‘CCCP” are the Russian initials for the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). It was founded in 1922 as a single-party state ruled by the Communist Party from its’ headquarters at The Kremlin in Moscow’s Red Square. The USSR, or Soviet Union, comprised some 15 main republics including Ukraine, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Byelorussia, Chechnya & Georgia. It stretched from Europe to the Pacific Ocean & is often referred to as Eurasia. The Communists had gained control of the Old Russian Empire following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, which saw the overthrow of the Russian aristocracy. The Communist system was highly-centralized & authoritarian, & was committed to rapid industrial development. Its early ruler Joseph Stalin presided over a system of brutal repression which softened in the latter years before the final break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, under the reformer Mikhail Gorbachev. For the duration of its’ existence, the Soviet Union posed a serious challenge to Western plans to promote democracy globally, and developed a fearsome military to counter what the Russians regarded as a traditional threat to their borders.