Boris Johnson has warned that the Kremlin is ‘intent on undoing the good’ of Mikhail Gorbachev, as he paid tribute to the legacy of the former Soviet leader
(Picture: Getty Images)Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has died aged 91.
Mr Gorbachev is best known for opening up the USSR, and for bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end, but he was unable to prevent his country from collapsing in 1991.
On Tuesday, August 30, he passed away after a long illness, a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital said, but no other details were given. Many world leaders and politicians shared tributes following Gorbachev’s death, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said: “In a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.”
But what was the Soviet Union, which countries were in it, who were the leaders, and why did it collapse?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What was the Soviet Union?
The Soviet Union, or USSR, was a state that was formed after the Russian revolution in 1917, and the subsequent three-year civil war.
It was founded on a political system of Marxist socialism, under its first leader, Vladimir Lenin. This system eventually morphed into a totalitarian regime, which was led by Joseph Stalin, who imposed a dictatorial form of government that heavily restricted Soviet citizens.
Encompassing what was previously the Russian Empire, it was initially a confederation of the states of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and what is now Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
It eventually grew to include Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, gaining significant political control over most of Central and Eastern Europe at the end of World War Two in 1945.
Many of these former states still hold deep social and cultural ties with Russia, as well as having Russian-speaking communities.
Which countries were in the Soviet Union?
In the decades after its establishment, the Soviet Union grew into one of the world’s most powerful and influential states, encompassing 15 republics.
These were:
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Georgia
- Belorussia
- Uzbekistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Moldova
- Turkmenistan
- Tajikistan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Estonia
Who were the Soviet Union’s leaders?
During its existence, the Soviet Union had eight leaders, from 1922 - 1991. Most leaders assumed power after becoming the head of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party.
Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev ruled the longest, who each served for decades as the head of the Communist Party. Georgy Malenkov lost power to Nikita Khrushchev after just a couple of weeks, and Konstantin Chernenko died after barely a year in office.
The Soviet Union leaders were:
- Vladimir Ilych Lenin, Head of the Central Committee, October 26, 1917 - April 3, 1922
- Joseph Stalin, First Secretary, April 3, 1922 - March 5, 1953
- Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary, September 7, 1953 - October 14, 1964
- Leonid Brezhnev, First Secretary, October 14, 1964 - April 8, 1966 and General Secretary April 8, 1966 - November 10, 1982
- Yuri Andropov, General Secretary, November 12, 1982 - February 9, 1984
- Konstantin Chernenko, General Secretary, February 13, 1984 - March 10, 1985
- Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary, March 11, 1985 - March 14, 1990 and President of the Soviet Union March 14, 1990 - December 25, 1991
What does the USSR stand for?
The USSR stands for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the union of multiple communist countries that no longer exist, but played a major role in world history.
From when it was formed in 1922, it grew in size and power to become a formidable geopolitical force, until its dissolution in 1991.
Why did the Soviet Union collapse?
By the 1980s, the USSR’s economy was suffering, and living standards were falling due in part to massive military spending.
Gorbachev came to power in 1985, and seeing change was needed, decided to open up the country politically. One consequence of this move was that it allowed the USSR’s military campaign in Afghanistan to become increasingly public.
This conflict claimed the lives of 14,500 Soviet troops and was one of the main factors in the USSR’s downfall.
Gorbachev also relaxed the state’s grip on the economy, allowing individuals and co-operatives to own their own businesses for the first time since the 1920s, and pursued friendlier relations with the West, drawing Russia back from the Cold War.
With Soviet military might withdrawn, revolutions across USSR puppet governments sprang up across Europe, with the first in Poland in 1989.
Independence movements then followed in the USSR itself, with Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia all announcing they were forming their own states separate from Moscow.
In 1991, Russia elected its first democratic leader, Boris Yeltsin, and after he signed agreements with Belarus and Ukraine allowing them to split from the Soviet Union, the rest of the USSR states followed suit.
Gorbachev then resigned as the USSR leader and commander-in-chief on Christmas Day, 1991.
