USSR

The USSR : 25 years Later
Look back on what was the biggest nation on Earth


It was the largest country in the world. It was one of the most powerful nations in the 1900s. But on December 26, 1991, the Soviet Union (USSR) fell apart. Now 25 years later, people look back at the mighty Soviet empire — and why it collapsed.

Russia had a revolution in 1917. Afterward, different groups fought for control for years. By December 30, 1922, the winners took charge and formed a Communist union — the Soviet Union. This new nation included not only Russia but also other republics such as Ukraine.

Almost from the birth of the country, Joseph Stalin was in charge. The brutal dictator led the USSR through the 1930s and 1940s. Stalin also controlled the Soviet military during World War II. When the deadly war ended in 1945, the USSR had grown. By the 1950s, it included 15 republics. (See Slide Show.)

The USSR continued to become more powerful. In 1957, the nation launched the first satellite — Sputnik — into space. Four years later, it sent a man into outer space for the first time. These events deepened the Cold War between the United States and the USSR.

The USSR never fought directly with the United States. But it did fight in other places during the Cold War. In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan. For nine long years, Soviet troops battled in the nearby nation. The costly conflict was not a success. By the end of the 1980s, the Soviet Union was in trouble.

The USSR began to break apart. The Berlin Wall, a symbol of Communism, came down in 1989. Some of the republics said they wanted to be on their own. By 1991, the USSR could not continue. On December 26, a document declared that the USSR was over. Before long, its republics split into 15 independent countries.

Marina Petrova grew up in Moscow, the largest city in the USSR. “When I was a young girl, I always knew that the government was not telling people the truth,” she told News-O-Matic. “But it was still shocking to see the Soviet Union fall apart.”


Updated December 22, 2016, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)