Soviet Union

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Russian Revolution
- Late tsarist Russia
- The February Revolution
- Lenin and the Bolsheviks
- The Bolshevik coup
- The Bolshevik dictatorship
- Brest-Litovsk
- “War Communism”
- The Civil War and the creation of the U.S.S.R.
- The Communist International
- Culture and religion under communism
- Foreign policy
- The communist regime in crisis: 1920–21
- Lenin’s disillusionment
- The struggle for succession
The U.S.S.R. from the death of Lenin to the death of Stalin
- The NEP and the defeat of the Left
- Toward the “second Revolution”: 1927–30
- The Party versus the peasants
- Industrialization, 1929–34
- Internal, 1930–37
- Foreign policy, 1928–40
- Into the war: 1940–45
- Postwar
The U.S.S.R. from 1953 to 1991
- The Khrushchev era
  - The transition
  - The 20th Party Congress and after
  - Nationality policy
  - The cultural Thaw
  - Economic problems
  - Khrushchev’s fall
- The Brezhnev era
  - Collective leadership
  - Economic policy
  - Cultural retrenchment
  - Nationality policy
  - Foreign policy
- The Interregnum: Andropov and Chernenko
- The Gorbachev era
  - Gorbachev’s succession
  - Economic and social reforms
  - Political restructuring
  - Economic policy
  - Foreign policy
  - The attempted coup

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1922–91

Operation Barbarossa: Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union

Mikhail Gorbachev's legacy: What are glasnost and perestroika?

For Students

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics summary

Soviet Union

historical state, Eurasia

Also known as: Russia, Sojuz Sovetskich Socialisticeskich Respublik, Sovetsky Soyuz, Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, U.S.S.R., Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Written by Robert Conquest, Richard E. Pipes•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jan 2, 2025 • Article History

In full:: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.)

Russian:: Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik or Sovetsky Soyuz

Major Events:: World War II; Russian Provisional Government; collapse of the Soviet Union; Operation Barbarossa; Russo-Polish War

Key People:: Vladimir Lenin; Joseph Stalin; Isaac Babel; Nikita Khrushchev; Leon Trotsky

Related Topics:: socialism; communism; Communist Party of the Soviet Union; National Defense Education Act; “Lenin’s Testament”

Related Places:: Russia; Ukraine; Kazakhstan; Georgia; Armenia

See all related content

News •

Carter reflected on 1980 Olympic boycott: ‘A bad decision’ • Jan. 2, 2025, 12:20 AM ET (AP)

2024 was a year of triumphs and setbacks for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Here's how it unfolded • Dec. 29, 2024, 12:06 AM ET (AP)

Azerbaijani airliner crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 with 29 survivors, officials say • Dec. 25, 2024, 10:31 PM ET (AP)

Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled the country is charged after returning to US • Dec. 11, 2024, 6:56 PM ET (AP)

US warns Russia may be ready to use new lethal missile against Ukraine again in 'coming days' • Dec. 11, 2024, 3:14 PM ET (AP)

Soviet Union, former northern Eurasian empire (1917/22–1991) stretching from the Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean and, in its final years, consisting of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.’s): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia (now Belarus), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgiziya (now Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (now Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The capital was Moscow, then and now the capital of Russia. During the period of its existence, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was by area the world’s largest country. It was also one of the most diverse, with more than 100 distinct nationalities living within its borders. ...(100 of 33818 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.