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The Soviet Union's origins trace back to the Russian Revolution of 1917, which resulted in the overthrow of Czar Nicholas II by the Bolsheviks, who pursued a Marxist agenda aimed at abolishing the class system. However, rather than achieving the intended communist dream, the nation fell under the dictatorial rule of leaders such as Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, transforming into a regime characterized by severe repression and political purges.
During World War II, the Soviet Union expanded its territory substantially, acquiring Eastern European nations and establishing them as satellite states under the Warsaw Pact. This alliance allowed the USSR to maintain a grip on its Eastern European bloc, contributing to the larger Cold War tensions with the United States.