Soviet Union Main article: Soviet Union See also: Treaty on the Creation of the USSR and History

of the Soviet Union The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (called Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic at the time) to ether !ith the U"rainian# $yelorussian# and Transcaucasion Soviet Socialist Republics# formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)# or Soviet Union# on %& 'ecember ()**+ ,ut of the (republics that !ould ma"e up the USSR# the lar est in si.e and over half of the total USSR population !as the Russian SFSR# !hich came to dominate the union for its entire /)0year history+ Follo!in 1enin2s death in ()*3# a troi"a !as desi nated to overn the Soviet Union+ Ho!ever# 4oseph Stalin# an elected 5eneral Secretary of the Communist 6arty# mana ed to suppress all opposition roups !ithin the party and consolidate po!er in his hands+ 1eon Trots"y# the main proponent of !orld revolution# !as e7iled from the Soviet Union in ()*)# and Stalin2s idea of Socialism in ,ne Country became the primary line+ The continued internal stru le in the $olshevi" party culminated in the 5reat 6ur e# a period of mass repressions in ()%89%:# durin !hich hundreds of thousands of people !ere e7ecuted# includin ori inal party members and military leaders accused of coup d2;tat plots+</3= Soviet T0%3>8/s and infantry advance past a destroyed 6an.er ?@+ Ahar"ov# Bu ust ()3% Under Stalin2s leadership# the overnment launched a planned economy# industrialisation of the lar ely rural country# and collectivi.ation of its a riculture+ 'urin this period of rapid economic and social chan e# millions of people !ere sent to penal labor camps#</-= includin many political convicts for their opposition to Stalin2s ruleC millions !ere deported and e7iled to remote areas of the Soviet Union+</-= The transitional disor anisation of the country2s a riculture# combined !ith the harsh state policies and a drou ht# led to the Soviet famine of ()%*9()%%+<//= The Soviet Union# thou h !ith a heavy price# !as transformed from a lar ely a rarian economy to a maDor industrial po!erhouse in a short span of time+ The Bppeasement policy of 5reat $ritain and France to!ards Bdolf Hitler2s anne7ation of Bustria and C.echoslova"ia did not stem an increase in the po!er of Ea.i 5ermany and put a threat of !ar to the Soviet Union+ Bround the same time the Third Reich allied !ith the Fmpire of 4apan# a rival of the USSR in the Far Fast and an open enemy of the USSR in the Soviet94apanese $order Gars in ()%:9%)+ ?n Bu ust ()%)# after another failure of attempts to establish an anti0Ea.i alliance !ith $ritain and France# the Soviet overnment decided to improve relations !ith 5ermany by concludin the Molotov0Ribbentrop 6act# pled in non0a ression bet!een the t!o countries and dividin their spheres of influence in Fastern Furope+ Ghile Hitler conHuered 6oland# France and other countries actied on sin le front at the start of Gorld Gar ??# the USSR !as able to build up its military and claim some of the former territories of the Russian Fmpire as a result of the Soviet invasion of 6oland# Ginter Gar and the occupation of the $altic states+ ,n ** 4une ()3(# Ea.i 5ermany bro"e the non0a ression treaty and invaded the Soviet Union !ith the lar est and most po!erful invasion force in human history#</8= openin the lar est theater of Gorld Gar ??+ Blthou h the 5erman army had considerable early success# their attac" !as halted in the $attle of Mosco!+ SubseHuently the 5ermans !ere dealt maDor defeats first at the $attle of Stalin rad in the !inter of ()3*9 3%#</:= and then in the $attle of Aurs" in the summer of ()3%+ Bnother 5erman failure !as the Sie e of 1enin rad# in !hich the city !as fully bloc"aded on land bet!een ()3(933 by 5erman and Finnish forces# and suffered starvation and more than a million deaths# but never surrendered+</)= Under Stalin2s administration and the leadership of such commanders as 5eor y Ihu"ov and Aonstantin Ro"ossovs"y# Soviet forces too" Fastern Furope in ()3393- and captured $erlin in May ()3-+ ?n Bu ust ()3- the Soviet Brmy ousted the 4apanese from China2s Manchu"uo and Eorth Aorea# contributin to the allied victory over 4apan+ First human to travel into space# Juri 5a arin The ()3(93- period of Gorld Gar ?? is "no!n in Russia as the K5reat 6atriotic GarK+ 'urin this conflict#

!hich included many of the most lethal battle operations in human history# Soviet military and civilian deaths !ere (&+/ million and (-+) million respectively#<8&= accountin for about a third of all Gorld Gar ?? casualties+ The full demo raphic loss to the Soviet peoples !as even reater+<8(= The Soviet economy and infrastructure suffered massive devastation#<8*= but the Soviet Union emer ed as an ac"no!led ed military superpo!er on the continent+ The Red Brmy occupied Fastern Furope after the !ar# includin Fast 5ermany+ 'ependent socialist overnments !ere installed in the Fastern $loc satellite states+ $ecomin the !orld2s second nuclear !eapons po!er# the USSR established the Garsa! 6act alliance and entered into a stru le for lobal dominance# "no!n as the Cold Gar# !ith the United States and EBT,+ The Soviet Union supported revolutionary movements across the !orld# includin the ne!ly formed 6eople2s Republic of China# the 'emocratic 6eople2s Republic of Aorea and# later on# the Republic of Cuba+ Si nificant amounts of the Soviet resources !ere allocated in aid to the other socialist states+<8%= Bfter Stalin2s death and a short period of collective rule# ne! leader Ei"ita Ahrushchev denounced the cult of personality of Stalin and launched the policy of de0Stalini.ation+ The penal labor system !as reformed and many prisoners !ere released and rehabilitated (many of them posthumously)+<83= The eneral easement of repressive policies became "no!n later as the Ahrushchev Tha!+ Bt the same time# tensions !ith the United States hei htened !hen the t!o rivals clashed over the deployment of the U+S+ 4upiter missiles in Tur"ey and Soviet missiles in Cuba+ ?n ()-8# the Soviet Union launched the !orld2s first artificial satellite# Sputni" (# thus startin the Space B e+ Russian cosmonaut Juri 5a arin became the first human to orbit the Farth aboard @osto" ( manned spacecraft on (* Bpril ()/(+ Sputni" ( !as the !orld2s first artificial satellite Follo!in the oustin of Ahrushchev in ()/3# another period of collective rule ensued# until 1eonid $re.hnev became the leader+ The era of the ()8&s and the early ():&s !as desi nated later as the Fra of Sta nation# a period !hen the economic ro!th slo!ed and social policies became static+ The ()/Aosy in reform aimed for partial decentrali.ation of the Soviet economy and shifted the emphasis from heavy industry and !eapons to li ht industry and consumer oods but !as stifled by the conservative Communist leadership+ ?n ()8)# after a Communist0led revolution in Bf hanistan# Soviet forces entered that country at reHuest of the ne! re ime+ The occupation drained economic resources and dra ed on !ithout achievin meanin ful political results+ Ultimately the Soviet Brmy !as !ithdra!n from Bf hanistan in ():) due to international opposition# persistent anti0Soviet uerilla !arfare# and a lac" of support by Soviet citi.ens+ From ():- on!ards# the last Soviet leader Mi"hail 5orbachev# !ho sou ht to enact liberal reforms in the Soviet system# introduced the policies of lasnost (openness) and perestroi"a (restructurin ) in an attempt to end the period of economic sta nation and to democratise the overnment+ This# ho!ever# led to the rise of stron nationalist and separatist movements+ 6rior to ())(# the Soviet economy !as the second lar est in the !orld#<8-= but durin its last years it !as afflicted by shorta es of oods in rocery stores# hu e bud et deficits# and e7plosive ro!th in money supply leadin to inflation+<8/= $y ())(# economic and political turmoil be an to boil over# as the $altic republics chose to secede from the Union+ ,n (8 March# a referendum !as held# to !hich the vast maDority of participatin citi.ens voted in favour of preservin the Soviet Union as a rene!ed federation+ ?n Bu ust ())(# a coup d2;tat attempt by members of 5orbachev2s overnment# directed a ainst 5orbachev and aimed at preservin the Soviet Union# instead led to the end of the Communist 6arty of the Soviet Union+ 'espite the !ill e7pressed by the people# on *- 'ecember ())(# the USSR !as dissolved into (- post0Soviet states+