Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

## General Information

### Official Name

Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (*Union of Soviet Socialist Republics*)

### Common Name

Soviet Union, Russia, USSR, Soviet Russia (foreigners)

### Language(s)

Russian (*official*), many others (*unofficial*)

## Government

### Type of Government

Federal One-Party Directorial Parliamentary Socialist Republic

### Party

Коммунистическая партия Советского Союза (*Communist Party of the Soviet Union*)

## Miscellaneous

### Established

* 1922 (First Establishment)
* 1971 (Reunification)

### Tag

SOV

The **Союз Советских Социалистических Республик** (**Union of Soviet Socialist Republics**), also known as simply the **Soviet Union**, is a country in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Its borders are shared to the south by the Empire of Manchuria, the Mongolian Parliamentary Republic and its vassals in Central Asia, to the west by Paktkommision Russland, to the north by the Arctic Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean.

The Soviet Union is the leader of the **Коминтерн** (**Comintern**), an alliance of socialist and communist countries united in its goal of achieving a socialist world.

## History

### Origins (1917 - 1922)

Before what would be known as the Soviet Union, there was a vast empire known as the Russian Empire. It was ruled by an autocratic monarchy that had been in power for over three centuries. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was plagued by political and social unrest. The working class was oppressed and the peasantry was impoverished, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and calls for change.

In 1917, a revolutionary movement led by the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the government and established the world's first socialist state. The new government, known as the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, or RSFSR, was based on Marxist principles and aimed to create a classless society in which the means of production were owned and controlled by the workers.

Over the next few years, the Bolsheviks consolidated their power and extended their control over the former Russian Empire. In 1922, the RSFSR was joined by several other Soviet republics to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. The new state was based on a federal system, with each republic enjoying a degree of autonomy, but ultimate power resting with the central government in Moscow.

### Pre-War (1922 - 1941)

Following the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922, the country underwent a period of economic experimentation. Bukharin, a prominent member of the Communist Party, proposed the New Economic Policy (NEP), which aimed to establish state capitalism by allowing peasants to sell their own crops. The NEP proved successful initially, leading to pre-war levels of agricultural and industrial output.

However, the NEP caused long-term problems for the Soviet Union. Without collectivization, small-scale peasant farms could not produce enough grain for large-scale industrialization, leading to widespread famine until 1932. Bukharin was forced to end the NEP and implement forced collectivization. This policy led to major uprisings by wealthy peasants known as Kulaks, who hoarded grain and slowed food production. These uprisings caused famines throughout the USSR until 1936.

In 1937, a new Five Year Plan was drafted, leading to rapid development of Soviet heavy industry following the first successful harvest from collectivized farms. However, the Soviet Union remained less industrialized than nations like Germany, leading to growing tension between the two. In 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union and beginning the Eastern Front of World War II.

### The Great Tragedy (1941 - 1942)

The Red Army, mostly ignored by the government until then, was disorganized and underprepared for warfare, having only experience crushing peasant rebellions. Soldiers were not given proper guns or ammunition, rendering them unable to fight effectively.

To make matters worse, the political leadership was strained. Bukharin's incompetence caused discontent among many in the Bolshevik party, while former supporters of Stalin opposed most of Bukharin's policies and were a thorn in his side. Bukharin could not eliminate them for fear of a civil war.

Then, on June 22, 1941, Soviet forces positioned along the German-Soviet border in Byelorussia lost all communications and contact with Moscow. Two days later, the government in the Kremlin received word that Germany had launched an all-out assault on the Soviets without any declaration of war. Ill-prepared Soviet forces crumbled in the face of fierce German attack, with logistical deficiencies and severed supply routes further worsening the situation.

By December 1st, 1941, German troops were less than fifty kilometers away from Moscow. Bukharin and the government fled the city on December 4th after reports of a potential German encirclement. The attack on Moscow began on December 5th, with German Panzer divisions breaking through Soviet defenses and the panicked citizenry looting stores and raiding government warehouses. The Germans received stiff resistance, but ultimately put down all resistance, hoisting the Nazi swastika on top of the Kremlin on December 25th.

In a last-ditch attempt to end the war, Bukharin was overthrown and a provisional state council installed as an emergency government. However, the coup only destroyed what little cohesion the Soviet Union had left, with the country shattering into an anarchic mess of many different smaller warlord states. The USSR was officially dissolved on January 21st, 1942.

### Warlord Era (1942 - 1962)

Following the dissolution of the USSR, dozens of warlords rose to power and broke away across the entire territory, each seeking their own power and control. The country was plunged into a state of anarchy as various factions vied for dominance, with bloody conflicts breaking out all across the land.

The former Soviet republics in Central Asia were hit particularly hard, with many struggling to establish a stable government. In some areas, local leaders were able to maintain order and establish their own mini-states, while in others, gangs of armed militias fought for control of territory, resources, and power.

As the years went by, the situation only grew worse. The warlords became more ruthless and brutal, willing to do whatever it took to maintain their power. Violence and chaos became the norm, and the people of the former Soviet Union were left to suffer in the wake of the collapse of their government.

However, hope for the future emerged: a group of militias and partisans in Western Russia formed a coalition to defeat the newly formed Reichskommissariats in Eastern Europe and defeat Germany once and for all. The coalition was made up of various factions, united in their desire to rid the region of German influence and establish a new order.

The coalition launched a series of coordinated attacks on German forces, surprising the Reichskommissars with their level of organization and determination. The fighting was fierce and bloody, and the coalition was able to advance deep into German territory, pushing the Reichskommissars back and seizing control of key cities and infrastructure.

At first, it seemed that the coalition might be able to achieve its goal of pushing a weakened Germany back. However, the fighting took a heavy toll on the coalition's fighters. Supplies were scarce, and the coalition was forced to rely on raiding and looting to stay alive. In addition, the coalition's leaders were unable to agree on a unified strategy, leading to infighting and divisions within the group. As the fighting dragged on, it became clear that the coalition was in trouble. German forces regrouped and launched a counterattack, pushing the coalition back and reclaiming lost ground. The coalition's fighters were exhausted and demoralized, and their lack of supplies and support made it impossible for them to continue the fight.

In the end, the coalition was defeated, and the region fell back into chaos. The various factions that had made up the coalition splintered and turned on each other, becoming even more fragmented and violent than before. The dream of a new order in the region was lost, and the people were left to suffer in the wake of yet another failed attempt to bring stability to the war-torn land.

As the decades passed, Russia remained torn by anarchy in its former territory, with warlords and armed militias continuing to fight for control. The collapse of the Soviet Union had left a power vacuum, and various factions had rushed to fill it, often resorting to violence to achieve their goals. With no central government to provide security and maintain order, the people of Russia were left to fend for themselves. The warlords were often brutal and ruthless, willing to do whatever it took to maintain their power.

To make matters worse, the Luftwaffe conducted terror bombings in all territory west of the Urals, in an effort to prevent another West Russian War. The bombings were indiscriminate, targeting civilian populations as well as military targets. The people of Russia lived in constant fear of air raids, never knowing when the next bomb would fall.

Despite the chaos and violence, some warlords were able to establish their own mini-states, carving out territories and enforcing their own laws. These warlords often had their own private armies, and were able to maintain a semblance of stability within their own domains. However, outside of their territories, the fighting continued unabated, and the warlords themselves were often as much of a threat to the people as the Luftwaffe. They were known for their brutality, and many were accused of committing war crimes, including torture and murder. The people of Russia were caught in the middle, forced to choose between aligning themselves with one warlord or another, or trying to remain neutral and risk becoming a target themselves.

Despite occasional attempts at peace negotiations, the fighting continued for decades. The warlords were too entrenched in their positions of power, and too distrustful of each other to make any real progress towards a lasting peace. As the frontlines began solidifying, it looked as if all in the foreseeable future that could be hoped was misery.

### Reunification of The Union (1962 - 1971)

In the early 60s, a power struggle within Germany caused Luftwaffe bombings in the former Russian territory to cease. This had a domino effect, provoking all warlords to begin the Second Smuta, a chaotic period of fighting as warlords sought to reunify Russia under their own banner.

Eventually, four warlords emerged victorious in their respective regions, each with their own vision for a reunified Russia. In the north of Western Russia, the West Russian Revolutionary Front, made up of remnants of the Red Army, unified peacefully in a coalition with the Komi Republic and as warlord after warlord fell, the final fight came against Samara, made up mainly of the remnants of the Russian Liberation Army and the Kaminski Brigade. After fierce and bloody fighting, the Soviets remnants emerged victorious, bringing hope to those who longed for a united Russia.

In Western Siberia, the warlord of Tyumen, filled with Stalinists, marched north, eventually reunifying almost all the territory. Their last foe was Omsk, an ultranationalist ultramilitarist state seeking revenge and extermination of the Germans. But with their superior industrial power, Tyumen was able to defeat Omsk, bringing an end to the chaos in the west.

In Central Siberia, the warlord of Novosibirsk rushed to reunify the entire south, facing fierce resistance from the Kemerovo warlord, a former Soviet general turned mad king. But Novosibirsk, known as the Eagle of Siberia for their large production of planes and air superiority, emerged victorious. They then overcame their northern rival, the Republic of Tomsk, reuniting Central Siberia under their banner.

Lastly, in the Far East, the warlord of Buryatia, led by Valery Sablin, defeated the remnants of the NKVD during a mutiny and overcame the fascists and monarchists in the east. Sablin had emerged victorious in the reunification of the Far East.

Despite the reunification of Russia under these four warlords, the country remained plagued by violence and instability. The warlords had their own agendas and were often ruthless in their pursuit of power. The people of Russia continued to suffer in the wake of the Second Smuta, and it would be many years before any semblance of order could be restored.

As the chaos and violence in Russia subsided, a new hope emerged. The Soviet Republic of Western Russia, formed by the remnants of the Red Army, had peacefully unified with the West Siberian People's Republic, now under the control of the Tyumen warlord. This equal union was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR for short.

The people of Russia rejoiced at the news of the union, hopeful that it would bring an end to the years of anarchy and violence. The new government set to work, establishing a central authority and rebuilding the country's infrastructure. The people of the USSR felt a sense of pride in their new nation.

Novosibirsk, now calling themselves the Central Siberian Federation, waged war against Sablin in the east, who by then had founded the Far Eastern Soviet Republic. The fighting was fierce, with both sides determined to emerge victorious. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the west saw the threat posed by the Central Siberian Federation and formed an alliance with the Far Eastern Soviet Republic to defeat them once and for all. The two sides fought together, with the Soviet army marching across the vast Siberian landscape, determined to crush the Central Siberian Federation and reunite the country.

In the end, the Central Siberian Federation was smashed and crushed, and the Far Eastern Soviet Republic peacefully joined the USSR, successfully reunifying the country to the joy of all Russians. The people of Russia celebrated in the streets, waving flags and singing songs of unity and hope. For the first time in many years, there was a sense of peace and stability in the land.

The USSR emerged as a powerful nation, with a strong centralized government and a sense of purpose. The people of Russia looked towards the future with optimism, hopeful that their new government would bring prosperity and equality to all. And for a time, it seemed that the dream of a united Russia had finally been realized.

### Into The Cold War (1971 - 1980)

After the Soviet Union reunited in the early 1970s, it emerged as a powerful force in the world once again. The nation was led by Mikhail Suslov who was determined to restore the Soviet Union to its former glory and assert its dominance on the world stage.

One key way in which the Soviet Union sought to achieve this was by supporting communist regimes around the world, with the creation of the Comintern. The Soviet Union provided military and economic aid to a variety of nations. Following the doctrine of previous conflicts in the Cold War, the Soviet Union also began to get itself involved in proxy wars in order to expand its sphere of influence. The first proxy conflict that the Union got involved in, and had a victory in, was the Angolan Civil War, supporting the MPLA alongside the OFN against the UNITA.

Although initially it looked as if an alliance between the OFN and the Comintern would come soon enough, a split between both factions came after the USSR began supporting communist rebellions in the United States' sphere, providing support for the FMLN in the Salvadoran Civil War against the US-backed government and the Nicaraguan government during the Contras War.

These actions fueled tensions with not just Japan and Germany, but the United States and other Western nations as well, contributing to the ongoing Cold War. Despite these tensions, the Soviet Union continued to pursue its goals. The nation invested heavily in its military, developing advanced technologies and expanding its nuclear arsenal. The Soviet Union also made significant advancements in science, technology, and space exploration.

As the country enters the new decade, its preparations against the inevitable war with Germany are almost finished, and with war between two nuclear powers being on the horizon, the world holds its breath as what may soon become the end.