USSR Full Form Name: USSR Meaning
Full Form of USSR :
Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics
USSR Full From is Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics. Formerly, USSR was a country that comprised
mainly of the current day Russian Federation and various adjacent states. This
includes Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan,
Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Moldovia, Tajikistan, and more. It was a
constitutionally socialist state which exists between 1917 and 1991 in Eurasia.
USSR was also called the Soviet
Union and was founded by the revolution under Vladimir Lenin’s leadership.
During its existence, USSR was the largest country in the world in area. It
covered over 11 time zones out of the total 24 time zones. After USSR was
dissolved, Russia, which was a major part of USSR has become Russian
Federation, while other countries retain the same names.
USSR Full Form – Additional Information
The name Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, which will hereinafter be referred to as USSR throughout
the article, cannot be erased from the pages of history because of its key role
in changing political, socio-economic trends in the world. Its role, especially
during the time of cold war, is immemorial and needs to be studied in detail.
USSR, which was also known as the Soviet Union, was actually a socialist state
situated on the Eurasian continent. The Union lasted from the year 1922 to the
year 1991.
It is called a Union because it
is an assemblage of several soviet republics in which their governments and
economies were subjected to a centralized system. Thus, USSR was basically a
one-party state, which the Communist Party governed from the capital region
Moscow. There are many aspects about USSR that need to be known, especially
because of its historical relevance. So here are five points about USSR that
everyone must know about:
History behind the formation and disintegration
of the USSR
The origin of the USSR can be
traced back to the October Revolution that occurred in the year 1917. It was
that period when the Bolsheviks had successfully overthrown the substitute
government that was placed as a replacement to the Tsar. Following the event,
the Bolsheviks installed the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic,
whose name was later changed to Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in
the year 1936. The establishment marked the commencement of a civil war between
Whites and the Reds. The Red Army stormed multiple territories of the empire
and supported regional communists to take over through soviets.
In the year 1922, the communists
clinched victory and established the Soviet Union by causing unification of the
entire Russian republic, and other republics such as Ukranian, Byelorussian,
and Transcaucasian. When Lenin died in the year 1924, Joseph Stalin took over
the reins of the empire and managed to suppress almost every political
opposition that emerged and committed to the Marxism-Leninism ideology. Stalin
was an oppressive leader, who removed political opposition out of his fears of
being overthrown. He is known to have carried out the Great Purge, which
resulted in mass arrests of people, who were either sentenced to death or sent
to labor camps.
By the time Stalin died, Cold War
had already emerged. Post-1953, Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev took the task
to encourage political harmony and economic liberalization. This chapter is
known as Khrushchev’s Thaw. During this period, the USSR witnessed a rapid
surge in development activities. Such was the developmental pace that USSR took
the early lead in Space programs and launched the first human spaceflight. In
the 1970s, tensions accelerated when USSR started deploying military troops to
Afghanistan. The Aghan war caused heavy drainage of resources of the country.
The last of the Soviet leaders,
Mikhail Gorbachev, tried to reform the Soviet society through his policies,
perestroika and glasnost. It was during his tenure the Cold War was finished,
however, there were numeral infighting among constituent republics. In the year
1991, the Communist Party attempted a failed coup, following which it was
banned. Gorbachev resigned eventually and the constituent republics left the
Union, causing the Union to break up. This was the rich history of USSR, which
holds great relevance in understanding the contemporary Russian ideology.
Politics in the USSR
During the lifetime of the USSR,
there were three key power hierarchies, namely: the legislature, which the
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union represented; the government, which the
Council of Ministers represented; and then the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union (abbreviated as CPSU), which was the only party legal in the country and
the ultimate policymaker. The Communist party was known for its rigorous
control mechanism through the system of appointments.
Every senior official of the
government and deputy of the Supreme Soviet were also the members to the CPSU.
As far as the Judiciary system is concerned, it was not independent. The
Supreme Court of the USSR undertook a supervisory role to the lower courts—also
known as the People’s courts—and ensured application of law according to the
interpretations made by the Supreme Soviet. The task of reviewing the
issues relating to the constitutionality of laws was upon the Constitutional
Oversight Committee. In the Soviet Union, the inquisitorial system prevailed.
Science and Technology
One of the greatest achievements
of the USSR was in the field of science and technology. The most commendable
contributions of the USSR such as the launch of the first space satellite of
the world were all the tasks of the military. The emphasis upon the development
of science and technology was essentially based on Lenin’s belief that
developed world cannot be outsmarted unless science and technology is
developed. This led to the formation of a huge, well-organized network of
research institutions, developmental organizations, and other agencies.
In the 1960s, USSR had
awarded about 40 PhDs in chemistry to women scholars, which was way more than
the number of such PhDs awarded in the United States of America. Despite its
numerous achievements, the policy followed by the USSR in respect of the
development of science and technology was flawed and eventually, it could not
excel much in key areas such as biology, chemistry, and computers. In the
meantime, the US adopted a much relaxed and organized policy of development,
which allowed free flow of ideas and developmental investments.
Education system in the USSR
Until the year 1917, the
education system of the Russian Empire was inaccessible to children belonging
to backward classes. However, post-formation of the USSR, the emphasis was
started to be laid on the importance of education. Reforms were placed for
removing illiteracy. Many believe that quality was compromised for quantity.
Following the Great Patriotic
War, the education system of the Union saw great expansion. By the year 1960,
almost every child in the Union could have access to educational facilities.
The contributions of Nikita Khrushchev are especially important in this regard.
The education system was a
centralized one and it placed affirmative action for those students who came
from culturally backward nations. There, however, existed anti-Semitic
education policy, which subjected Jews applicants to tougher entrance
examinations. Thus, even though efforts were made to expand and develop
education system, the authorities nevertheless ensured that their ideologies
are sufficiently taught and ingrained in pupils.
Economy of the USSR
It is to be noted that the Soviet
Union was the first country to officially adopt a planned and systematic
economy. In its economy, the manufacture and distribution of goods were
centralized and regulated by the government. The Bolshevik first experimented
with the economy with War Communism policy, which dealt with the
nationalization of industries, centralization of distribution services, forced
acquisition of agricultural produce, and elimination of free trade.
War Communism policy was however
substituted with New Economy Policy (abbreviated as NEP) by Lenin. NEP
legitimatized free trade and even allowed private ownership, though restricted
it to small enterprises. The USSE witnessed massive industrial development and
it eventually became an industrialized nation. It emerged as a great superpower
post-World War II. The economic policies of the Union remained the same until
its collapse into several independent nations.