Soviet Union


Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Soviet Union

See Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Soviet Union

n
(Placename) a former federal republic in E Europe and central and N Asia: the revolution of 1917 achieved the overthrow of the Russian monarchy and the Soviet Union (the USSR) was established in 1922 as a Communist state. It was the largest country in the world, occupying a seventh of the total land surface. The collapse of Communist rule in 1991 was followed by declarations of independence by the constituent republics and the consequent break-up of the Soviet Union. Official name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Also called: Russia or Soviet Russia Abbreviation: USSR
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Un′ion of So′viet So′cialist Repub′lics


n.
a former federal union of 15 constituent republics, in E Europe and N Asia, comprising the larger part of the earlier Russian Empire: dissolved in December 1991. 8,650,069 sq. mi. (22,402,200 sq. km). Cap.: Moscow. Also called Soviet Union. Abbr.: U.S.S.R., USSR
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Soviet Union - a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern AsiaSoviet Union - a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR
February Revolution, Russian Revolution - the revolution against the czarist government which led to the abdication of Nicholas II and the creation of a provisional government in March 1917
October Revolution, Russian Revolution - the coup d'etat by the Bolsheviks under Lenin in November 1917 that led to a period of civil war which ended in victory for the Bolsheviks in 1922
Russian - the Slavic language that is the official language of Russia
razbliuto - the sentimental feeling you have about someone you once loved but no longer do
pirogi, piroshki, pirozhki - small fruit or meat turnover baked or fried
kvass - fermented beverage resembling beer but made from rye or barley
kolkhoz - a collective farm owned by the communist state
Soviet Socialist Republic - one of the states that formerly made up the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922-1991)
Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia, Russia - formerly the largest Soviet Socialist Republic in the USSR occupying eastern Europe and northern Asia
Caspian, Caspian Sea - a large saltwater lake between Iran and Russia fed by the Volga River; the largest inland body of water in the world
Eurasia - the land mass formed by the continents of Europe and Asia
steppe - extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia)
tovarich, tovarisch - a comrade (especially in Russian communism)
Isaac Stern, Stern - United States concert violinist (born in Russia in 1920)
balagan - a word for chaos or fiasco borrowed from modern Hebrew (where it is a loan word from Russian); "it was utter and complete balagan!"
svoboda - (Russia) freedom
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Sovětský svaz
Nõukogude Liit
Neuvostoliitto
Sovjetski Savez
Szovjetunió
Uni Soviet
ソヴェト連邦ソビエト連邦ソ連
Sovjetunionen
Sovjetunionen

Soviet Union

n the Soviet Union → l'Unione f Sovietica
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
In the 1930s, the Soviet Union enacted new policies aimed at forcing individual farms to combine into groups called "collectives", as well as demanding extremely high levels of grain for export.
Ukraine And Russia: A Tense Relationship
"In a press conference around the same time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, "Moscow has jeopardized Washington's security interests, and we can no longer be restricted by the treaty while Soviet Union shamelessly violates it."Pompeo predicted that unless Washington acts to dissolve Soviet Union, Moscow might invade Afghanistan.
After withdrawing from a nuclear arms treaty with Russia, US threatens to dissolve Soviet Union
Links between CSFS and Jewish organizations such as the United Jewish People's Order were strained after 1956 when news of Khrushchev's acknowledgment of anti-Semitism in Stalin's Soviet Union began to circulate in Canada.
Propaganda and Persuasion: The Cold War and the Canadian-Soviet Friendship Society
While not a formal alliance, the treaty required Finland to have neutral or friendlier policies with the Soviet Union, including requiring the Finns to commit to repel any attempt by other Western nations to use any territory of Finland as base for attacks against the Soviet Union.
IN THE KNOW: Finlandization
That is only natural because, prior to becoming the president of Georgia, Shevardnadze was a loyal member of Gorbachev's team and the last foreign minister of the Soviet Union. In his comments, Gorbachev pointed out that the subject of the Soviet Union has quietly passed from the purview of political scientists into the realm of archeology.
The Soviet Union's shadow grows longer
* According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a soviet was the "council that was the primary unit of government" in the Soviet Union. The first Soviets were organized by striking workers in St.
World studies: Russia
As for the Soviet Union losing one million people during the war it is nowhere near the estimated six to 10 million people that Stalin killed off during his reign of terror, many of which were his own people, who just happened to disagree with him.
It's America we should thank for defeating the Germans; Letters extra
The diplomatic resolution of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 is a great example of the successful application of diplomacy against the Soviet Union. The significance of that moment cannot be overstated.
How to handle a nuclear Iran: lessons from the Soviet Union?
So when, in 1966, Reed was approached by a friendly Russian apparatchik offering a truly socialist variant of fame, he boarded a plane for the Soviet Union as an Officially Approved Rock Star--the genuine American article, playing ersatz rock 'n' roll.
Red Elvis: the strange tale of the Soviets' favorite rock 'n' roll star
In the mid-1980s, at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union each had thousands of nuclear warheads, along with a multitude of aircrews and missiles, sitting on red alert to carry those bombs to their targets at a moment's notice.
Sudden chill: even a limited nuclear exchange could trigger a climate catastrophe

Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?