Soviet Union (TheodoresTomfooleries)
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Союз Советских Социалистических Республик | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!" | |
| Anthem: State Anthem of the Soviet Union | |
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| Capital and largest city | Moscow |
| Official languages | None (De-jure) Russian (As a Lingua franca; De-facto) |
| Recognised regional languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2022) | WIP |
| Religion | Secularism (de-jure) State atheism (de-facto) |
| Demonym(s) | Soviet |
| Government | Federal Marxist-Leninist one-party Directorial parliamentary socialist republic |
| Yelena Mikhailova | |
• Premier | Aleksander Keskula |
| Sabrican Garayev | |
| Legislature | Supreme Soviet |
| Soviet of Nationalities | |
| Soviet of the Union | |
| Establishment | |
| 7 November 1917 | |
| 30 December 1922 | |
• End of the Russian Civil War | 16 June 1923 |
| 1941-1945 | |
| 25 February 1956 | |
| 10 August 2002 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 22,402,200 km2 (8,649,500 sq mi) (1st) |
• Water (%) | 12.3 |
| Population | |
• 2022 census | 403,465,566 |
• Density | 18.01/km2 (46.6/sq mi) (213) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $12.035 trillion (2nd) |
• Per capita | $29,829 (47th) |
| Gini (2022) | 0.233 low |
| HDI (2022) |  0.948very high (6th) |
| Currency | Soviet Ruble (SUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+2-12 |
| Date format | CE, mm dd yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +7 |
| ISO 3166 code | SU |
| Internet TLD | .su |
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The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, is a transcontinental country situated in Eurasia. It is the largest country in the world by area, covering 22.4 million square kilometres (8.64 million sq mi) and encompassing 15% of the Earth's land area. The Soviet Union extends across eleven time zones and borders eleven countries. It is the 3rd most populous country in the world and the most populous country in Europe, with a population of 403.46 million. The country's largest city and capital is Moscow, which co-serves as the capital of the country's largest republic, Russia. Other major cities include Leningrad, Kyiv, Tashkent, and Baku.
A multi-ethnic and diverse nation, the Soviet Union is home to a diverse number of peoples- the largest of which are Russians. East Slavs make up the largest share of the population followed by Turks. Consisting of 15 Union Republics, the Soviet Union is a federal union of socialist republics, with its administration centered in Moscow. As a directorial state, there is no one-recognized one leader in the Soviet Union- but the General Secretary of the Communist Party is often recognised as the de-facto leader. Other prominent positions include the Chairman of the Presidium and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (more commonly known as Premier in non-Soviet sources).
The Soviet Union originates from the Russian Revolution which resulted in a 5 year long civil war and the establishment of the first socialist state in history. Vladimir Lenin formally led the Russian SFSR and subsequently the newly created Soviet Union in 1922 until his death in early 1924. Joseph Stalin took reign of power after Lenin's death using his position as General Secretary and established an authoritarian regime which lasted 25 years until his death. The Soviet Union was a significant player in the Second World War, fighting against the Axis powers in the Eastern Front, with Stalin heading the country throughout the war. Following his passing in 1953, Nikita Kruschchev enacted a policy of de-stalinization which saw the dismantling of the cult of personality of Stalin. The Soviet Union saw a brief stagnation under Leonid Brezhnev before the economy experienced a general economic boom throughout the later 1980s and 90s. In the present day, the Soviet Union is recognised as one of the two superpowers of the world, competing with the United States in economy, politics, and technology. It is recognized as both a military and economic power with the world's largest standing military and its second largest economy, behind the United States.
Outside observers note the breach of human rights in the Soviet Union, including a lack of political rights (such as freedom of movement and speech) as well as what is commonly described as its "authoritarian system"- though the Soviet government denies this.