Soviet Union (Springtime of Nations)

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Союз Советских Социалистических Республик Timeline: Springtime of Nations OTL equivalent: Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia (country), Armenia parts of Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, China, Latvia, Uzbekistan
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! "Workers of the world, unite!"
Anthem:  "Марш защитников Москвы" March of the Defenders of Moscow
The Soviet Union as of 2023
Capital		Moscow
Official languages		Russian
Ethnic groups (2020)		68.1% East Slavs 13.5% Turkic Han Chinese 6.9% 11.5% other
Religion		Secular state (de jure) State atheism (de facto)
Demonym(s)		Soviet
Government		Federal Leninist one-party socialist republic under a totalitarian dictatorship (1944-1946) Federal Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic under a Trotskyist totalitarian dictatorship (1946-1954) Federal one-party directorial parliamentary socialist republic (1996-2022) Federal Marxist–Leninist one-party directorial parliamentary socialist republic (1954-1996) (2022-)
-	Chairman	Sergei Shoigu
-	General Secretary	Mikhail Fradkov
-	Head of government	Sergey Kiriyenko
Legislature		Supreme Soviet (1947-2021) Congress of Soviets (2012-)
Establishment
-	Bolshevik Revolution	23 October 1941
-	Treaty of Creation	30 December 1947
-	Annexation of Mongolia and Northern China	28 February 1953
-	Creation of the International'	1 August 1970
-	Start of the Russian Reclamation War	31 July 1973
-	Annexation of Turkestan	2 October 1993
-	End of the Russian Reclamation War	31 December 1999
Area
-	Total	23,602,023 km2 (1st) 9,112,792 sq mi
Population
-	estimate	340,602,505 (3th)
GDP (PPP)		2022 estimate
-	Total	$3.8 trillion (2nd)
-	Per capita	$22,214
GDP (nominal)		2022 estimate
-	Total	$2.2 trillion (11th)
-	Per capita	$19,360 (Still undecided*)
Gini (2022)		31.2
HDI (2021)		0.901
Currency		Soviet ruble (Rbl)
Time zone		(UTC+2 to +12)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.su
Calling code		+7

The Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз, romanized: Sovetskiy Soyuz), officially known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик, tr. Soyoz Sovyetskikh Sotzialistichyeskikh Ryespooblik) (USSR), is a transcontinental country that spans much of Eurasia. A flagship communist state, it is nominally a federal union of nine national republics; in practice, both its government and its economy are highly centralized. Moscow, it's largest city and capital servers as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It shares a border with 14 countries. These are Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, the Ischilir Union, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan(depending from sources Iran), Afghanistan, China, Manchuria, Korea, the U.K and Japan . It also has maritime borders with the United States by the Bering Strait. It stands at 23,607,023 square kilometers (9,112,712 sq mi), making it the largest country on Earth, covering more than a tenth of the Earth's land area. It has the third biggest population at 340 million. It spans 11 time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. The USSR has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.

The country's roots lay in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1941, which the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War garnered a ton of support, across the country, making them a major power during the war. As they began conquering more territory in Siberia, the Bolsheviks lead by Mikhail Kalinin established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (RSFSR), the world's first constitutionally guaranteed socialist state. As the war progressed in the Bolsheviks' favor, the RSFSR began to incorporate land conquered from the war into nominally independent states, which were unified into the Soviet Union in December 1922. Following Kalinin's death in 1946, Joseph Stalin became chairman. Stalin inaugurated a period of rapid industrialization and forced collectivization that led to significant economic growth, such as the Central Asian Agricultural and Transformation of Nature, in which much of Kazakhstan (and later Turkestan), become suitable for farming and agriculture, and also started the Flooding of the Aral Sea.

During the First Cold War, the Soviets weren't seen as a major power, and so largely remained out of the spotlight. Although they would be the first nation to land a probe on another planet (Venus). Starting in the late 50's, the USSR began sponsoring many communist rebellions, mostly in Africa, and around the same time a new type of idea began spreading amongst the populace known as объединение "Obyedinye", meaning Unification. As during this time, the USSR's west border stood at the Ural Mountains. This would lead to the start of the Russian Reclamation Wars, which lasted up until 1999. Starting in 1953, the USSR began conquering what they deemed as former territories, starting with Mongolia. In 1954, Vyacheslav Molotov took power beginning the Golden Decades, in which the USSR's economy, military, trading and its global status began to rise. In 1973Orenburg, and Ural were both conquered beginning the Russian Reclamation Wars.

By the early 90's France's status and power began to fall across Europe, and Fascist government's began to topple. During this time the USSR began reconquering old territories. By 1991, the USSR was at the border of the Moscow Département, and by 1994, Moscow would be reconquered by the Soviet Union, which would later become their capital in 1995. In 1999, the Soviet Union invaded Azerbaijan, leading to the current situation, and establishing the Azerbaijani SSR.

Starting with the 2000's, the USSR started enjoying relative peace and stability, although it began having tensions with the west, these would go down with Mikhail Gorbachev taking power, but have regrown with his death in 2022. In 2017, the Organization of United Nations would officially declare that another Cold War had begun, between the USSR, and the US.

Etymology

The word soviet is derived from the Russian word sovet (Russian: совет), meaning 'council', 'assembly', 'advice', ultimately deriving from the proto-Slavic verbal stem of *vět-iti ('to inform'). The word sovietnik means 'councillor'. Some organizations in Russian history were called council (Russian: совет). In the Russian Empire, the State Council, which functioned from 1810 to 1941, was referred to as a Council of Ministers.

History

Modern revolutionary activity in the Russian Empire began with the 1825 Decembrist revolt. Although serfdom was abolished in 1861, it was done on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. Due to Tsar Nicholas II agreeing for a constitutional monarchy to be created, communist and socialist ideas generally weren't an issue for the empire.

Revolution and foundation (1941–1947)

The Russian Empire was by no means united. It encompassed over 20 languages and ethnicities, It spanned an entire continent, and was politically and nationalistically divided. Not to mention, it was vastly underdeveloped than the rest of Europe, and over 30% of the country made less than the minimum wage. By the 1940s, many of these ethnicities began forming secret organizations, sponsoring riots and speaking for independence, and many did not support the Romanov's, and wanted autonomy and independence.

Following the losses to the French during the Second World War, mutinies began across the army, especially after Hungary and Romania joined. While communism was mostly unheard of by this point, it started to grow, especially in urban areas. Following the invasion of Russia in June 1941, many ethnicities and political factions began to rebel, starting with the Polish and then escalating into many other nationalities. During the first few months, the communists didn't take any action, but by late 1941, they had garnered a ton of support, and the Bolsheviks too began to rebel, starting the Bolshevik Revolution. The Bolsheviks, led by Mikhail Kalinin, began adopting the slogan of "All Power to the Soviets" and urging the overthrow of the monarchy. On 7 January 1942, Bolshevik Red Guards stormed the Winter Palace in Petrograd, where Kalinin declared that all power was now transferred to the Soviets. This bolted them to a major power during the Civil War, as they weren't known before this point, and their ideologies and ideas spread. At first it was largely confined to urban areas, as that is where they had most of their support, but that quickly changed, after the capture of Moscow and Tsaritsyn (Now Kalingrad), as their following exploded. reaching into Siberia, Vladivostok and the Caucasus, although they would be pushed back by France, eventually halting the French at Nishny Novgorod, where a brutal battle for the city began lasting a year, eventually France won, pushing the Bolsheviks to the Ural Mountains.

During this time they were fighting on many sides, and on many nationalities, such as the Polish, Finish, Estonians, Latvians, Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs and many more, and there were many casualties. And it didn't help that during this time, the Bolsheviks adopted a new strategy, called Брось и надейся, or Throw and Hope, in which they threw their soldiers at the enemy, while it did work, casualties were high. It is believed that from 1942 to 1943, over 2 million soldiers lost their lives due to the strategy, and by mid 1943, it was removed.

The Bolsheviks would end the war with the Axis, by 1945, now known as the Treaty of Moscow. Eventually by 1947, the Soviets declared themselves as victors and established the Soviet Union, although they were mostly confined to Siberia and Kazakhstan, as most of they're power centers were captured. Insurgencies continued up until 1952, destroying more of what little infrastructure the country had.

The Civil War had a devastating impact on the economy. A black market emerged in Russia, despite the threat of martial law against profiteering. The ruble collapsed, with barter increasingly replacing money as a medium of exchange and, by 1950, heavy industry output had fallen to 10% of 1938 levels. 90% of wages were paid with goods rather than money. 80% of locomotives were in need of repair, and food requisitioning, combined with the effects of seven years of war and a severe drought, contributed to a famine that caused between 5 and 15 million deaths. Coal production decreased from 27.5 million tons (1913) to 5 million tons (1950), while overall factory production also declined from 10,000 million rubles to 1,000 million rubles.

Five Year-Plans and latter effects (1947-1954)

Photo of Josef Stalin in 1930

On December 2, 1947, Josef Stalin became General Secretary, under the rule of Leon Trotsky. Due to the Second World War, most of Russia's agriculture and economic centers were lost to the Axis powers, who established them as Départments. That left Siberia and Eastern Kazakhstan, both of whom had almost no land for agriculture. Its biggest port was now Vladivostok, and its population had decreased to 27 Million. So by the time that Stalin took power, Russia was a third world country, and a rump state. In 1948, at the First Party Congress for Collectivization and Agriculture, Josef Stalin announced the first Five-Year Plan. But it was soon found out that this would be a huge project, as drought was still a big problem, and famines had killed anywhere from 5 to 15 million people.

People's Commissar for Agriculture appointed in 1949

Agronomist Trofim Lysenko would be made head of this project in the west, in which plans of massive windbreaks and afforestation belts would cover Kazakhstan. By the end of the first Five-Year Plan over 10 Thousand km2 of forest belts would be planted. Meanwhile Yakov Yakovlev, would be made head of the project in the east, around the Trans-Siberian Railway and eastern Russia. Since this region was covered by trees, massive areas of trees would be cut and replaced in Kazakhstan, this would massively increase the size of Arable land in Russia, and by the end of the first Five-Year Plan, over 9 Thousand km2 of land were ready for Agriculture and farming, but only 3 Thousand of these were inhabited.

Transformation of Arable Land in Southern USSR, from 1950 to 2020

Molotov Era (1954-1986)

In 1955, the Second Five-Year Plan would begin, followed by the third in 1960. By then, planted trees reached the Aral Sea, although agricultural farmland had barely increased, and still less than 2% of the agricultural farmland remained was populated, as many of the population lived in major cities, like Omsk and Vladivostok. The newly elected cabinet under Vyacheslav Molotov, began relocating people to these agricultural areas, with promise of money, goods or other services, although many were forced to move to these areas as forced workers, to expand the farmland. It is believed that over 50% of all workers, who planted the trees were forced workers.

In 1960, the first ten year-plan was introduced, starting with the construction of the Darya Canal, linking the Aral Sea to Tashkent, this would prove as good move, as over 50 thousand people had moved there by the end of 60's, largening the production of the area and attracting more commoners and business, this would lead to the rise of the area's GDP would rise from less than one thousand USD a year, to over five thousand.

Government and Politics

The Supreme Soviet (successor of the Congress of Soviets) was nominally the highest state body for most of the Soviet history, at first acting as a rubber stamp institution, approving and implementing all decisions made by the party. However, its powers and functions were extended in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, including the creation of new state commissions and committees. It gained additional powers relating to the approval of the Five-Year Plans and the government budget. The Supreme Soviet elected a Presidium (successor of the Central Executive Committee) to wield its power between plenary sessions, ordinarily held twice a year, and appointed the Supreme Court, the Procurator General and the Council of Ministers (known before 1946 as the Council of People's Commissars), headed by the Chairman (Premier) and managing an enormous bureaucracy responsible for the administration of the economy and society. State and party structures of the constituent republics largely emulated the structure of the central institutions, although the Russian SFSR, unlike the other constituent republics, for most of its history had no republican branch of the CPSU. Local authorities were organized likewise into party committees, local Soviets and executive committees. While the state system was nominally federal, the party was unitary.

Administrative divisions

Constitutionally, the USSR is a federation of constituent Union Republics. There unitary states such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, federal republics such as Russia, and Autonomous Republics, such as Dagestan, and Ryodzhun and Senfu. In total there are 16 republics, which are Ossetia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Uzbekistan, Ryodzhun and Senfu, Chechnya, Georgia, Dagestan, Armenia, and Russia.

While nominally a union of equals, in practice the Soviet Union is dominated by Russians. The domination is so absolute that for most of its existence, the country is commonly (but incorrectly) referred to as 'Russia'. While the Russian SFSR was technically only one republic within the larger union, it is by far the largest (both in terms of population and area), most powerful, and most highly developed. The Russian SFSR is also the industrial center of the Soviet Union. Historian Matthew White wrote that it was an open secret that the country's federal structure was 'window dressing' for Russian dominance. For that reason, the people of the USSR are usually called 'Russians', not 'Soviets', since 'everyone knew who really ran the show'.

States of the USSR

State	Population	Area (km²)	Area (sq mi)	Capital	Largest city	Ratification or Admission
Armenian SSR	3,454,300	40,088	15,478	Mikoyan		19 May 1999
Azerbaijani SSR	10,000,087	52,296	20,191	Huseyn		19 May 1999
Chechnyan SSR	1,533,209	21,470	8,289	Grozny		June 3, 1868
Dagestani ASSR	3,049,820	50,300	19,420	Novikov		Apr 22, 1861
Georgian SSR	4,387,309	705,428	272,367	Leselidze		Mar 16, 1861
Karakalpakstan ASSR	2,340,000	146,590	56,598	Turtkul	Nukus	March 13, 1861
Kazakh SSR	17,546,000	1,567,039	605,037	Chernyaev	Tsetungrad	Sep 10, 1891
Kirgiz SSR	9,887,955	827,115	123,954	Frunze		Mar 21, 1861
Mongolian SSR	23,578,672	3,976,300	1,535,258	Urga		March 29, 1861
Ossetian SSR	743,883	9,750	3,764	Ordzhonikidze		May 20, 1861
Ryodzhun and Senfu ASSR	9,802,131	4,745	1,832	Ryodzhun		Jan 29, 1932
Russian SFSR	131,825,555	17,083,084	6,595,815	Moscow		April 3, 1861
Tajik SSR	10,143,543	100,445	38,782	Dyushambe		Jan 29, 1932
Turkmeni SSR	6,516,100	484,170	186,939	Krasnovodsk		March 23, 1861
Uzbek SSR	33,240,210	302,388	116,752	Tashkent		Jan 29, 1932
Vologda ASSR	1,214,599	114,150	44,073	Stepnoy		Jan 29, 1932

Demographics

The USSR is one of the world's most sparsely populated and urbanized countries, with the vast majority of its population concentrated within its western, and southern part. It had a population of 336.8 million according to the 2020 census. The USSR is the most populous country in Europe, and the world's third most populous country, with a population density of 9 inhabitants per square kilometer (23 per square mile).

Russia is a multinational state with many subnational entities associated with different minorities. There are over 200 ethnic groups nationwide. In the 2010 census, roughly 60% of the population were ethnic Russians, and the remaining 40% of the population were ethnic minorities; while over four-fifths of Russia's population was of European descent—of whom the vast majority were Slavs, with a substantial minority of Finnic and Germanic peoples.

Language

Russian is the official and the predominantly spoken language in the USSR. It is the most spoken native language in Europe, the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, as well as the world's most widely spoken Slavic language. Russian is one of two official languages aboard the International Space Station, as well as one of the six official languages of the Organization of United Nations. Russia is a multilingual nation; approximately 100–150 minority languages are spoken across the country. According to the Russian Census of 2010, 145 million across the country spoke Russian, 32 million spoke Han Chines, 26 million spoke Uzbek, 4.3 million spoke Tatar, and 1.1 million spoke Ukrainian. The constitution gives the country's individual republics the right to establish their own state languages in addition to Russian, as well as guarantee its citizens the right to preserve their native language and to create conditions for its study and development.

Religion

The USSR in itself is a secular state, meaning that any form of religion isn't allowed, while there are mosques, churches and synagogues, it is strictly prohibited to practice religion on public areas. While there are specific areas, and buildings where it is allowed, the country's religion is de facto atheist.

There are only four divisions which allow practice of religion on specific days, and in public, which are the Dagestani ASSR, Yakutia, and the Jewish Autonous Oblast (Both inside the RSFSR), the Ryodzhun and Senfu Autonomous Republics. The last survey privately done, and which the results might not be confirmed concluded that 57.2% of Russians declared themselves Christians — 49% Russian Orthodox, 1.5% simply Orthodox or members of non-Russian Orthodox churches, 4.1% unaffiliated Christians, and less than 1% Old Believers, Catholics or Protestants — 25% were believers without affiliation to any specific religion, 37% were atheists, 18.5% were Muslims, 6.2% believed in Chinese Folklore, 1.2% were followers of "traditional religions honouring gods and ancestors" (Rodnovery, other Paganisms, Siberian shamanism and Tengrism), 0.5% were Buddhists, 0.1% were religious Jews and 0.1% were Hindus.