Soviet Union

The Soviet Union (full name Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics). Known commonly by the English abbreviation as the USSR or the Russian abbreviations as the CCCP or '''SSSR. '''Is a country situated in northern Eurasia as is the common main setting for the series of novels The Red Millennium including the first novel The Red And The Blue as well of the series of prequels starting with August '91: Mecheny's Union and the follow up novel The Rise of The New Union. The Soviet Union is a federation composing of 33 republics, the USSR is the largest country in the world by area and one of the two global superpowers (alongside with the United States of America). The Soviet Union was originally founded in 1922 as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Soviet Union encompassed much of the former territory of the Russian Empire. The Soviet Union was among the first communist governments in the world and emerged to global prominence following World War II after having suffered the largest casualities of the war.

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan, the temporary wartime alliance between the Soviet Union and Western Allies ended as Germany and Korea (a former prefecture of Japan) was divided into two states. Both the USA and the USSR turned against each other for global political and economic gains. The era was known as the Cold War, the era was known for political dominance of the capitalist west (led by the United States). And the communist east (led by the Soviet Union). The Cold War was not fought by direct war but by manipulation, proxy-wars and Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), following the detonation of a Soviet nuclear bomb in 1949. Between the early 1950's and late 1980's there were a series of threats of nuclear warfare. The most severe instances that the rival superpowers nearly came close to World War III was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Able Archer exercise of 1983. Alongside with the nuclear false alarm that occurred earlier the same year.

From its formation on December 30, 1922 until the 1980's, the Soviet Union was a single-party, Communist dictatorship. Upon gaining power, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. Mikhail Gorbachev initiated a series of economic and political reforms known as Perestroika and cultural reforms known as Glasnost. These reforms were credited for having transformed the Soviet Union into a more open and democratic nation, but also sparked internal tensions. By 1991, six of the [then] fifteen republics declared their independences. While nine remaining republics helped to establish a decentralized federation of equal states. The 1990's saw a gradual revival of the Soviet Union into a domestically and acting as a model for all post-Communist states. The 2000's brought the USSR back into global dominance following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the United States and the 2003 Moscow Metro Bombings.

Etymology
The name "soviet" is derived from the Russian word (sovet), which translates into English as ''council. ''The term would become synonymous with the Soviet Union during the Russian Revolution, in which a council would act as a governing body by the people. Several governments were established during the revolution, several of which would refer themselves as a "Soviet Socialist Republic". Four of these SSRs would agree to United themselves under a single nation. In a manner to the use of the "United States of America", these four Republics were united the "Treaty of the Creation of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"

The short form "Soviet Union" and the abbreviation "USSR" have become the standards of everyday use.

Outside the Soviet Union, "Russia" continues to be used as the pars pro toto for the Soviet Union as a whole (similar to the use of "Holland" and "England" for the whole of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as a whole respectively).

Upon the signing of the Treaty of the union of sovereign states, the term "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" was dropped as the official name. Several names were used, but many of them talked as the "Union of Sovereign States", which was officially used in the New Union Treaty. When the constitution was finalized in May 1992, the official name was the "Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics", to allow the continued use of the "Soviet Union" or the "USSR".

History
Socialist era (1922-1985)

Gorbachev Era (1985-1992) 

Reformation 

Border conflicts

Roaring Nineties

War on Terror

Contemporary Era

Government and Politics
Foreign Relations

Main Article: Foreign Relations of the Soviet Union

Administrative Divisions
Main Article: Republics of the Soviet Union

Demographics
Religion