Soviet Union
Formation and Early Years
The Soviet Union, officially known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a federal socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The USSR was established in December 1922 with the union of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
The Soviet Union was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic, the Russian SFSR. Other major urban centers were Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Tashkent, Alma-Ata, and Novosibirsk. The Soviet Union had its roots in the October Revolution of 1917 when the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian Provisional Government.
Economic History
The Soviet Union had a planned economy, which was characterized by state control of investment, public ownership of industrial assets, and the dominant role of the heavy industry sector. The economy was directed by a series of five-year plans, with a brief attempt at seven-year planning. From its creation until the late 1950s, the Soviet Union's economy was based on a system of state ownership of the means of production, collective farming, industrial manufacturing, and centralized administrative planning.
Political Structure
The political structure of the Soviet Union was defined by its constitution, which was promulgated in 1924, 1936, and 1977. The highest organ of state authority was the Supreme Soviet, which was empowered to elect the Presidium, the Council of Ministers, the Constitutional Oversight Committee, and the Procurator General of the Soviet Union.
Dissolution
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was a process of systemic disintegration within the political, economic, and social structures of the Soviet Union, which culminated in a series of country-wide referendums on December 1, 1991, and the declaration of independence of the remaining 12 constituent republics on December 25, 1991.