Place details
Place nameSoviet Union
Other namesUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics, Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, U.S.S.R., USSR, Sovetsky Soyuz, SSSR, Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Sovieticas, Union des Républiques socialistes soviétiques
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Former northern Eurasian empire that came into being after 1917 Revolution; largest country in the world when it existed, stretching from Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean; very diverse with over 100 distinct nationalities; most of population East Slavs; had authoritarian and highly centralized government dominated by Communist Party; political and economic changes began late 1980s and the USSR ceased to exist in 1991; in its final years it consisted of 15 republics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia (now Belarus), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kirgiziya (now Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (now Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.