Soviet Union Main article: Soviet Union See also: Treaty on the Creation of the USSR and History

of the Soviet Union The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (called Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic at the time) to ether !ith the U"rainian# $yelorussian# and Transcaucasion Soviet Socialist Republics# formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)# or Soviet Union# on %& 'ecember ()**+ ,ut of the (republics that !ould ma"e up the USSR# the lar est in si.e and over half of the total USSR population !as the Russian SFSR# !hich came to dominate the union for its entire /)0year history+ Follo!in 1enin2s death in ()*3# a troi"a !as desi nated to overn the Soviet Union+ Ho!ever# 4oseph Stalin# an elected 5eneral Secretary of the Communist 6arty# mana ed to suppress all opposition roups !ithin the party and consolidate po!er in his hands+ 1eon Trots"y# the main proponent of !orld revolution# !as e7iled from the Soviet Union in ()*)# and Stalin2s idea of Socialism in ,ne Country became the primary line+ The continued internal stru le in the $olshevi" party culminated in the 5reat 6ur e# a period of mass repressions in ()%89%:# durin !hich hundreds of thousands of people !ere e7ecuted# includin ori inal party members and military leaders accused of coup d2;tat plots+</3= Soviet T0%3>8/s and infantry advance past a destroyed 6an.er ?@+ Ahar"ov# Bu ust ()3% Under Stalin2s leadership# the overnment launched a planned economy# industrialisation of the lar ely rural country# and collectivi.ation of its a riculture+ 'urin this period of rapid economic and social chan e# millions of people !ere sent to penal labor camps#</-= includin many political convicts for their opposition to Stalin2s ruleC millions !ere deported and e7iled to remote areas of the Soviet Union+</-= The transitional disor anisation of the country2s a riculture# combined !ith the harsh state policies and a drou ht# led to the Soviet famine of ()%*9()%%+<//= The Soviet Union# thou h !ith a heavy price# !as transformed from a lar ely a rarian economy to a maDor industrial po!erhouse in a short span of time+ The Bppeasement policy of 5reat $ritain and France to!ards Bdolf Hitler2s anne7ation of Bustria and C.echoslova"ia did not stem an increase in the po!er of Ea.i 5ermany and put a threat of !ar to the Soviet Union+ Bround the same time the Third Reich allied !ith the Fmpire of 4apan# a rival of the USSR in the Far Fast and an open enemy of the USSR in the Soviet94apanese $order Gars in ()%:9%)+ ?n Bu ust ()%)# after another failure of attempts to establish an anti0Ea.i alliance !ith $ritain and France# the Soviet overnment decided to improve relations !ith 5ermany by concludin the Molotov0Ribbentrop 6act# pled in non0a ression bet!een the t!o countries and dividin their spheres of influence in Fastern Furope+ Ghile Hitler conHuered 6oland# France and other countries actied on sin le front at the start of Gorld Gar ??# the USSR !as able to build up its military and claim some of the former territories of the Russian Fmpire as a result of the Soviet invasion of 6oland# Ginter Gar and the occupation of the $altic states+ ,n ** 4une ()3(# Ea.i 5ermany bro"e the non0a ression treaty and invaded the Soviet Union !ith the lar est and most po!erful invasion force in human history#</8= openin the lar est theater of Gorld Gar ??+ Blthou h the 5erman army had considerable early success# their attac" !as halted in the $attle of Mosco!+ SubseHuently the 5ermans !ere dealt maDor defeats first at the $attle of Stalin rad in the !inter of ()3*9 3%#</:= and then in the $attle of Aurs" in the summer of ()3%+ Bnother 5erman failure !as the Sie e of 1enin rad# in !hich the city !as fully bloc"aded on land bet!een ()3(933 by 5erman and Finnish forces# and suffered starvation and more than a million deaths# but never surrendered+</)= Under Stalin2s administration and the leadership of such commanders as 5eor y Ihu"ov and Aonstantin Ro"ossovs"y# Soviet forces too" Fastern Furope in ()3393- and captured $erlin in May ()3-+ ?n Bu ust ()3- the Soviet Brmy ousted the 4apanese from China2s Manchu"uo and Eorth Aorea# contributin to the allied victory over 4apan+ First human to travel into space# Juri 5a arin The ()3(93- period of Gorld Gar ?? is "no!n in Russia as the K5reat 6atriotic GarK+ 'urin this conflict#

!hich included many of the most lethal battle operations in human history# Soviet military and civilian deaths !ere (&+/ million and (-+) million respectively#<8&= accountin for about a third of all Gorld Gar ?? casualties+ The full demo raphic loss to the Soviet peoples !as even reater+<8(= The Soviet economy and infrastructure suffered massive devastation#<8*= but the Soviet Union emer ed as an ac"no!led ed military superpo!er on the continent+ The Red Brmy occupied Fastern Furope after the !ar# includin Fast 5ermany+ 'ependent socialist overnments !ere installed in the Fastern $loc satellite states+ $ecomin the !orld2s second nuclear !eapons po!er# the USSR established the Garsa! 6act alliance and entered into a stru le for lobal dominance# "no!n as the Cold Gar# !ith the United States and EBT,+ The Soviet Union supported revolutionary movements across the !orld# includin the ne!ly formed 6eople2s Republic of China# the 'emocratic 6eople2s Republic of Aorea and# later on# the Republic of Cuba+ Si nificant amounts of the Soviet resources !ere allocated in aid to the other socialist states+<8%= Bfter Stalin2s death and a short period of collective rule# ne! leader Ei"ita Ahrushchev denounced the cult of personality of Stalin and launched the policy of de0Stalini.ation+ The penal labor system !as reformed and many prisoners !ere released and rehabilitated (many of them posthumously)+<83= The eneral easement of repressive policies became "no!n later as the Ahrushchev Tha!+ Bt the same time# tensions !ith the United States hei htened !hen the t!o rivals clashed over the deployment of the U+S+ 4upiter missiles in Tur"ey and Soviet missiles in Cuba+ Russian Federation Main article: History of Russia (())*9present) Mosco! ?nternational $usiness Center under construction $oris Jeltsin !as elected the 6resident of Russia in 4une ())(# in the first direct presidential election in Russian history+ 'urin and after the Soviet disinte ration# !ide0ran in reforms includin privati.ation and mar"et and trade liberali.ation !ere underta"en#<88= includin radical chan es alon the lines of Kshoc" therapyK as recommended by the United States and ?nternational Monetary Fund+<8:= Bll this resulted in a maDor economic crisis# characteri.ed by -&L decline of both 5'6 and industrial output bet!een ())&9)-+<88=<8)= The privati.ation lar ely shifted control of enterprises from state a encies to individuals !ith inside connections in the overnment+ Many of the ne!ly rich moved billions in cash and assets outside of the country in an enormous capital fli ht+<:&= The depression of the economy led to the collapse of social servicesC the birth rate plummeted !hile the death rate s"yroc"eted+<:(= Millions plun ed into poverty# from (+-L level of poverty in the late Soviet era# to %)93)L by mid0())%+<:*= The ())&s sa! e7treme corruption and la!lessness# the rise of criminal an s and violent crime+<:%= The ())&s !ere pla ued by armed conflicts in the Eorth Caucasus# both local ethnic s"irmishes and separatist ?slamist insurrections+ From the time Chechen separatists declared independence in the early ())&s# an intermittent uerrilla !ar has been fou ht bet!een the rebel roups and the Russian military+ Terrorist attac"s a ainst civilians carried out by separatists# most notably the Mosco! theater hosta e crisis and $eslan school sie e# caused hundreds of deaths and dre! !orld!ide attention+ Russia too" up the responsibility for settlin the USSR2s e7ternal debts# even thou h its population made up Dust half of the population of the USSR at the time of its dissolution+<:3= Hi h bud et deficits caused the ()): Russian financial crisis<:-= and resulted in a further 5'6 decline+<88= ,n %( 'ecember ()))# 6resident Jeltsin une7pectedly resi ned# handin the post to the recently appointed 6rime Minister# @ladimir 6utin# !ho then !on the *&&& presidential election+ 6utin suppressed the Chechen insur ency# althou h sporadic violence still occurs throu hout the Eorthern Caucasus+ Hi h oil prices and the initially !ea" currency follo!ed by increasin domestic demand# consumption# and investments has helped the economy ro! for nine strai ht years# improvin the standard of livin and increasin Russia2s

influence on the !orld sta e+<:/= Ghile many reforms made durin the 6utin presidency have been enerally critici.ed by Gestern nations as un0democratic#<:8= 6utin2s leadership over the return of order# stability# and pro ress has !on him !idespread popularity in Russia+<::= ,n * March *&&:# 'mitry Medvedev !as elected 6resident of Russia# !hilst 6utin became 6rime Minister+ 6utin returned to the presidency follo!in the *&(* presidential elections# and Medvedev !as appointed 6rime Minister+