Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик , tr.   Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik) abbreviated to USSR (Russian: CCCP tr. SSSR) or shortened to Soviet Union (Russian: Сове́тский Сою́з , tr.   Sovetskij Soyuz) is a Marxist-Leninist state on the Eurasian continent that was founded in 1922.  It is governed as a single-party state by the Communist Partywith Moscow as its capital.  A union of multiple subnational Soviet Republics, its government and economy are highly centralized.

The Soviet Union has its roots in the Russian Revolution of 1917, which overthrew the Russian Empire. The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, then led the October Revolution in 1917, overhtrowing the provisional government and establishing the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, beginning a civil war between pro-revoluion reds and counter-revolution whites. The Red Army entered several territories of the former Russian Empire, and helped local communists acheive power through the soviets that nominally acted on behalf of the workers and peasants. In 1922, the Communists were victorious and the Soviet Union was formed by uniting the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian republics. Lenin died in 1924 leading to Joseph Stalin taking power.