European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                How the soviet Empire emerged 20th Century changes in soviet Union after the 1917 revolution Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia belorussian and the Ukraine temporarily broke away from Moscow s control and formed Independent states. They were quickly reabsorbed into the soviet Union. The Baltic states also broke away and Moldavia was Given to Romania. All were retaken under Stalin a 1939 pact with Hitler at the outset of the world War ii. Finland Independent since world War i lost some territory to the soviet Union in. World War ii. 01939 note Modem Borders of european countries Are shown on map Tor reference. Source the times Atlas of world history aps amps by David Binder the new York times the soviet Union originally was a re establishment of the russian Empire in its somewhat truncated pos world War i form under the Flag of communism. During world War ii it expanded far beyond the boundaries of the Empire acquiring vast territories in Europe and smaller areas in Asia. Following is a Brief account Republic by Republic of the expansion of first russian Ana then soviet Power Armenia the armenians first recorded in the seventh Century b.c., have preserved a distinct identity Ever since. Dominated by persians romans byzantine greeks arabs and turks the armenians had Only Brief periods of Independence. Armenians occasionally sided with the russians in 19th-Century fighting against the ottoman Empire. They were caught up in their own drive for Independence which culminated in the creation of a Short lived Republic. In 1920, Turkey and the soviet Union divided up the armenian lands and in december of that year an armenian soviet Republic was declared. Azerbaijan Azerbaijan was originally part of the pre Christian persian Empire. Later populated largely by turkic Peoples the Northern Region including the future Oil capital of Baku was acquired under treaties Early in the 19th Century. Under turkish occupation in 1918, an Azerbaijan Republic was declared but in 1920 the red army invaded and the soviet Republic was formed. Byelorussian the White russians were among the original Eastern slavic Peoples along with the russians and ukrainians who created a russian state at Kiev in the ninth Century. Following the mongol invasion byelorussian territory came under the polish lithuanian Kings. Following fighting Between Poland and the new soviet government after world War i the Western half of byelorussian was Given to the poles. The soviet Union took it  in september 1939 under the terms of the Hitler Stalin pact. Estonia the estonians linguistically close to the finns resisted scandinavian and russian domination in the uth and 12th centuries but succumbed to German and danish knights in the 13th Century. Russian armies returned under Peter i and subjugated Estonia in 1709. A National Awakening began in the 19th Century stirring a drive for Independence. Estonia declared Independence from Russia in 1918. Under the Hitler Stalin pact the soviet Union annexed Estonia in August 1940. A year later German forces drove out the soviet occupiers and nazi Germany incorporated Estonia. Estonia was re acquired by the russians again in 1944. Georgia in the mountainous caucasus Region a distinctive georgian people emerged in historical accounts More than 2,800 years ago. A georgian Empire that arose in the 13th Century was crushed by the mongol invasion and the Region fell subsequently under turkish and persian overlords. Russia annexed most of Georgia in the Early 19th Century. But Georgia declared Independence in 1918 and was recognized by the allies. But in 1921, the red army entered Tbilisi and a soviet Republic was formed under Josef Stalin a native georgian. Latvia the ancestors of the latvians were a Western slavic people who appeared in the present territory in the ninth Century. Teutonic knights subdued latvian lands in the 13th Century and remained dominant for several Hundred years. Latvia was subsequently ruled by Poland and Sweden. Peter i seized Riga in 1710, and the rest of Latvia fell by 1795. The idea of an Independent Latvia was raised by nationalist groups during the failed russian revolution of 1905. Toward the end of world War i German forces and the soviet insurgents of Petrograd vied for control of Baltic lands but when Germany collapsed latvians proclaimed their country a Independence and a Republic was born in 1920. In june 1940, under the Hitler Stalin pact soviet troops invaded Latvia and in August it was incorporated into the soviet Union. Lithuania the lithuanians like the latvians Are a Western slavic people whose roots on the Southeastern Shore of the Baltic Date  perhaps 2,400 years. The lithuanians formed a monarchical Union with the neighbouring poles in 1385 and participated in creating an Empire. In the late 18th Century russian expansion overwhelmed Lithuania. In 1905, lithuanian patriots called for autonomy and in 1918 an Independent state was proclaimed As the defeat of the then occupying germans Drew near. Later in a dispute with Poland the lithuanian capital of Vilnius was annexed. In 1939 the soviet army occupied the City and returned it to Lithuania but a year later the soviets took Over the country. Kazakhstan the kazakh people emerged in the Wake of the mongol invasion of Russia As a mixture of turkic and mongol tribes in Southwest soviet Asia in the 15th Century. Russian Rule Over the kazakhs began in 1731 with the submission of a tribal Leader. The settling of peasants from Russia and the Ukraine in kazakh lands stirred resistance ending in a revolt in 1916 that was brutally suppressed. Kazakh nationalists formed a government in 1917. But the soviet army entered the Region in 1919 and an autonomous Republic was formed a year later. Kazakhstan became a full Republic in 1936. Kirghizia the mainly nomadic kirghiz people occupy the Mou Taino us Southeast Central Region. Of turkic origin they preserved some degree of tribal Independence until the 19th Century when they were overrun by russian colonists. Much Fertile land was taken by russian settlers which led to an uprising in 1916. There was considerable guerrilla activity against soviet authorities after the 1917 revolution. Kirghizia was made a part of the russian federation in 1924, and an autonomous Republic two years later. It was raised to the status of a full Republic in 1936. Moldavia a portion of the Region had been part of the slavic polity called Kiev rus in the ninth Century. It was dominated by romanian princes in the 15th Century and reverted to russian domination in the 19th Century. The Western portion called Bessarabia was accorded to Romania in 1918. In August 1940, As a result of the Hitler Stalin pact Moscow annexed Bessarabia and incorporated it into the moldavian Republic. Russia the russian reach for Empire began by most historical accounts at the end of the 15th Century. Under Ivan in _ Ivan the terrible a the forces of Muscovy con Zered khanate of the mongol horde which that had devastated slavic lands two centuries before and pushed into Siberia. In the 18th Century the russian Empire successfully fought Sweden and the ottoman turks gaining most of the present Ukraine and byelorussian. In the 19th Century the Romanov czars conquered the remaining asian khanate seized Transcaucasia and gained control of the Crimea. In september 1939, Stalin seized Eastern Poland As part of his secret agreement with Adolf Hitler. He then attacked Finland eventually seizing a 66,500 Square mile area in Western Karelia which was annexed by Russia in March 1940. In 1945, Stalin demanded and received about 8,125 Square Miles of East Prussia As War spoils. He did the same in Asia with the Kuril islands and the Southern half of Sakhalin As Booty from Japan. Kadzhi Kristan the Tad his were originally a persian people who came under turkic influence including the islamic religion in the 10th Century. Russian involvement did not take place until the 20th Century. Following the bolshevik revolution the soviet authorities created a turkestan autonomous soviet socialist Republic which included a Large number of Tad his. A Tadzik autonomous Republic was created in 1924 As part of Uzbekistan then separated and made a full Republic in 1929. Turkmenistan the turkmen of the sunni Muslim Faith arc spread through Iraq Turkey Syria Iran and Afghanistan. Until russian military units appeared in the Central asian regions in the 19th Century they were mostly nomads. The turkmen people resisted russian encroachments but were finally subdued in 1881. Turkmen tribesmen revolted again in 19.16 and were crushed. Soviet troops invaded in 1919 and established soviet Rule. A Republic was created in 1924. Ukraine the Ukraine Home of the original russian polity based in Kiev first acquired a self governing entity in the 16th Century with the Rise of the Don cossacks. The cossacks were a military caste employed by the polish lithuanian and russian overlords. Ukrainians fought the poles in the. 17th Century and asked the russian Czar for help. Russia took this As an invitation to take control. Patriots proclaimed a a tree and Sovereign Ukraine in 1918, but soon afterwards the soviet army occupied Kiev and the Ukraine became a part of the soviet Union. Uzbekistan the uzbek people derive their name from Khan uzbek one of the chiefs of the mongol turkic horde that swept into the slavic lands in the Middle Ages. In the 15th Century they inhabited a Region Between the lower Volga and the aral sea. After the bolshevik revolution russian colonists from Tashkent established an autonomous Republic of turkestan. A redrawing of the map of turkestan took Elace in 1924, and out of that emerged a unit called Uzbekistan which later became a Republic