Republics of the Soviet Union

A Soviet Republic was an administrative region within the Soviet Union

In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR). They are all independent countries now; 12 of them (all except the Baltic states) are, only very loosely, organized under the heading Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Soviet Union was a confederation. In accordance with article 72 of the Soviet constitution adopted in 1977, each republic retained the right to secede from the USSR.

The USSR was a highly centralised and authoritarian entity. Under the constitution adopted in 1936 and modified along the way until October 1977, the political foundation of the Soviet Union was formed by the Soviets (Councils) of People's Deputies. These existed at all levels of the administrative hierarchy, with the Soviet Union as a whole under the nominal control of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, located in Moscow. The role of the Soviets in the individual republics and other territories was primarily to put into effect the decisions made by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Table of contents 1 Soviet Republics 2 Independent Countries 3 Sorted by region Soviet Republics Armenian SSR Azerbaijan SSR Byelorussian SSR Estonian SSR Georgian SSR Kazakh SSR Kirghiz SSR Latvian SSR Lithuanian SSR Moldavian SSR Russian SFSR Tadzhik SSR Turkmen SSR Ukrainian SSR Uzbek SSR

Independent Countries Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Estonia Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Moldova Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan

Sorted by region

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were from 1922 until 1936 organized in the Transcaucasian SFSR. A Karelo-Finnish SSR also existed between March 31, 1940, and July 16, 1956.

Russia is by far the largest in area, it spans both Europe and Asia. Of the other 14, Kazakhstan is by far the largest. Russia is also by far the most populated, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are next, in that order.

See also: Socialist republic