Introduction
The political system of the Soviet Union was revolutionary in many ways, both internally and externally. The country was the first attempt at a communist government in the world at that time and thus had some unorthodox features in its system. This essay will discuss the Soviet Union’s political system’s unique characteristics and how it was different from any other state that existed at that time and has made a great impact on the world.
Totalitarian Political System
The main feature of the Soviet political system is its totalitarian nature. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the core of the society, with all the governmental branches acting under its supervision and control. The party’s all-encompassing influence on the economy and the public sphere at that time became a hallmark of the political system. The General Secretary of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks headed a pyramid of party-state administration. Thus, the USSR was a totalitarian state, with its internal politics being guided solely by the leader of the Communist Party.
Planned Economy and Centralized Control
One of the Soviet regime’s most striking differences from other countries was its planned economy. A planned economy is an economic model that assumes that all material goods are in state or public (socialist) ownership and that their distribution is in accordance with the plan. In the USSR, planning took the form of 5-year plans issued by the state. Thus, the party regulated all of the production, prices for goods, and wages in the USSR.
Suppression of Religion and Promotion of Atheism
Another feature of the internal politics of the USSR was its stance on religion. While most of the population of the former Russian Empire was religious before the revolution, the Communist Party aimed to replace religious belief with atheism. During the early years of the country, religious belief was prosecuted, with frequent executions of Orthodox priests and the repurposing or demolition of churches.
However, during World War II, the Russian Orthodox Church was reestablished to help improve the population’s morale. Thus, while the citizenry of the Soviet Union was allowed to continue religious practices in private, public displays, such as religious holidays, were strictly prohibited. Moreover, religious organizations, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, were allowed to persist, although they were denied any publicity.
Foreign Policy and Global Influence
The last characteristic of the Soviet system, its foreign policy, has impacted the world on a massive scale. To pursue the goal of establishing communism worldwide, the USSR has been involved in supporting various communist and socialist movements, both in third-world countries as well as the countries of the Western bloc. As a communist country, the Soviet Union saw capitalist countries as its natural opponents. This mindset has put the country at odds with the US and NATO countries, thus sparking the Cold War.
Moreover, the country was interested in expanding its view on socialism, and thus, most of the abovementioned features of the USSR applied to the countries in its sphere of influence. Thus, the Soviet Union made a massive impact on the world through its foreign policy by sparking the Cold War and helping to establish socialist governments across the globe.
Conclusion
Hence, the Soviet regime was unique in many ways when it was created. It was a totalitarian country with a planned economy that was opposed to religion and interested in popularizing atheism on its territory. Moreover, the USSR was intolerant of capitalist regimes and designed its foreign policy to spread its vision of communism abroad, thus putting it into a confrontation with the US and its allies. Thus, by expanding its influence onto other countries, the USSR has massively impacted global society.