Editing Soviet Union (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Soviet Union}}
{{see also|History of Russia}}
{{History of the Soviet Union}}
{{History of Russia|boxwidth=200px|marginleft=0|marginright=0}}
The history of the Soviet Union began with the ideals of the [[Bolshevik Revolution]] and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the [[Russian Civil War]], the Soviet Union quickly became a one-party state under the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]]. Its early years under [[Lenin]] were marked by the implementation of socialist policies and the [[New Economic Policy]] (NEP), which allowed for market-oriented reforms.

The rise of [[Joseph Stalin]] in the late 1920s ushered in an era of intense centralization and totalitarianism. Stalin's rule was characterized by the forced [[Collectivization in the Soviet Union|collectivization of agriculture]], rapid [[Industrialization in the Soviet Union|industrialization]], and the [[Great Purge]], which eliminated perceived enemies of the state. The Soviet Union played a crucial role in the [[Allies of World War II|Allied victory]] in [[World War II]], but at a tremendous human cost, with millions of Soviet citizens perishing in the conflict.

The Soviet Union emerged as one of the world's two superpowers, leading the [[Eastern Bloc]] in opposition to the [[Western Bloc]] during the [[Cold War]]. This period saw the USSR engage in an arms race, the [[Space Race]], and [[proxy wars]] around the globe. The post-Stalin leadership, particularly under [[Nikita Khrushchev]], initiated a [[de-Stalinization]] process, leading to a period of liberalization and relative openness known as the [[Khrushchev Thaw]]. However, the subsequent era under [[Leonid Brezhnev]], referred to as the [[Era of Stagnation]], was marked by economic decline, political corruption, and a rigid [[gerontocracy]]. Despite efforts to maintain the Soviet Union's superpower status, the economy struggled due to its centralized nature, technological backwardness, and inefficiencies. The vast military expenditures and burdens of maintaining the Eastern Bloc, further strained the Soviet economy.

In the 1980s, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]'s policies of [[Glasnost]] (openness) and [[Perestroika]] (restructuring) aimed to revitalize the Soviet system but instead accelerated its unraveling. Nationalist movements gained momentum across the [[Soviet republics]], and the control of the Communist Party weakened. The failed [[1991 Soviet coup attempt|coup attempt]] in August 1991 against Gorbachev by hardline communists hastened the [[end of the Soviet Union]], which formally dissolved on 26 December 1991, ending nearly seven decades of Soviet rule.