Everything you need to know about the Soviet Union

On December 30, 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or Soviet Union, was founded as the Treaty Establishing the USSR.

This was due to the Bolsheviks' triumph over Tsar Nicholas II in the 1917 Russian Revolution. Ukraine and Russia were among the countries that made up this group.

The USSR was considered one of the largest and most important economic, political and military powers in its 69 years of existence. He was also the protagonist of the international war conflict of the Cold War, against the United States.

Russia, at that time, was the territory in which the power of the Soviet alliance was concentrated, a country in which currently its president is Vladimir Putin.

The USSR was created as a nation and was made up of four Soviet socialist republics, which were united after the October Revolution of 1917. Years later, in 1956, the bloc increased to 15 territories.

Countries that made up the USSR

At the beginning, the Soviet Union was made up of four republics: Belarus, Ukraine, Transcaucasia and Russia. Over the years, little by little more countries joined.

Azerbaijan was the first country to join the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922. Thus, it ended up being made up of 15 countries in total, including:

• Belarus

• Ukraine

• Transcaucasia

• Russia

• Georgia

• Azerbaijan

• Uzbekistan

• Turkmenistan

• Armenia

• latvia

• Estonia

• moldova

• Kyrgyzstan

• Kazakhstan

• Tajikistan

War conflicts in which the USSR participated

The USSR managed to be part of several eras. This allowed him to learn to develop a certain military power, which generated a great defense for the country.

For this, he was able to participate in:

• Russian Civil War: 1918 – 1922

• World War II: 1939 – 1945

• Cold War: 1947 - 1991

The fall of the USSR

On December 25, 1991, was the separation of the USSR, as a consequence of the diplomatic, political and economic crisis that existed in the bloc, after the arrival of Mijaíl Gorbachiv to power, in 1985.

The appointment of Gorbachiv, as the new leader of the Soviet Union, increased criticism of the communist regime, generating the implementation of reforms and the establishment of international agreements, such as disarmament with the United States.

The fall of the USSR was caused by a major crisis generated by a failed coup attempt and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

For this reason, in 1991 the independence of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania was declared. The other republics simply announced their withdrawal from the bloc. In December of that same year, the official announcement of the total dissolution was made.

Territorial extension of the USSR

The territorial bloc of the USSR had a total area of 22,402,200 square kilometers. Because it had territories in northern Asia and eastern Europe, its climate was very varied.

The republics that formed them, generated a population of 293 million inhabitants, and more than 150 ethnic groups, until 1991, when it was dissolved.

Duration of the mandate of its leaders

During the 69 years of existence of the USSR, between 1922 and 1991, it had 7 leaders, of which 3 stood out: Vladimir Lenin, its founder, Joseph Stalin and Mikhail Gorbachev.

• Vladimir Ilyich Lenin: 1917 – 1924

• Joseph Stalin: 1924 – 1953

• Nikita Khrushchev: 1953 – 1964

• Leonid Brezhnev: 1964 – 1982

• Yuri Andropov: 1982 – 1984

• Konstantin Chernenko: 1984 – 1985

• Mikhail Gorbachev: 1985 – 1991

socialist legacy

The USSR was the first state that tried to build a completely socialist society, based on the ideals of equality and freedom. This generated a notable difference compared to countries with capitalist, feudal and slave systems.

This new society became transcendental worldwide, since it was the inspiration for great revolutions in different parts of the world such as the Sandinista in Nicaragua and the Cuban Revolution.

The Soviet Union played an important role in the defeat of fascism, which was spreading worldwide. Also, it led the way towards more supportive societies.

Therefore, the Soviet Union and the Russian Revolution managed to become the most important events of the 20th century.

On December 22, 1991, the USSR ceased to exist, after Russia, Ukraine and Belarus reported its dissolution, for which the Coalition of Independent States was declared.

The day this dissolution was signed was the day after Gorbachev, the last leader, resigned from office.

The flag of the USSR is one of the symbols that remains in memory. This design represents the union of workers. In its red color, you can see a hammer, which represents industrial work, the sickle, represents rural work and a star symbolizing the government of the Communist Party.