The Soviet state was the actual predecessor of the modern Russian Federation. It lasted from 1922 to 1991. During this period, it occupied a significant area of the territory of Eastern Europe, part of East, Central and North Asia. It is worth noting that the country went through many shocks, increasing its national wealth by more than 50 times. The number of university students has grown 40 times. At the beginning of perestroika, national income was 66% of that in the United States. However, from 1985 to 1991, perestroika was declared in the country. The political and economic changes that have taken place have led to the destabilization of society and undermined the economy. This was one of the key factors that contributed to the collapse of the country.
Background
Before the formation of the Soviet state, the Russian Empire was located approximately in the same territory. It was a monarchy ruled by Nicholas II at the beginning of the 20th century.
The country was very conservative, society demanded changes, but the authorities did not dare to them. The 1905 revolution was the first alarm bell. Its main causes are violations of workers' rights, lack of land for peasants, and the absence of a constitution and parliament. The monarchy in 1907 managed to cope with the unrest in the country. The king had to make concessions. The State Duma appeared, reforms began in the empire, and autocracy was limited.
The First World War, which began in 1914, worsened the already unstable situation in the state. It had important consequences for Europe, as four empires ceased to exist at once. In addition to the Russian, it is the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German.
The revolution of 1917
In 1917, the people, dissatisfied with the low efficiency of reforms and the prolonged participation in the war, entered the February Revolution. It is believed that it was she who became the direct beginning of the Soviet state. The monarchy was overthrown, Nicholas II was arrested. Subsequently, he will be shot with his family in the summer of 1918.
After the overthrow of the emperor, a Provisional Government was established in the country. But he was not able to restore order. This led to the activation of various political movements, it all ended with another revolution in October. The power passed into the hands of the Bolsheviks. According to their philosophy, the leadership of the country should have been in the lower classes, executive functions were controlled by the people's commissars. The first steps of the Bolshevik government were decrees to withdraw from the war and land reform, which deprived the landowners of property.
Civil War
The coup d'etat led to a serious split in society. In 1918, the Civil War began.
Its main participants were the "whites" - supporters of the old system, who tried to restore the old management system. They sought to overthrow the Bolsheviks.
In contrast, they were “red”. Their goal was the establishment of communism, the complete elimination of the monarchy. The latter emerged victorious from this confrontation.
USSR formation
The creation of the Soviet state officially took place on December 29, 1922, when the corresponding treaty was signed. Already on December 30, the first All-Union Congress was held, which ratified it. The Soviet state paid great attention to law. In 1924, the first constitution was adopted.
After the creation of the Soviet state, power was concentrated in the hands of the Communist Party. The supreme governing bodies were the Central Committee and the Politburo. It was the latter who made decisions that were binding on everyone. Legally, all its members were equal, but in fact the leadership was taken over by the leader of the Bolsheviks Vladimir Lenin, who made the most important decisions.
Shortly after the formation of the state, the Soviet Union, Lenin became seriously ill. The struggle for power began, since he himself could no longer fully lead the country. Politburo members at that time were Trotsky, Stalin, Tomsky, Rykov, Kamenev and Zinoviev. It was they who, from 1922 to 1925, essentially ruled the Soviet state.
The struggle for influence
The struggle for power led to a split. Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev opposed Trotsky. By the end of 1923, he actively criticized this trinity, demanding equality among party members. As a result, he was declared an enemy of the people. He was sent into exile, and then completely expelled from the USSR. In 1940, he was killed in Mexico by an NKVD agent.
In 1924, Lenin died. At the XIII Congress, Krupskaya wants to publish the "Letter to the Congress" written by her husband shortly before her death. However, a decision is made that it will be read out only in closed session. In it, Lenin gives characteristics to each of his associates. In particular, he notes that Stalin concentrated in himself too much power, which he could not control. He called Trotsky's candidacy Soviet Russia the most preferable for governing the state.
Having rid himself of Trotsky, Stalin accused Zinoviev and Kamenev of distorting the ideas of Lenin, having done everything to declare them enemies of the people. He himself criticizes capitalism, preaching the ideas of socialism. There are more and more supporters in society who support development plans.
In 1927, the opposition of Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev was finally eliminated. By 1929, Stalin concentrated all power in his hands.
Industrialization and collectivization
In the 1920s, the era of industrialization began in the history of the Soviet state. Significant funds were needed for this, which it was decided to obtain through export abroad of wheat and other goods. Because of this, collective farmers were set overwhelming plans to harvest, which had to be given to the state. This led to the impoverishment of the peasantry, famine in 1932-1933. After that, the authorities switched to a more sparing regime, which became a continuation of the NEP.
At that time, the country experienced significant economic growth. GDP grew by 6% between 1928 and 1940. Soon, the Soviet Union turned out to be the leader in industrial output. One after another, chemical, metallurgical and energy enterprises were built. At the same time, the standard of living was extremely low, especially among peasants.
Since the 1930s, the internal policy of the Soviet state has been based on collectivization. It was an association of peasant farms into centralized collective farms. This has led to a reduction in livestock and agricultural products. In the regions, armed uprisings were even raised, which were brutally crushed.
The number of products is strictly limited. They are issued on cards. Partial cancellation of cards occurred only in 1935.
The end of the 1930s was the bloody period of the Soviet state, when mass repressions took place in the country. The destruction of political opponents by the Bolsheviks began immediately after the Civil War. The victims of repression were landowners, Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries. The greatest scale of repression reached in 1937-1938.
Historians believe that at that time hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens were destroyed, millions went to camps. Most accused of counter-revolutionary activities and treason.
Foreign policy
In foreign policy, the USSR sharply changed course after Hitler came to power in Germany. If before this, there were close relations with this country, now the Soviet Union with France and England began to join forces to counter fascism. At the same time, Stalin did not enter into an open confrontation with the German government.
Before the Second World War, the leader of the Soviet state called on all countries to establish relations among themselves. In August 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed with Germany, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
When the Second World War began, the Soviet Union began to occupy the territories of Belarus and Western Ukraine, which were part of Poland. The USSR also annexed Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, placing its military bases. Following the agreement, Germany turned a blind eye to this. Moreover, it was the fascists who initiated the Second World War, which began with their invasion of Poland.
The Soviet Union launched a war with Finland. For 4 months the USSR suffered significant technical and military losses.
Historians believe that it was after this failure of Stalin in Finland that Hitler decided to attack the Soviet Union, believing that the Red Army poses no threat to him.
War against fascism
On June 22, 1941, Germany violated the non-aggression pact by invading Soviet territory without declaring war. For a short period they occupied large territories in the west of the Soviet Union; by that time, the fascist regime was established practically throughout Europe.
The Red Army, led by Marshal Zhukov near Moscow, launched a counterattack. The turning points were the Kursk and Stalingrad battles, in which the Germans were defeated. After that, for many, the outcome of the war became clear.
On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered. Hitler committed suicide about a week before.
This war claimed the lives of 55 to 70 million people.
After the victory of the Soviet Union, the regime of the Communist Party was established in many countries of Eastern Europe. Bipolarity has been outlined in the world, as the main enemy of the USSR, the USA, was gaining more weight. The Cold War began, which was expressed in the industrial, military and space race.
The overthrow of the cult of personality and stagnation
The death of Stalin in 1953 was a tragedy for many Soviet citizens who lived in a personality cult. The new ruler was Khrushchev. At the XX Congress of the CPSU, he released documents that confirmed Stalin’s crimes against his people, in particular, it was about repression. The process of debunking the cult of personality has begun.
The reign of Khrushchev in the history of the Soviet Union is associated with the "thaw." Much attention was paid to the agricultural issue, a course was declared on peaceful relations with the capitalist powers. In 1961, the Soviet state was the first in the world to send man into space. The flight was made by Yuri Gagarin.
Moreover, already in 1962 the situation worsened. Due to the Caribbean crisis, relations between the USSR and the USA have escalated to the limit. The world was on the verge of a nuclear war. Khrushchev and US President Kennedy were a step away from open confrontation, but the issue was managed to be settled through diplomatic methods.
In 1964, Khrushchev was removed from power, and Leonid Brezhnev took his place. His reign began with economic reforms that turned out to be ineffective. There was stability, which soon grew into an era of stagnation.
After the death of Brezhnev in 1982, Yuri Andropov became the new general secretary. Remaining the head of state for less than a year, he died. About a year before his death, the Soviet Union was led by Konstantin Chernenko. The so-called “Kremlin elders” era ended when, in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary.
Restructuring
In 1985, Gorbachev announced a course towards perestroika.
Soviet citizens gained many freedoms. If earlier the political system was totalitarian, now it was approaching democracy.
The collapse of the USSR
Many of Gorbachev's reforms led to negative consequences. Since 1989, national conflicts began throughout the country. The economic crisis has led to the return of the card system.
On December 8, 1991, the Bialowieza Agreement was signed, which officially ended the history of the USSR.