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Formation of the USSR (1922) and the Constitution of 1924

On 30 December 1922 four Soviet republics (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Transcaucasia) signed a treaty and formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Lenin wanted a union of equal republics; the rival plan would have put the small republics inside Russia. The 1924 Constitution made two chambers for the union, gave defence and foreign policy to the centre and schools, language and local courts to the republics, but the Communist Party held the real power.

๐ŸŽฌ Step-by-step story

  1. In 1922 there are four Soviet republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Transcaucasia. Each block is one republic.
  2. Two plans are on the table. Plan A: the small blocks slide inside Russia. Plan B, Lenin's plan: all four stay equal partners.
  3. On 30 December 1922 the four sign a treaty. A roof rises over them: the Soviet Union, or USSR.
  4. In January 1924 the new Constitution gives the union a parliament with two rooms: the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities.
  5. Jobs are shared. The centre keeps defence, foreign policy and trade. The republics keep schools, language and local courts. A red bar shows the Party above everything.
  6. Free play: move the year slider from 1922 to 1936 and count the republics grow from 4 to 11.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

๐Ÿค” Common doubts, cleared

Why were there four republics and not just one Russia?

Ukraine, Belarus and Transcaucasia had their own Soviet governments from the civil war. The leaders had to decide how they would live together.

What is wrong with Plan A?

The small blocks lose their own place and may be ruled by Russia. Lenin warned that this would make other peoples angry.

What does the treaty change?

The republics keep their names but share one army, one foreign policy and one plan. The roof in the 3D stands for these shared jobs.

Why two chambers?

One chamber counts people (Council of the Union) and one gives each republic a voice (Council of Nationalities), so large and small groups are both heard.

Who really decided things?

The Communist Party. The red bar sits above both the centre and the republics.

Why did the union grow to 11 republics?

New republics were formed in Central Asia and Transcaucasia was divided. Move the slider to see the counts change.

Before the union: four republics

The Civil War (1918 to 1921) ended with the Bolsheviks winning. Several Soviet republics now existed side by side. Soviet republic means a state run by councils called soviets, led in practice by the Communist Party.

They had fought the war together and shared the Party, the army and the railways. Keeping them as four separate states made trade, defence and money hard to run. The leaders needed a common roof.

Two plans: autonomy or equal union

In 1922 a committee prepared a plan called autonomisation: the small republics would join the RSFSR as parts of it, with some self-rule. Lenin, who was ill, disagreed. He feared this would let Russians dominate everyone else, and he called such behaviour "Great Russian chauvinism" (too much pride in one nation, at the cost of others).

Lenin's idea won in the end: a union of equal republics, each one a partner with the right, on paper, to leave. This is the plan the 3D scene shows as Plan B.

The treaty: on 30 December 1922 the First Congress of Soviets approved the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR. The union had four members.

The Constitution of 1924

Lenin died on 21 January 1924. The Second Congress of Soviets approved the first Constitution of the USSR on 31 January 1924. Its main points:

Paper and practice: the Party and the nationalities policy

The rules on paper were fair, but the Communist Party ran every republic with one line from Moscow. So the right to leave could not really be used.

In the 1920s the state also followed korenizatsiya ("putting down roots"): it trained local officials, opened schools in local languages, and wrote alphabets for peoples who had none. This helped many peoples learn to read, even though the Party stayed in control.

The union grew: Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan joined in 1925, Tajikistan in 1929. In 1936 Transcaucasia was split into Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan became union republics. That makes 11.

Try it

Use the 3D. At step 1 watch the small blocks slide inside Russia (Plan A), then stand equal (Plan B). Predict first: which plan would you choose if you lived in a small republic? Then at step 5 move the slider and note the years when the count changes: 1925, 1929 and 1936.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. Name the four republics that formed the USSR in 1922.

The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), the Ukrainian SSR, the Belarusian SSR and the Transcaucasian Federation (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan together).

2. Why did Lenin reject the plan of autonomisation?

Under that plan the small republics would sit inside Russia and have few rights. Lenin feared Russian dominance and bad feeling among other peoples. He wanted all republics to be equal partners in a union.

3. Explain how the 1924 Constitution divided power between the centre and the republics, and what stayed the same on the ground.

The centre got defence, foreign policy, foreign trade, transport and the national plan. The republics kept schools, health, justice and local affairs, and could leave the union on paper. In practice the Communist Party gave one line to all, so real power stayed in Moscow.

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. In which year was the USSR formed?
2. Which republic was NOT one of the four founders?
3. What was Lenin's plan for the republics?
4. The Constitution of 1924 created which two chambers?
5. Who really held power in all republics?

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the USSR?

The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was a country formed in 1922 from Soviet republics. It lasted until 1991.

Why was the USSR formed in 1922?

After the civil war the Bolsheviks wanted one army, one economy and one foreign policy for the Soviet republics, and a common state made it easier to rule and rebuild.

What did the 1924 Constitution say in simple words?

It said the USSR is a union of republics with two chambers in its parliament. The centre decides defence and foreign matters; the republics handle schools, health and local courts. But the Communist Party was above it all.

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