Soviet Union
Definition
The Soviet Union was a federal socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic, Russian SFSR.
Analogy
Imagine if your school were run entirely by student council without any teachers or administrators. They make all decisions about rules, curriculum, etc., but not everyone agrees with them. That's kind-of like how things worked under Soviet Union governance - one party made all decisions for everyone else.
Related terms
Communism: A political theory derived from Karl Marx advocating class war leading to society where property is publicly owned and each person works according to their abilities and needs.
Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies, the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc, after World War II.
Joseph Stalin: A Georgian revolutionary and Soviet politician who led the Soviet Union from mid-1920s until 1953 as General Secretary of Communist Party and Premier.
"Soviet Union" appears in:
Study guides (7)
AP European History - 6.6 Revolutions from 1815-1914
AP European History - 8.3 The Russian Revolution and Its Effects
AP European History - 8.8 World War II
AP European History - 9.1 Context of the Cold War and Contemporary Europe
AP European History - 9.2 Rebuilding Europe After World War II
AP European History - 9.8 20th-Century Feminism
AP European History - 9.15 Continuity and Change in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (20+)
What were some key factors that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in Europe?
Who introduced collectivization and industrialization in Soviet Union during this period?
How did Joseph Stalin's approach to totalitarian control in the Soviet Union differ from Adolf Hitler's in Germany?
Who succeeded Lenin as the leader of the Soviet Union and began a series of Five Year Plans to industrialize the nation?
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during World War II?
Who led the Soviet Union during World War II?
What communist policy did Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev implement to bring political openness in Soviet Union?
Which key event significantly escalated the tensions between the United States and Soviet Union during the early Cold War years?
What was a major policy difference between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War?
What might have been a possible outcome had the Soviet Union not blockaded Berlin in 1948?
Who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union immediately following WWII?
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union at the start of the Cold War?
What political ideology did the Soviet Union represent during the Cold War?
Who led the Soviet Union following Josef Stalin's death in March,1953?
Who led the Soviet Union when it first developed its nuclear arsenal during the cold war?
Which country was first to break away from Soviet Union marking end of cold war ?
How did decolonization impact the dynamics between Western powers and Soviet Union during the Cold War?
Which facet remained constant in the Soviet Union's foreign policy during the Cold War?
By comparing the Soviet Union's formation of the Warsaw Pact to other alliances in European history, which key feature is echoed?
What was the primary motivation behind Soviet Union's decision to block all road and rail access to West Berlin in 1948?
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