| − | The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the USSR was established by [[Vladimir Lenin]] in 1922. It allowed one central government under Lenin to control many socialized republics. | + | The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the USSR was established by [[Vladimir Lenin]] in 1922. It allowed one central government under Lenin to control many socialized republics. The USSR was avidly atheistic, and many thousands of people were murdered under [[Stalin]] and his infamous 'purges'. The USSR finally collapsed due to strong external pressure from the avidly Christian USA, and internal splintering caused by the lack of a single unifying faith. |