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    • Main contributor: Alina Borisov-Rebel
    The Soviet Union on the globe.

    The Soviet Union was a vast and influential geopolitical entity that existed from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991 and covered the territory of Eastern Europe, Northern Asia, and parts of Central and Eastern Asia. It was officially known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and was comprised of fifteen republics, with Russia being the largest and most prominent among them. The country stretched approximately 5,000 kilometers from north to south and 12,000 kilometers from east to west. At the time of its formation, the territory covered 21,683,000 square kilometers. At the time of its dissolution, the country's area was 22.4 million square kilometers, which constituted one-sixth of the world's landmass.[1] The population of the Soviet Union varied over its history. At the time of its dissolution in 1991, the estimated population was around 293 million people. However, it's important to note that the population was not evenly distributed among the republics, with the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic being the most populous.

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    History of the Soviet Union

    See also: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

    The Bolshevik, by Boris Kustodiev.

    After the February Revolution of 1917, power in Russia was seized by the Bolshevik Party under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, in alliance with the Left Socialist Revolutionaries and anarchists. During the October Revolution and the Civil War in the former territory of the Russian Empire, several Soviet republics were formed based on national characteristics: RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), Ukrainian SSR (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic), Byelorussian SSR (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic), Transcaucasian SFSR (Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), Khorezm People's Soviet Republic, Bukhara People's Soviet Republic, and the Far Eastern Republic. In all these states, the Bolsheviks held power, so there was no doubt about the necessity of uniting the states to combat a common enemy and to more successfully build a new society. The Second Congress of Soviets on October 25, 1917, declared the establishment of a state of proletarian dictatorship in the form of a Soviet Republic. Led by the Bolshevik Party and figures like Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, the new government sought to create a communist state based on the ideology of Marxism-Leninism. Over the next several decades, the Soviet Union underwent significant political, economic, and social transformations.

    Since 1930, universal free and compulsory primary education was introduced. By the end of the 1930s, significant progress had been made in combating illiteracy: according to the 1939 census, the percentage of literate population reached 87.4%.[2] Additionally, secondary technical and higher education were actively developed.

    As a result of industrialization, the share of the USSR in global industrial production reached nearly 10%. A particularly sharp leap was achieved in the development of heavy industry: metallurgy, energy production, machinery manufacturing, and the chemical industry. In fact, a whole range of new industries emerged, including aluminum, aviation, automotive manufacturing, bearing production, tractor, and tank manufacturing. New "socialist cities" were built near these new enterprises, with Magnitogorsk being the first among them. The USSR transformed from an agrarian-industrial country into an industrial-agrarian nation. One of the most important outcomes of industrialization was overcoming technological backwardness and establishing economic independence for the USSR.

    Memorial to the victims of political Repressions in Ekaterinburg.

    In the 1920s, political repression against the Socialist-Revolutionaries (SRs) and Mensheviks, who refused to abandon their convictions, continued. After 1922, the government's policy towards non-entirely Bolshevik-oriented public associations became more stringent. In the 1930s, mass repressions occurred against various social strata and groups, reaching their peak during the 'Great Terror' of 1937-1938, also known as the 'Yezhovshchina.' During this period, according to various estimates, approximately 681.7[3] thousand people were executed, while hundreds of thousands were imprisoned or sent to the Gulag camps on charges (including falsified charges) of committing political and state crimes.

    During World War II, the Soviet Union played a pivotal role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. However, the post-war period saw the beginning of the Cold War, a prolonged ideological and geopolitical rivalry with the United States and its Western allies. This rivalry shaped much of the world's political landscape for the latter half of the 20th century. The Soviet Union went through periods of rapid industrialization and economic growth, but also faced severe challenges, including political purges, famines, and a tightly controlled command economy. By the 1980s, economic stagnation, political repression, and growing discontent among the population led to a period of political and social upheaval known as perestroika (restructuring) under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. In December 1991, the Soviet Union officially dissolved into its constituent republics, marking the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era for its successor states.

    People of the Soviet Union

    Flag Map of the Republics of the Soviet Union.

    The Soviet Union was an incredibly diverse country, both ethnically and culturally. It encompassed a vast territory, spanning from Eastern Europe to Siberia, and was home to numerous ethnic groups and languages. The largest ethnic group was the Russians, who made up the majority of the population, particularly in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), which was the largest and most influential republic. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was also home to a multitude of other ethnicities, including Ukrainians, Belarusians, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Armenians, Georgians, Azeris, Tajiks, Turkmens, and many more. However, The Soviet government promoted the idea of a "Soviet people," striving to create a sense of unity among its diverse population. Yet, with Russian been the lingua franca and the official language of government and administration, each republic had its own official language(s) as well.

    Migration in the Soviet Union

    Deportation of the Crimean Tatars memorial day logo.

    Migration within the Soviet Union was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The Soviet government promoted the movement of people within its borders for various reasons, including industrialization, urbanization, and the resettlement of ethnic groups. For example, the government encouraged the migration of Russians to non-Russian republics to strengthen Soviet influence and promote cultural integration. There were also instances of forced migration, such as the deportation of entire ethnic groups, most notably the Crimean Tatars, Chechens, and others, during Stalin's rule. Additionally, internal migration was driven by economic factors, as people moved from rural areas to cities in search of better job opportunities. The Soviet Union had a planned economy, which often required people to relocate for work assignments.

    See also

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    References

    1. ↑ СОЮ́З СОВЕ́ТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИ́ЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУ́БЛИК. Большая российская энциклопедия
    2. ↑ Грамотность // Большая Советская Энциклопедия М.: Советская энциклопедия. 1969—1978.
    3. ↑ Земсков В. Н. К вопросу о масштабах репрессий в СССР // Научно-образовательный портал Высшей Школы Экономики. — 1995.
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    Contributors

    Main contributor: Alina Borisov-Rebel
    Additional contributor: Maor Malul