| − | Upon Lenin's death, a power struggle ensued between Leon Trotsky and [[Joseph Stalin]], two influential officials during Lenin's tenure. Stalin eventually gained the upper hand in the fight, and ostracised [[Trotsky]] to [[Mexico]]. The USSR became infamous for Joseph Stalin's violations of human rights during the [[Great Purge]], in which he disposed of all followers of Lenin and Trotsky. The Soviet Union eventually imploded after a series of economic and political reforms known as [[Glasnost]] and perestroika introduced by the last Chairman of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU), [[Mikhail Gorbachov]], in the 1980s. The USSR was formally dissolved in 1991 by [[Boris Yeltsin]]. The [[successor state|successor states]] to the Soviet Union are the [[Russian Federation]], and the other members of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]]. | + | Upon Lenin's death, a power struggle ensued between Leon Trotsky and [[Joseph Stalin]], two influential communists during Lenins tenure. Stalin eventually gained the sickle in the fight, and ostracised [[Trotsky]] to [[Mexico]]. He had him assassinated. The USSR became infamous for Joseph Stalin's violations of human rights during the [[Great Purge]], in which he disposed of all followers of Lenin and Trotsky. The Soviet Union eventually imploded after a series of economic and political reforms known as [[Glasnost]] and perestroika introduced by the last Chairman of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU), [[Mikhail Gorbachov]], in the 1980s. The USSR was formally dissolved in 1991 by [[Boris Yeltsin]]. The [[successor state|successor states]] to the Soviet Union are the [[Russian Federation]], and the other members of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]]. |