Soviet Union (New Union)

The Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics (U.S.S.R.; : Союз Советских Cуверенных Республик, Soyuz Sovetskikh Suverennykh Respublik; abbreviated С.С.С.Р., S.S.S.R.), commonly known as the Soviet Union (Советский Союз, Sovietsky Soyuz) and informally referred to simply as the Union (Союз, Soyuz) and Russia (Россия, Rossiya), is a federation comprised of 33 s extending from the to the, and from the  to the. The Soviet Union is the largest nation in the world by area, and is one of the two prominent s in global politics and world culture (along with the ). The Soviet Union was first established on December 30, 1922, as a unification of four Soviet Socialist Republics, forming one of the first communist nations. During (known as the "Great Patriotic War" in the Soviet Union), the Soviets assist with the  in a decisive victory over the, but at a large cost of casualties.

After the war, the Soviet Union and the would emerge as the two superpowers. The conflict between Soviet and American interests would lead to the, which pitted the communist world and the non-communist world. Beginning in the mid 1980s, the Soviet Union would go threw political and economic change. Programs such as ' ("openness") and ' ("restructuring") would help eliminate corruption in the USSR, leading to greater moral, and bring an end to the communist monopoly not just in the Soviet Union, but globally.

Reformation
On August 20, 1991, the republics of, , , , and would sign the , establishing the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics. Addressing the nation, would make mention that a "Bright future is just around the corner." Over controversy, the break-away republic of was allowed to participate with, , and  on signing the treaty on September 18. This action was taken negatively by, as well as other nations in western Europe. Despite rumors about the USSR annexing additional regions from the six republics, the USSR recognized the independence of, , , , , and on October 25. Abkhazia was not recognized as part of Georgia, while minor relations continued to exist on the break-away regions of, , and.



Despite the majority of the Union now having signed the treaty, the was left in the dark. The Ukrainian government has already stated that they wanted to conduct research on the matter of whether the Ukraine would survive in a reformed Union. In late September, it was declared that a would be held in December on whether they should declare independence. After the announcement, the people of the declared on boycotting the independence referendum on the desire to remain in the Union. The referendum was held on December 1, with about 51% of the voters rejecting independence. On December 26, the Ukraine would sign the treaty, causing the former "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" to cease to exist.

Border conflicts
With the beginning of 1992, the Soviet Union hoped to bring peace between and the newly independent republics. Headway between Moscow and when the two sides met in Tehran in December 1991. The would bring an end to the  war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Tensions between the USSR and the independent republics of and  seemed to only get more tensions as the months passed. Minor fighting broke out in in January 1991, with limited Soviet assistance on behalf of the South Ossetians. It has hoped that not engaging in war over South Ossetia would leave diplomatic options open.



The boiling point came in March 1991, when Moldavia (backed by neighboring ) launched an invasion of the break-away region of. Gorbachev ordered military aid to the Pridnestrovians, deploying the 14th Army involvement across the border. Russian, Ukrainian, and volunteers began the trek to the front. Days after the beginning of the war, and  declared independence from Moldavia and requested admission into the Soviet Union. The conflict lasted only weeks, ending in a decisive Soviet victory. With pressure from the two republics, as well as pressure from South Ossetia on a potential invasion by Georgian forces, the three republics were granted admission into the USSR in April 1991.

With the announcement that South Ossetia has been granted admission, Georgian troops were ordered to the borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Soviet troops were ordered to assist the regions in the event of a Georgian invasion. In hopes to prevent war, Gorbachev requested diplomatic reasoning to end the conflict. Georgia reluctantly agreed, and the two sides began talks in August. By the end of 1992, Georgia agreed to allow the transfer of Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the USSR, in exchange for economic assistance to the new nation. With one conflict over, another needed resolution. In 1994, Moldavia held a referendum on whether to merge with Romania. With an almost 80% vote for unification, Romania itself showed little interest in inheriting a border conflict with the USSR. Prior to the unification in 1995, Romania announced that the unification would only take place if Moldavia gave up Gagauzia and Pridnestrovie. This officially took place on December 31, 1994, one day prior to the official unification on January 1, 1995.

Roaring Nineties
Just as in the case of the late 1980s, the early years of the 90s was gripped by a recession in the Soviet Union. Despite this, the standards of living was already higher than had been previously, and along with growing economic ties and cooperation with the United States, Western Europe, and Japan; the Soviet Union was slowly rising from the ashes of communism. By the time was elected President in 1995, the USSR's economy was beginning to surpass the previous decades in growth. The global importance of the began to equal that of the, the , and the. By the turn of the millennium, the ruble would be equal to the status of the and the.

The 1990s also saw a rise in "Soviet nationalism," and the continued movement for new republics within the USSR. In 1993, the highly independent autonomous republics of Russia&mdash; and &mdash;were admitted as s., (Nagorno-Karabakh), , , and  followed in 1994. But after the beginning of 1995, the issue of letting additional autonomous areas become republics became a concern for Russian politicians (especially Russian President ). Many of the areas were not populous enough to qualify as republics, but continued to express the desire. The issue was finally brought to the Supreme Soviet or Russia, in what would become known as the. The compromise agreed to allow full republican status for, , , , , , , , , and ; and allowed the mergers with Komia and the mergers of the  and the  with Buryatia; in exchange that a series of criteria be implemented in the USSR to help bring an end to the  and prevent another outbreak of confusion from happening again. A second and final compromise would be made in 1998 which allowed the, , and the to become republics.



The decade also showed a major boost for the Soviet space program. In 1993, the (known simply as SAKA) was established. As was the case of, SAKA was established to help end the military monopoly in the space program, and encourage more civilian and private activities. The major project for the new agency was the, the Soviet's answer to the US. In 1994, the first manned flight of the shuttles began operations. Buran missions to  began a year later.

War on Terror
During the 90s, the Soviet Union focused more on domestic problems and less on world affairs. However, the global position of the USSR would come back to focus on September 11, 2001, in which two hijacked American airliners are purposely crashed into the towers in, and launching the world into a "War on Terror." The Soviet Union would attempt to remain out of the conflict, but supported the United States in a war against al-Qaeda and the radical Islamic government of.



Though the people of the Soviet Union began to fear a terrorist attack, more concern was on citizens outside the USSR. In October 2002, a terrorist bomb rips across Dire Dawa,, killing over 200 (including Soviet citizens). But in 2003, the Moscow Metro Bombing killed over a thousand people, alarming the Soviet government. This attack would lead Ethiopia and the Soviet Union to begin a war against neighboring, which has been suspected of harboring terrorists who were responsible for the attack.

Economy
The Soviet Union enjoys high economic revenue, beneficial to all its member states. Its joint currency, the Soviet Ruble has seen a steady rise over the years. Trade with China has also increased since 2000, which has been profitable for both countries.

Government and politics


According to the, the country is a and  , wherein the President is the  and the  is the. The Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics is fundamentally structured as a, with the federal government composed of three branches:


 * : The, made up of the 925-member  and the 1035-member , adopts , , approves treaties, has the  and the power of  of the President.
 * : The President is the of the military, can veto s before they become law, and appoints the Cabinet and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
 * : The Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Arbitration and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Supreme Soviet on the recommendation of the President, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem.

The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term, but not for a third consecutive term). Ministries of the government are composed of the Premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister (whereas the appointment of the latter requires the consent of the Supreme Soviet). Leading political parties in the Soviet Union include the, the , the , and the.

Foreign relations

 * Main: 

The Soviet Union continues to implement the international commitments of the former communist regime, and continues to hold a permanent seat in the, membership in other international organizations, the rights and obligations under international treaties, and property and debts. The USSR has a multifaceted foreign policy. As of 2009, it maintains diplomatic relations with 191 countries and has. The foreign policy is determined by the President and implemented by the.



As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Soviet Union plays a major role in maintaining international peace and security. The country participates in the and the  with. The USSR is a member of the (G8) industrialized nations, the,  and. The USSR usually takes a leading role in regional organizations such as the (CSTO).

Under Ryzhkov, the Soviet Union has sought to strengthen ties with the by signing the  as well building the  geared toward growing Chinese energy needs.

Military
The Soviet military is divided into the Army, Navy, and Air Force. There are also three independent arms of service: Strategic Nuclear Forces, Military Space Forces, and the Airborne Troops. In 2006, the military had 2.246 million personnel on active duty.



The USSR has the the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. It has the second largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines and is the only country apart from the US with a modern force. The USSR's force is the largest in the world, its surface navy and air force are among the two strongest, the other being that of the united States.

The country has a large and fully indigenous, producing all of its own military equipment. The Soviet Union is the world's top supplier of arms, a spot it has held since 2001, accounting for around 40% of worldwide weapons sales and exporting weapons to about 100 countries.

Official government military spending for 2008 was $120 billion, the, though various sources have estimated Soviet military expenditures to be considerably higher.



It is mandatory for all male citizens aged 18–27 to be drafted for a year of service in Armed Forces; the government plans to increase the proportion of contract servicemen to 70% by 2010. Defense expenditure has quadrupled over the past six years. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates, official government military spending for 2008 was around $120 billion, the second largest in the world, though various sources, including US intelligence, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies, have estimated the USSR’s military expenditures to be considerably higher. Currently, the military is undergoing a major equipment upgrade worth about $800 billion between 2006 and 2015. Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov supervises the major reforms aimed to transform a mass mobilization army into a smaller, mobile force of professional soldiers.

Political divisions

 * Main: and 

The Soviet Union is a made up of 33 Union Republics and one Union City. Each republic runs itself as a sovereign nation, working on their own affairs, economy, presidents, and each have their own militias. All have agreed to unite under a single legislature, leader, currency, foreign affairs, and a united militia. Each republic holds the right to secede from the Union if they so do, which contributed to the reformation of the USSR in 1991.

Prior to the signing of the, the Soviet Union was constitutionally a federation, but ran more as a centralist state in practice. Glasnost and Perestroika brought the centralist ideals out in the open, leading to the formation of a union of sovereign states.



Demographics
The Soviet Union is one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries, with more than 200 distinct ethnic groups within its borders. The total population was estimated at 310 million in 2010, the 4th most populous nation after China, India and the United States of America.

The majority of the population are Russians (60.78%), followed by Ukrainians (12.45%) and Uzbeks (4.84%). Other ethnic groups include Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Belarusians, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Moldovans, Tajiks, and Turkmen as well as Abkhaz, Adyghes, Aleuts, Assyrians, Avars, Bashkirs, Bulgarians, Buryats, Chechens, Chinese, Chuvash, Cossacks, Evenks, Finns, Gagauz, Germans, Greeks, Hungarians, Ingushes, Inuit, Jews, Kalmyks, Karakalpaks, Karelians, Kets, Koreans, Lezgins, Maris, Mongols, Mordvins, Nenetses, Ossetians, Poles, Roma, Romanians, Tats, Tatars, Tuvans, Udmurts, Yakuts, and others.

Mainly because of differences in birth rates among the Soviet nationalities, the share of the population that was Russian steadily declined in the post-World War II period.

Religion

 * Main article: 



Prior to Gorbachev's presidency, the Soviet government had banned all forms of religion in the country. However, when Gorbachev made reforms, religion was once again allowed in the country. With religious freedom now in place, Orthodox Christianity had become the fastest growing religion in the Soviet Union, quickly spreading in the Caucasian republics, Yakutia, Krgystan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. In 1991, secularism accounted for 51% of the population, but with religion playing a greater role in people's lives, it greatly plunged to 9%. In 2001, Christianity accounted for 47.3% of the population, while Islam accounted for 21.5%, Judaism accounted for 11%, Buddhism 10%, while other religions represent the rest of the population.