union was Russian SFSR, Kazakh SSR was the second, and Ukrainian SSR the third largest. The capital city of the Soviet Union and RSFSR was Moscow. The Soviet Union expanded its political control greatly after World War II. It took over the whole of Eastern Europe. Those countries were not made part of the Soviet Union, but they were controlled by the Soviet Union indirectly. These countries, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and East Germany, were called satellite states which each helped the USSR during World War II.
The top-level committee which made the laws was the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In practice, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the leader and most important decision-maker in their system of government. Although the constitution said the Republics could leave the Union if they wanted, it was a completely centralized government, with no states' rights for the member countries.
The USSR was formed with the idea to give everyone equal social and economic equality. There was virtually no private property and everything belonged to the state including public property was an idea discussed by Karl Marx, and formed the ideology of socialism of 'Soviets', or workers' councils, were created by the working class to lead the socialist state democratically, but they soon lost power with the rise of Stalinism.
The Union was successful in many fields, putting the first man, first woman, and first satellite into space, defeating Hitler's Nazi Germany invasion and winning World War II, together with the United States and United Kingdom, helping build infrastructure, as well as schools and hospitals in many third-world countries. However, its centralized government found innovation and the changes were difficult to handle. The USSR collapsed in 1991 due to the failed efforts to reform the country by its 8th Leader and the 10th president, Mikhail Gorbachev, leaving behind Russian Federation in its place along with 14 other nations.
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- ↑ Schiffman, H. (19 November 2002). "Language Policy in the former Soviet Union". University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024.
- ↑ Almanaque Mundial 1996, Editorial América/Televisa, Mexico, 1995, pp. 548–552 (Demografía/Biometría table).
- ↑ "GDP – Million – Flags, Maps, Economy, Geography, Climate, Natural Resources, Current Issues, International Agreements, Population, Social Statistics, Political System". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 1990" (PDF). HDRO (Human Development Report Office) United Nations Development Programme. January 1990. p. 111. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2020.