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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
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Basic information
Official name: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик/Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik
Language(s): Russian, local languages
Population: 182,321,000(1950 estimate)
Capital city: Moscow
Demonym(s): Soviet
History: What was the Russian Empire dates back centuries, although it reached its height during the 18th century. By the 20th century, wealth inequality in Russia was vast and this led to plenty of civil unrest such as the first revolution of 1905. This uprising met a bloody end, but marked the beginning of the creation of the St. Petersburg Soviet, or worker's council. This subsequently set in motion the beginning of communist protest in the Russian Empire.
Tsar Nicholas II was also an unpopular ruler, a stance that was only reinforced by Russia's entry into WW I. The war itself indirectly led to shortages, angering many people. Millions of Rubles were also printed, leading to massive inflation and higher food costs. Naturally, this led to hoarding by peasants and massive food shortages in the cities. Left-wing activists seized this opportunity and began protests for higher wages and eventually strikes by 1916. This combined with heavy war casualties continually decreased the Tsar's popularity and desires for responsible government. Other less radical groups within the newly founded Duma also shared similar concerns.
The main opposition to these less radical groups came in the form of the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin. Initially he was unpopular, but by 1917 he set off the protests that began the Russian revolution. By October 1917, the Bolsheviks had gained further control by overthrowing the Winter Palace. This set in motion a civil war between the years 1918 and 1922, with a Red Army victory. This led to the founding of the Soviet Union and conflicting theories within the party about how to go about building socialism, most famously between Leon Trotsky and Josef Stalin. By 1924 Lenin was dead and Stalin begun his ascent into position of leader.
Stalin's theories differed from Trotsky's in that he believed socialism had to be fully developed in the Soviet Union before being exported elsewhere. This led to Stalin instigating a large scale campaign of industrialization and collectivization. Due to the forced nature of this campaign it was met with much opposition, particularly from wealthier peasants in the countryside. Those opposed led campaigns of their own that included the destruction of crops and livestock, something which resulted in mass arrests, deportations, and famine across the Soviet Union. Just a few years later, in order to fully consolidate his own power, Stalin began what is known as the Great Purge. This resulted in the exiles, deportations, and even deaths of many of his political opponents, including Trotsky.
By 1939 Stalin was becoming increasingly aware of the looming threat of Adolf Hitler in the west. This resulted in a non-agression pact between the two leaders, although it was later violated once Germany proceeded to invade Poland, and subsequently the Soviet Union in 1941. The desperation of the Soviet forces to defend their homeland led to millions of casualties, particularly during the decisive battle of Stalingrad. This battle marked a major turning point in the war and aided in allowing for the eventual final defeat of German forces in the May of 1945. The territories affected by the war were eventually split between east and west as a result of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Those in the east installed communist regimes, essentially marking the beginning of the Cold War.
During this post-war period tensions increasingly rose between the east and west. While both the western and eastern spheres of influence were rebuilding after the war both were simultaneously developing weaponry. This led to the Soviet Union in 1949 being the second nation of the world to successfully develop a nuclear weapon. This was a move that marked the beginning of fears of nuclear warfare that would persist for decades on both sides, disabling both superpowers from engaging in direct warfare with each other.
Politics and Government: Multiple subnational centralized republics, socialist, Marxist-Leninist state currently led by Premier Josef Stalin. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union decides and votes on all major decisions.
Military: The Red Army, founded in 1917 in the period after the October Revolution. It is made up of an army, an air force, and a navy. It was arguably the most decisive land force during WW II, defeating large portions of the German land forces. By 1950 the number of personnel in the Soviet military dropped to approximately 4 million from about 13 million during wartime. Soviet law also requires all able-bodied males of age to serve a minimum of 2 years. Soviet troops also maintain a presence throughout Eastern Europe.
Geography: Spanning several countries and two continent, the USSR is considered the world's largest state in its time at 22,402,200 square kilometres. Due to that it is also situated in 11 different time zones. Due to being made up of several countries, the USSR possesses a rather diverse climate, hosting an array of tundra, taiga, steppes, desert, and mountain. The European portion is considered the country's economic and cultural centre. The USSR's highest mountain is located in Tajikistan and stands at 7,495 metres. Both the largest and deepest lakes are also located within its borders(Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal respectively).
Economy: The USSR was the world's first country to adopt a planned economy, meaning production and distribution of goods is centralized and directed by the government. Due to the replacement of Lenin's NEP in the late 1920's in favour of full central planning, it led massive industrialization of the country. This aided in preparation for war while transforming a previously agrarian society into an industrial superpower, particularly after the war. For the most part the Soviet economy is self-sufficient and does most trade within the Eastern Bloc itself. During the Cold War heavy industry such as arms production became a major player in the Soviet economy, even being reliant on it; they have become the largest arms exporter to the Third World and also aid other socialist states. Basic services such as healthcare and education are state-funded.
Culture: Being a multi-ethnic state, Soviet culture is rather diverse. Art and culture are supported, although subject to censorship. Due to the Russian majority much of it also tends to have a heavily Russian influence. The Soviet Union also has a distinct art form known as "socialist realism" which has spread to other socialist states. During different periods of history attitudes towards various types of art tend to vary as well. Various religions such as Christianity and Islam, while legal, are usually discouraged due to the belief of being incompatible with Marxist ideals. This resulted in an atheistic worldview largely being promoted.
Infrastructure , science and development: The Soviet Union places great emphasis on science and technology within its economy. Much of the technological development is aided by the military, although Soviet authorities, under the direction of Lenin began developing research and development organizations which remain important in Soviet society. Soviet scientists are also among the world's best in areas such as physics, medicine, and military technology. However, due to large amounts of bureaucracy the Soviet Union remains behind in areas such as computer science. As far as transportation goes, rail networks remain the most developed. However, road networks are underdeveloped(excluding major city centres). Due to a lack of road construction and large demand for automobiles, there is growing demand for public transportation. The Soviet merchant fleet remains one of the largest in the world, however.
Analysis: The Soviet Union is the second superpower alongside the United States, thus is a major player in almost all international events. This is a position that the Union hopes to use to their advantage in order to spread the ideals of socialism, Marxism, and anti-imperialism/capitalism. This will be done through trade, negotiations, and aiding various uprisings around the world. However, further focus will continue being put on other useful areas, particularly the arms race and eventually space exploration, something the Union strives to beat the United States at.
Basic information
Official name: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик/Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik
Language(s): Russian, local languages
Population: 182,321,000(1950 estimate)
Capital city: Moscow
Demonym(s): Soviet
History: What was the Russian Empire dates back centuries, although it reached its height during the 18th century. By the 20th century, wealth inequality in Russia was vast and this led to plenty of civil unrest such as the first revolution of 1905. This uprising met a bloody end, but marked the beginning of the creation of the St. Petersburg Soviet, or worker's council. This subsequently set in motion the beginning of communist protest in the Russian Empire.
Tsar Nicholas II was also an unpopular ruler, a stance that was only reinforced by Russia's entry into WW I. The war itself indirectly led to shortages, angering many people. Millions of Rubles were also printed, leading to massive inflation and higher food costs. Naturally, this led to hoarding by peasants and massive food shortages in the cities. Left-wing activists seized this opportunity and began protests for higher wages and eventually strikes by 1916. This combined with heavy war casualties continually decreased the Tsar's popularity and desires for responsible government. Other less radical groups within the newly founded Duma also shared similar concerns.
The main opposition to these less radical groups came in the form of the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin. Initially he was unpopular, but by 1917 he set off the protests that began the Russian revolution. By October 1917, the Bolsheviks had gained further control by overthrowing the Winter Palace. This set in motion a civil war between the years 1918 and 1922, with a Red Army victory. This led to the founding of the Soviet Union and conflicting theories within the party about how to go about building socialism, most famously between Leon Trotsky and Josef Stalin. By 1924 Lenin was dead and Stalin begun his ascent into position of leader.
Stalin's theories differed from Trotsky's in that he believed socialism had to be fully developed in the Soviet Union before being exported elsewhere. This led to Stalin instigating a large scale campaign of industrialization and collectivization. Due to the forced nature of this campaign it was met with much opposition, particularly from wealthier peasants in the countryside. Those opposed led campaigns of their own that included the destruction of crops and livestock, something which resulted in mass arrests, deportations, and famine across the Soviet Union. Just a few years later, in order to fully consolidate his own power, Stalin began what is known as the Great Purge. This resulted in the exiles, deportations, and even deaths of many of his political opponents, including Trotsky.
By 1939 Stalin was becoming increasingly aware of the looming threat of Adolf Hitler in the west. This resulted in a non-agression pact between the two leaders, although it was later violated once Germany proceeded to invade Poland, and subsequently the Soviet Union in 1941. The desperation of the Soviet forces to defend their homeland led to millions of casualties, particularly during the decisive battle of Stalingrad. This battle marked a major turning point in the war and aided in allowing for the eventual final defeat of German forces in the May of 1945. The territories affected by the war were eventually split between east and west as a result of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Those in the east installed communist regimes, essentially marking the beginning of the Cold War.
During this post-war period tensions increasingly rose between the east and west. While both the western and eastern spheres of influence were rebuilding after the war both were simultaneously developing weaponry. This led to the Soviet Union in 1949 being the second nation of the world to successfully develop a nuclear weapon. This was a move that marked the beginning of fears of nuclear warfare that would persist for decades on both sides, disabling both superpowers from engaging in direct warfare with each other.
Politics and Government: Multiple subnational centralized republics, socialist, Marxist-Leninist state currently led by Premier Josef Stalin. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union decides and votes on all major decisions.
Military: The Red Army, founded in 1917 in the period after the October Revolution. It is made up of an army, an air force, and a navy. It was arguably the most decisive land force during WW II, defeating large portions of the German land forces. By 1950 the number of personnel in the Soviet military dropped to approximately 4 million from about 13 million during wartime. Soviet law also requires all able-bodied males of age to serve a minimum of 2 years. Soviet troops also maintain a presence throughout Eastern Europe.
Geography: Spanning several countries and two continent, the USSR is considered the world's largest state in its time at 22,402,200 square kilometres. Due to that it is also situated in 11 different time zones. Due to being made up of several countries, the USSR possesses a rather diverse climate, hosting an array of tundra, taiga, steppes, desert, and mountain. The European portion is considered the country's economic and cultural centre. The USSR's highest mountain is located in Tajikistan and stands at 7,495 metres. Both the largest and deepest lakes are also located within its borders(Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal respectively).
Economy: The USSR was the world's first country to adopt a planned economy, meaning production and distribution of goods is centralized and directed by the government. Due to the replacement of Lenin's NEP in the late 1920's in favour of full central planning, it led massive industrialization of the country. This aided in preparation for war while transforming a previously agrarian society into an industrial superpower, particularly after the war. For the most part the Soviet economy is self-sufficient and does most trade within the Eastern Bloc itself. During the Cold War heavy industry such as arms production became a major player in the Soviet economy, even being reliant on it; they have become the largest arms exporter to the Third World and also aid other socialist states. Basic services such as healthcare and education are state-funded.
Culture: Being a multi-ethnic state, Soviet culture is rather diverse. Art and culture are supported, although subject to censorship. Due to the Russian majority much of it also tends to have a heavily Russian influence. The Soviet Union also has a distinct art form known as "socialist realism" which has spread to other socialist states. During different periods of history attitudes towards various types of art tend to vary as well. Various religions such as Christianity and Islam, while legal, are usually discouraged due to the belief of being incompatible with Marxist ideals. This resulted in an atheistic worldview largely being promoted.
Infrastructure , science and development: The Soviet Union places great emphasis on science and technology within its economy. Much of the technological development is aided by the military, although Soviet authorities, under the direction of Lenin began developing research and development organizations which remain important in Soviet society. Soviet scientists are also among the world's best in areas such as physics, medicine, and military technology. However, due to large amounts of bureaucracy the Soviet Union remains behind in areas such as computer science. As far as transportation goes, rail networks remain the most developed. However, road networks are underdeveloped(excluding major city centres). Due to a lack of road construction and large demand for automobiles, there is growing demand for public transportation. The Soviet merchant fleet remains one of the largest in the world, however.
Analysis: The Soviet Union is the second superpower alongside the United States, thus is a major player in almost all international events. This is a position that the Union hopes to use to their advantage in order to spread the ideals of socialism, Marxism, and anti-imperialism/capitalism. This will be done through trade, negotiations, and aiding various uprisings around the world. However, further focus will continue being put on other useful areas, particularly the arms race and eventually space exploration, something the Union strives to beat the United States at.
