| This Mere Men article has not been expanded past 1943 yet. |
| Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (Russian) Timeline: Mere Men
OTL equivalent: Soviet Union | ||||
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| Motto: Proletarians of all nations, unite! |
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| Anthem: The Internationale |
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| Capital (and largest city) | Moscow | |||
| Official languages | Russian | |||
| Religion | State atheism | |||
| Demonym | Soviet | |||
| Government | ||||
| - | Leader | Vladimir Lenin (1922–1924) Joseph Stalin (1924–1953) Lavrentiy Beria (1953–1962) Georgy Malenkov (1962–) |
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| Legislature | Supreme Soviet | |||
| History | ||||
| - | October Revolution | 7 November 1917 | ||
| - | Treaty of Creation | 30 December 1922 | ||
| - | Soviet–German War | 1943–1947 | ||
| Currency | Soviet ruble | |||
The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also often abbreviated as USSR was a transcontintental federal socialist state in northern Eurasia. Formed in 1922 during the Russian Civil War, it existed until its dissolution in the second half of the 20th century. It spanned the territories of the current states of Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Byelorussia, the Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenia, Uzbekia, Kirghizia and Tajikistan.
History[]
The Soviet Union signed the non-aggression Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Germany in 1939, in which the two powers divided Eastern Europe between their spheres of influence. After Germany invaded Poland, the Soviet Union followed and also invaded Poland on 17 September 1939. Shortly after the fall of Poland, the Soviet Union invaded Finland on 30 November 1939. As the war with Finland escalated into the Battle of Scandinavia, the Soviet Red Army crossed the Norwegian border on 7 April 1940 to cut off Allied reinforcements in Finland from the port in Kirkenes, both United Kingdom and France declared war on the Soviet Union. After the defeat of Finland, a puppet communist government was installed, which was followed by establishment of further puppet governments in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and later annexation of the three Baltic states. In July, the Soviet Union also received Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina from Romania after it was pressured by the German government.
In autumn of 1940, the Soviet Union entered negotiations with Germany to join its emerging alliance with Italy and Japan and in December, the Soviet Union became one of the members of the Fourpartite Pact despite German reluctance. The Fourpartite Pact also promised the inclusion of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and parts of the Middle East in the Soviet sphere, which led to the Soviet invasion of Iran and formation of a pro-Soviet government in Bulgaria in 1941. However, at the same time Germany was showing clear disregard to the agreed spheres of influence by interfering in Yugoslavian politics, suggesting that the German government did not feel obliged to respect its commitments to the Soviet Union. This forced the Soviet government to prepare for the possibility of a war with Germany. Army general Georgy Zhukov, the Chief of the Soviet General Staff, suggested a preemptive strike against Germany to Joseph Stalin, but the Soviet leader originally dismissed the proposal. Only after Zhukov persuaded other members of the Soviet government did Stalin approve the plans and order large-scale military preparations.