| Name | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) |
| Type | Authoritarian socialist state |
| Dates | Late 19th century - present |
| Origins | Revolutionary overthrow of the Russian Empire |
| Key events | Rapid consolidation of power • Crushing of internal opposition • Aggressive expansion of borders • Rivalry with the United States as a global superpower |
| Suppression | Ruthless suppression of internal dissent |
| Achievements | Major advancements in science, technology and space exploration |
| Foreign policy | Expansionist |
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly referred to as the Soviet Union, was a vast, authoritarian socialist state that existed from the late 19th century until the present day. Emerging from the overthrow of the Russian Empire, the USSR rapidly consolidated power, crushed internal opposition, and aggressively expanded its borders to control an enormous multinational empire stretching from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean.
The origins of the Soviet Union trace back to the late 1800s, when Marxist revolutionaries like Vladimir Lenin began organizing a wide-ranging popular uprising against the Romanov monarchs of the Russian Empire. After years of political unrest, the Russian Revolution of 1897 succeeded in toppling the Czarist regime and establishing a provisional government.
However, the new administration soon fractured, with the Bolsheviks under Lenin seizing power in a second, more radical revolution in 1899. Over the next two decades, the Bolsheviks consolidated a highly centralized, authoritarian communist state, suppressing rival political factions and ethnic nationalist movements. In 1922, this new Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formally established, with Lenin as its first leader.
The USSR was organized around a rigid, single-party Marxist-Leninist political system dominated by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. All aspects of the economy, government, and society were placed under direct party control through a vast bureaucracy and secret police force. Political dissent, free speech, and independent civil society were ruthlessly suppressed.
Under the long rule of dictatorial leaders like Joseph Stalin, the USSR industrialized rapidly through a series of Five-Year Plans, transforming the country from a largely agrarian economy into a major industrial and military power. However, this process was accompanied by mass repression, gulag forced labor camps, ethnic cleansing, and the murder of millions of perceived "enemies of the state."
From its inception, the Soviet leadership pursued an aggressively expansionist foreign policy, seeking to spread communism and increase its influence across the world. The USSR rapidly absorbed the territories of the former Russian Empire, establishing direct control or client states across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and parts of the Far East.
After World War II, the USSR emerged as one of the two global superpowers, alongside the United States. It extended its sphere of influence by supporting communist revolutions and establishing satellite states in regions like China, Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, and Africa. The resulting Cold War between the USSR and US led to decades of geopolitical, economic, and ideological competition.
The highly centralized, authoritarian nature of the Soviet system allowed the USSR to pour massive resources into scientific research and technological development, often at the expense of consumer goods and living standards. The country made groundbreaking advances in fields like aerospace, nuclear technology, computing, and materials science.
The USSR was the first nation to launch a satellite (Sputnik 1) and send a human into outer space (Yuri Gagarin). It invested heavily in ambitious projects like the Buran space shuttle program and a manned mission to Mars. Soviet innovations like the AK-47 assault rifle, T-series tanks, and MiG fighter jets also established the USSR as a global military superpower.
Unlike in our timeline, the Soviet Union did not collapse in the late 20th century but has persisted as a major geopolitical force to the present day. It has weathered periodic economic and political crises, but the authoritarian Communist Party has retained a firm grip on power.
While the ideological zeal of the early USSR has faded, the country remains a rival to the United States and other Western powers, using its economic and military might to project influence across Eurasia and beyond. The legacy of the Soviet era, both positive and negative, continues to shape global affairs in this alternate reality.
