History of Soviet Union.
                     HISTORY OF SOVIET 
UNION
INTRODUCTIO
N
The Soviet Union was one of the dominant 
political entities of the twentieth century. The 
official name was the Union of Soviet Socialist 
Republics (USSR). The Russian Revolution 
brought to power the first communist party in 
history. 
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THE 
REVOLUTION 
The revolution was never in alignment with 
Marx's theories, since socialism was to be built 
in a capitalist economy. 
This problem ultimately proved to be too much 
to overcome. Efforts to develop a capitalist 
economy while creating a new socialist 
government system failed
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THE RUSSIAN 
REVOLUTION
During World War I, Tsarist Russia 
experienced famine and economic collapse. 
The demoralized Russian Army suffered 
severe military setbacks, and many soldiers 
deserted the front lines. 
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LAND REFORMS 
Under these adverse conditions, a provisional 
government was installed, led first by Prince 
Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov, then by Aleksandr 
Kerensky, but it maintained its commitment to 
the war. 
The provisional government failed to enact land 
reforms demanded by the peasantry. 
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OCTOBER 
REVOLUTION
On October 25, 1917, Vladimir Lenin led his 
forces in the uprising in St. Petersburg, the 
capital of Russia, against the ineffective 
Provisional Government headed by Alexander 
Kerensky.
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THE SECOND 
CONGRESS OF 
SOVIETS
The Second Congress of Soviets consisted of 
649 elected delegates; 390 were Bolshevik 
and nearly a hundred were left Socialist-
Revolutionaries, who also supported the 
overthrow of the Kerensky government. 
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THE RUSSIAN 
CIVIL WAR
One of the first acts of the Communist 
government was to withdraw from World War 
I. Following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the 
Soviet Union turned over most of the area of 
Ukraine and Belarus to Germany.
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THE POLISH-
SOVIET WAR
The frontiers between Poland, which had 
established a shaky independent government 
following World War I, and the former Tsarist 
empire, were rendered chaotic by the 
repercussions of the Russian revolutions and 
civil war.
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CREATION OF THE 
USSR
On December 29, 1922, the RSFSR, the Transcaucasian 
Socialist Federated Soviet Republic, and the 
Byelorussian and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republics 
signed a Treaty of Creation of the USSR, forming the 
Soviet Union by a conference of the representatives, 
which was confirmed on December 30, 1922 by the 
First Congress of Soviets of the USSR.
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COLLAPSE OF THE 
SOVIET UNION
During the 1960s and 1970s, the Communist Party 
elite rapidly gained wealth and power while millions of 
average Soviet citizens faced starvation. 
The Soviet Union’s push to industrialize at any cost 
resulted in frequent shortages of food and consumer 
goods.
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