Soviet Union (Nationstates II)

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), is a federal socialist state in Northern Eurasia with a population of over 350 million. As a one-party state under the control of the Communist Party, it is a federation of fifteen republics but dominated by its largest republic, the Russian SFSR, which also houses its capital of Moscow. Other major urban centers include Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kiev (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR) and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR). It is the largest country in the world by surface area, spanning over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi) east to west across 11 time zones and over 7,200 kilometers (4,500 mi) north to south. It consists of five climate zones such as tundra, taiga, steppes, desert, and mountains. Its diverse population are collectively known as Soviet people, and they form the population of one of the four global superpowers of the world (the other three being the United States, the British Empire and the European Commonwealth).

The Soviet Union was established in late 1922 towards the end of the Russian Civil War, started by the October Revolution that established the Russian SFSR in 1917. It encompassed most of the territory of the former Russian Empire, save for the territories of Alaska which became a haven for the Russian Imperial Family, who established a continuation of the Imperial government.

The Soviet Union was established in 1922, encompassing much of the territories of the former Russian Empire. The USSR became involved in World War II following Germany's invasion in 1941, eventually siding with the western allies. The Soviets suffered the largest casualties during the war, ending with the Soviet occupation of Berlin in 1945. Following the end of the war, the western allies and the USSR turned against each other for global economic and political. Known as the Cold War, the period was noted for the political dominance of the capitalist west (led by the United States) and the Communist east (led by the Soviet Union), which was fought not by direct war but by manipulation, proxy-wars, and Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) following the detonation of a Soviet nuclear bomb in 1949. The Cold War lasted from 1945 until 1990.