Republics of the Soviet Union facts for kids

The Republics of the Soviet Union were like the main states or regions that made up the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was a very powerful country where the central government made most of the big decisions. These republics reported directly to that main government.

Map of the Union Republics from 1956-1991. Each color shows a different republic.

What Were the Union Republics?

The Soviet Union was made up of 15 different republics. Think of them as the "member states" of a very large country. Each republic had its own government, but they all followed the rules set by the main Soviet government in Moscow.

These republics were:

• Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (often just called Russia)
• Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
• Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (now Belarus)
• Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
• Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
• Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
• Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
• Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
• Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (now Moldova)
• Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (now Kyrgyzstan)
• Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
• Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
• Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
• Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
• Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Becoming Independent Countries

When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, all 15 of these republics became independent countries. This was a huge change for the world map! Many of these new countries are still independent today.

For example:

• The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic became Russia.
• The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became Ukraine.
• The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic became Belarus.
• The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic became Uzbekistan.
• The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic became Kazakhstan.

These new countries then started to build their own governments and economies, separate from the old Soviet system.

Images for kids

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  Country emblems of the Union republics, before and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Note that the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (fifth in the second row) no longer exists as a political entity of any kind, and the emblem is unofficial.

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  A hall in Bishkek's Soviet-era Lenin Museum decorated with the flags of Soviet Republics

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  Poster of the unity of the Soviet republics in the late 1930s. All republics, except Russia, are shown with their respective traditional clothes.

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  Poster of the unity of the Soviet republics in the late 1940s. Note that the map also points out the Karelo-Finnish SSR capital, Petrozavodsk.

See also

In Spanish: Repúblicas de la Unión Soviética para niños