Soviet Union (USSR)

• The Soviet Union was a socialist federal state that existed between 1924 and 1991.
• He occupied much of Asia and Europe and was composed of different Soviet socialist republics.
• It was founded by the Bolshevik party, which took power in the Russian revolution and won the Russian civil war.
• After World War II, it became one of the most important powers in the world.
• During the Cold War (1947-1991) he led the eastern communist block against the western capitalist bloc.
• Among its most important leaders are: Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Jrushchov, Brézhnev and Gorbachev.

What countries formed the USSR?

In 1922, the USSR was created with the state unification of the socialist republics of Russia, Transcaucasia (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia), Ukraine and Belarus.

In the following years, the socialist republics formed in the current territories of Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrguistan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tayikistan, Lithuania, Latvia, and Uzbekistan were incorporated.

History of the USSR

The Russian Revolution of 1917 turned the former Russian Empire into a socialist Republic. The Russian Civil War (1918-1921) ended with the victory of the Bolshevik party led by Lenin and the elimination of opposition political forces to communism.

Since then, the government began to implement Measures to transform political, economic and social organization towards a communist regime .

1922-1927: Lenin and the formation of the USSR

During this period, the USSR government was in the hands of the party committee, led by Lenin. The parameters of the State Party Organization were established and The new economic plan was created .

The old feudal relations were dissolved, the land was distributed among the peasantry, industrial production was centralized through the nationalization of large companies. All these measures improved the general economic situation of the population.

With Lenin’s death, some internal competition arose in the party for the succession of the position of Secretary General between León Trotsky and Iosif Stalin. His opposite positions on the national and international economic policy of the USSR divided the support of the party. The dispute ended with Trotsky’s exile and Stalin’s rise to power .

1927-1953: Stalin and the totalitarian dictatorship

Once in power, Stalin managed to centralize more and more functions as general secretary of the party and, over time, The “democratic centralism” became a totalitarian dictatorship . His opponents were persecuted, exiled or arrested during what was known as the “great purge.”

Although there was no category of “political prison Gulag).

Through propaganda, Stalin sought to educate society within the parameters of communist and Soviet ideology. Censorship and allowed guidelines for any type of publication were established .

To consolidate popular support, he developed a Cult to the personality of the leader . His figure was one of the few that was portrayed individually (the other party leaders were portrayed in a group), highlighting the features of strength, autonomy and greatness.

In economic terms, Stalin argued that measures should be applied to build “socialism in a single country” because it considered that the socialist revolution would not extend to other countries in the short term. This way, configured his five -year plans through which he established state control of all existing companies, centralized industrial planning and the collectivization of agricultural land.

These economic plans removed resources from companies aimed at producing manufactures for the local market. Consequently, The Stalinist economy was marked by continuous shortages of basic products that especially affected the urban population.

1939-1945: World War II and the origin of the Cold War

In 1939, in the context of the beginning of World War II, the USSR invaded Poland and in 1940 Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania occupied. In 1941, after Germany broke the non -aggression pact signed two years before, The USSR allied with Great Britain, France and the United States and officially entered the conflict . The USSR lost more than 27 million lives during the war.

During the postwar period, the USSR cooperated in the economic reactivation of the countries of Eastern Europe and intervened, in this way, in the political future of the new governments, known as “popular democracies.”

Through the direct financing of communist parties or the use of force, The USSR managed to control the policy of the Eastern countries and align it with its own interests.

In turn, the United States acted in the same way in its own European influence areas. In that context the cold war was triggered.

1953-1964: Jrushchov and deestalination

With Stalin’s death, the Communist Party defined a government in committee headed by Nikita Jrushchov. This government began a new period in the history of the USSR marked by what was called the “de -stating process.” It was believed that, During the Stalinista dictatorship, the USSR had lost the course marked by Lenin during the Russian revolution: the well -being of the proletariat.

Jrushchov undertook measures to reform the strong centralism and economic control that existed on the industries by the State. The objective was to improve the quality of life of the population, which was a central axis of Marxism-Leninism. For that, greater civil liberties were granted and the daily consumer products industry was promoted . In addition, virgin lands were colonized with the use of modern agricultural machinery to increase agricultural production.

National industrial ministries were replaced by regional planning councils, which allowed greater productive flexibility. In addition, during this period, Heavy industries dedicated to arms production and space technology had a great impulse.

In foreign policy, in this period the tensions with the West were exacerbated. In 1962, the missile crisis in Cuba was unleashed and a direct and nuclear confrontation against the US is almost reached.

The reforms in politics and internal economy, and the resolution of the international conflict aroused opposition within the Communist Party. In 1964 Jrushchov was dismissed by the Committee and replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.

See more in: Pacific coexistence (1955-1962)

1964-1985: Brezhnev and distension with the West

During this period, the Soviet government resumed the Stalinist model of extreme political control and strong economic centralization. Repression against regime dissidents was intensified and freedom of expression was completely eliminated. In economic terms, the USSR crossed a period of stagnation and productive decline.

In the international arena, the concept known as Breznev doctrine was applied, according to which the USSR had the right to intervene militarily when the interests of other socialist countries were threatened. In this way, the military invasion of Czechoslovakia was justified in 1968 with the Soviet troops and the support of the Warsaw Pact. On the other hand, in the context of decolonization in Africa, Breznev expanded the area of ​​Soviet influence on the continent.

The Breznev government coincided with the stage of relaxation of the cold war. Relations with Western Germany were normalized and Salt agreements that limited the production of weapons were signed.

Breznev died from illness in 1982. In the following years Yuri Andropov (who died in 1984) and Konstantin Chernenko (who died the following year) ruled.

1985-1991: Gorvachov and the last Soviet government

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected general secretary of the party in a context of political and economic crisis. Gorvachov initiated an immediate reform program, known as Perestroika (which in Russian means “restructuring”). The program included the moderate introduction of a local market economy, the concession of greater business freedom and the authorization of foreign investments in the creation of mixed property companies (private and public).

On the other hand, a transparency policy was installed, called Glasnostwhich allowed Máyor freedom of expression in the mass media. In addition, a reform of the electoral system that allowed the political participation of dissidents began.

USSR symbols

The USSR He identified with a totally red flag With a yellow sickle and hammer, crowned by a five -pointed star in its upper right corner. The republics that formed the USSR had their own flags that were versions of this.

On the other hand, The Soviet shield showed the sickle and hammer On a globe, surrounded by two groups of three wheat spikes, who embrace a red ribbon with the motto of the union written in the different languages ​​of its population.

Population of the USSR

The total population of the USSR was about 293 million people with an average density of 13.1 inhabitants per km². It was an ethnically diverse state, with more than 100 different cultural groups. The predominant majorities were the Russian (50.78 %), the Ukrainian (15.45 %) and the Uzbeka (5.84 %).

Although Soviet propaganda encouraged harmony between the nations that integrated the USSR, There was a predominance of Russian culture and language .

On the other hand, the elites of each nation retained some autonomy, which allowed them to maintain their language and culture. When the centralized government of the USSR collapsed, these elites reaffirmed their independent national identity.

USSR economy

The USSR implemented a communist economic regime, especially based on the ideas of Lenin and Stalin. Lenin said it was possible to convert the socio-economic system of the feudal Russian empire into a communist system, without the need to travel a capitalist stage, as traditional Marxism posed. To do this, it was due install a dictatorship of the proletariat and the elimination of social classes .

On the other hand, to allow the growth of the economy, Lenin nominated the new economic policy, which allowed free free trade and private property of small businesses.

For its part, Stalin argued that the socialist revolution was not going to be developed in other countries in the short term so it was necessary to develop the necessary conditions for a self -sufficient socialist economy that does not require commercial exchange with other nations.

From his government, he carried out the five -year plans, which extreme economic control by the State and eliminated the economic freedoms that existed at the local level.

Therefore, since the mid -1920s, the main characteristics of the Soviet economic model were:

• Nationalization of the means of production. All companies and industries were in the hands of the State.
• Earth collectivization. Agricultural production was established in collective farms, controlled by the State.
• Centralized state planning. The State controlled the management of the economy and guided production according to the priorities established from the Government. Investment in the heavy, chemical, electrical, energy and transport industry was prioritized.

USSR political organization

The Soviet Union was a Federal Republic constituted by fifteen republics . According to the Constitution, the Supreme Soviet It was the main institution of the Legislative Power.

It was a bicameral organ formed by the Soviet of the Union (represented the population) and the Soviet of nationalities (It represented the republics that made up the USSR). In addition, the Soviets Congressformed by representatives of the Soviets most important workers.

The Executive Power was made up of the Central Panruso Executive Committee and the government was exercised by the Tops of the People’s Commissioners. Both organs were elected by vote of the Supreme Soviet.

All representatives were directly or indirectly elected, but The USSR had a single party government throughout its history . Only the existence of the Communist Party was allowed and, in turn, to access power, it should be a member of the party.

The power that the Communist Party had about the government was absolute. Therefore, the position of general secretary (which was the highest within the party) was, in turn, the most important political position of the USSR.

The USSR during the Cold War

The Cold War was a political, economic and ideological confrontation between the USSR and the USA, which lasted from 1947 to 1991. The powers never had a direct military confrontation but they did it through other countries; For example, in the Korean War (1951-1953), the missile crisis in Cuba (1962) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975).

During the Cold War, the world was divided into two large blocks: the western capitalist bloc, led by the US and the communist oriental bloc, led by the USSR.

After World War II, the USSR exerted a strong influence in various neighboring states, which were incorporated into the eastern block through the Warsaw Pact (1955). These countries, often called “satellite states”, were Albania, Eastern Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Mongolia.

Crisis and dissolution of the USSR

From the economic crisis of the 80s, the USSR government defined establishing a series of changes with the objective of improving the international economy and political alliances.

Gorvachov sought to moderately release economic exchanges for Integrate the USSR into international trade and soften political pressure in the states controlled through the Warsaw Pact. In turn, it promoted an electoral reform that allowed the political participation of the opposition.

In this context, Eastern bloc countries regained freedom of expression In the media and massive popular protests spread. In 1988, Gorvachov announced the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the militarily busy countries.

In the next three years, the different states that were under the control of the USSR were achieving their political freedom and began their economic transformation towards capitalism.

In 1991, the different socialist republics that formed the USSR They declared their independence and abandonment of the Soviet Union . Finally, after a failed coup d’etat, on December 25 Gorvachov resigned and declared his position as extinct . The next day, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union dissolved himself and, with this act, the USSR ceased to exist.

References

• Tato, Mi, Bubello, JP, Castello, AM and Campos, E. (2011). History of the second half of the twentieth century. Estrada
• Fitzpatrick, S. (2005). “The NEP and the future of the revolution” and “The Revolution of Stalin”. In The Russian revolution. 21st century editors.
• Sánchez, JS (1996). The fall of the USSR and the difficult recomposition of the ex-Soviet space. Geography papers(23-24).
• Taibo, C. (2010). History of the Soviet Union (1917-1991). Ed. Primo.