| The Soviet period (from 1922 to 1991). The Soviet period in the history of Russia from 1917 to 1991 covers the time of radical transformations, the formation of the socialist state, its international influence, and the collapse of the USSR. Here are the key events of this time: |
The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, overthrew the Provisional Government and seized power in Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg). This event marked the beginning of the creation of a socialist state. Power passed to the Soviets, which meant fundamental changes in the country's political system and economy.
Russia plunged into a civil war between the "Reds" (Bolsheviks) and the "whites" (anti-Bolshevik forces). Foreign powers intervened in the war, supporting the white movement. In 1921, the Bolsheviks won, but the country found itself in ruin and economic decline.
On December 30, 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed, which included Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian Federation (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan). The USSR became the first socialist state in the world to unite peoples under the rule of communist ideology.
With the advent of Joseph Stalin, large-scale reforms began to industrialize and collectivize agriculture. Large industrial enterprises were created, railways were built, and five-year plans were introduced.
On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR, which marked the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The key events were the siege of Leningrad, the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. After the victory in 1945, the USSR became one of the two world superpowers, playing an important role in defeating Nazi Germany and establishing the post-war world order.
After the war, relations between the USSR and the United States worsened, and the Cold War began, a global confrontation between the two superpowers. The Cold War included an arms race, a space race (the launch of the first satellite in 1957, the flight of Gagarin in 1961), ideological confrontation and conflicts in different parts of the world, such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
After the death of Joseph Stalin, the era of the "thaw" began under Nikita Khrushchev, which included the development of the space program and reforms in agriculture. Under Khrushchev, there were a number of foreign policy crises, such as the Caribbean Crisis of 1962, which almost led to a nuclear war with the United States.
With the arrival of Mikhail Gorbachev, the policy of "perestroika" (economic and political reforms) and "glasnost" (openness and freedom of speech) began. Gorbachev sought to reform the Soviet economy, weaken party control, and improve relations with the West. These reforms led to the weakening of centralized power and the activation of national movements.
The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the collapse of socialist regimes in Eastern Europe. The USSR lost control of the Eastern Bloc countries, which was a harbinger of its own disintegration. The internal crisis in the USSR intensified.
After the August 1991 coup, the process of the collapse of the USSR accelerated. On December 8, 1991, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus signed the Belovezhskaya Agreement on the termination of the USSR and the creation of the CIS. On December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of the USSR, and the Soviet Union ceased to exist.