Soviet Union
Definition
Officially known as Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), it was a federal socialist state that existed from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was governed as a single-party state by Communist Party with Moscow as its capital.
Analogy
Imagine if your school was run by only one group or club that made all decisions without any input from other clubs or students. That's similar to how things were run in Soviet Union - one party had all control.
Related terms
Joseph Stalin: Leader who ruled USSR during World War II until his death in 1953; known for his totalitarian rule, industrialization efforts, and collectivization of agriculture.
Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states (Eastern Bloc), and the United States with its allies (Western Bloc) after World War II.
Iron Curtain: A term popularized by Winston Churchill to describe the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end of Cold War in 1991.
"Soviet Union" appears in:
Study guides (6)
AP World History: Modern - 3.4 Comparison in Land-Based Empires
AP World History: Modern - 7.1 Shifting Power After 1900
AP World History: Modern - 7.7 Conducting World War II
AP World History: Modern - 7.9 Causation in Global Conflict
AP World History: Modern - 8.2 The Cold War
AP World History: Modern - 8.9 Causation in the Age of the Cold War and Decolonization
Practice Questions (12)
- How were Germany and the Soviet Union related in the first few phases of WWII?
- How could the outcome of the Cold War be different if the Soviet Union followed China's economic reform model?
- Which factor primarily contributed to the shift in global power from Europe to the United States and Soviet Union after World War II?
- How might World War II's trajectory have changed if Hitler had decided not to invade Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa?
- How did wartime roles for women vary between United States and Soviet Union during WWII?
- How would World War II have unfolded differently if Adolf Hitler had refrained from invading the Soviet Union?
- Which event typifies the power struggle between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War era?
- What did NATO's expansion after the collapse of Soviet Union signal about international relations trends after the cold war?
- What would've been a likely alternative outcome had the Soviet Union prevailed in the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Who was the Soviet Union's last leader during the Cold War era?
- Which Cold War event significantly escalated tensions between the United States and Soviet Union?
- What would have been a likely outcome if the Soviet Union had not disbanded in 1991?
Resources
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.