Guide Note

The Soviet Union was a Communist federation made up of countries from Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The federation lasted from 1922 to 1991.¹

Fast Facts

1. Full name: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
2. Communist-ruled¹
3. In existence from 1922 to 1991¹
4. Location: Central Asia and Eastern Europe
5. Founder: Vladimir Lenin

• 1917: The October Revolution—the Russian Provisional Government is overthrown and the Soviets gain control²
• 1922: Soviet Union is officially established in December, with control over four states¹
• 1924: Vladimir Lenin dies, Joseph Stalin takes over³
• 1929: Stalin institutes collectivization, which kills millions of Kulaks⁴
• 1939: World War II begins⁵
• 1945: World War II ends with the Soviet Union controlling a total of 15 states, including parts of Eastern Europe⁵
• 1949: Soviet Union detonates its first nuclear weapon⁵
• 1950-53: Korean War⁵
• 1953: Stalin dies, Nikita Khrushchev gains control⁵
• 1957: Soviets launch Sputnik, the first satellite⁵
• 1964: Leonid Brezhnev takes power⁵
• 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the Soviet Union⁵
• 1987: Gorbachev agrees to discontinue the Soviet's intermediate-range nuclear missile program⁵
• 1991: Soviet Union dissolves⁵

• 1922-24: Vladimir Lenin⁵
• 1924-53: Joseph Stalin⁵
• 1953-64: Nikita Khrushchev⁵
• 1964-82: Leonid Brezhnev⁵
• 1982-84: Yuri Andropov⁵
• 1984-85: Konstantin Chernenko⁵
• 1985-91: Mikhail Gorbachev⁵