The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly referred to as the Soviet Union or abbreviated as USSR, was one of the major powers existing before the Great War.
Background
Pre-Divergence
The Soviet Union was the end result of the 1917 October Revolution, formally founded in 1922 as a federal union of Soviet republics. Nominally a federation, it was highly centralized in practice, dominated by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, so much that the Soviet Union was frequently referred to as Soviet Russia or just Russia.[2]
The Soviet Union rapidly evolved from a backwater to a major power, shedding the legacy of the tsarist empire through rapid industrialization and modernization. It turned into a brutal dictatorship under the autocratic rule of Joseph Stalin, participating in World War II first supporting Nazi Germany and then waging war against them. Though it lost millions, the Soviet Union was the ultimate victor of the European theater and an indispensable member of the Allied nations, in the victory over the Axis powers.[2]
Post-Divergence
However, despite military camaraderie and close cooperation as part of the Lend-Lease program, the ideological differences drove a rift between the allies soon after the war ended. Economic, military, and technological competition followed, leading to many disputes between the Soviet Union and the United States. One of the most prominent is the controversy over the first human in space: Despite Sino-Soviet protests and refutations, the United States consistently credited Captain Carl Bell as the first human in space, who successfully completed an orbital flight on May 5, 1961, on board Defiance 7, before dying in the capsule's crash landing.[3][4]
By the 21st century, China supplanted the Union's position as a superpower, eclipsing its older communist sibling. However, the two communist powers were considered natural allies[5] by the United States and thus a threat: After the outbreak of the Sino-American War, the possibility of a joint nuclear first strike by the USSR and China under orders from Chairman Cheng was considered as a viable option by defense analysts.[6] Russian human mutation experiments also "inspired" similar efforts in America.[7]
By 2077, however, relations improved. As a nominally communist state, the Soviet Union was still considered a potential enemy among the U.S. military,[8] and corporate propaganda vilified the USSR as a land of forced labor camps and source of spies trying to obtain national secrets.[5] Communist propaganda was also commonly broadcast to the United States.[9][10] However, Soviet citizens could also openly immigrate to the United States.[11] There was a cultural gulf,[12] but Soviet citizens were commonly accepted,[13] especially in organized crime.[14] In fact, the relations were close enough that a Soviet diplomat from the Los Angeles consulate was accepted as a dweller of Vault 13, in the midst of the Sino-American War, and thus survived the war that extinguished most of human civilization, including the Soviet Union.[15]
Armed forces
Units
- The Spetnaz, a Russian special forces unit, is mentioned in the description for the Scorpio submachine gun found in Fallout Tactics.
Equipment
Known locations
- Chukchi Sea (seen on a map in a Capitol Post article about the liberation of Anchorage)
- Gulf of Anadyr (seen on a map in a Capitol Post article about the liberation of Anchorage)
- Russia (Russian SFSR)
- Abandoned oil refineries
- Chukotka (seen on a map in a Capitol Post article about the liberation of Anchorage)
- The Kremlin
- Re-education Colony
- Red Square
- Russian steppes villages
- Abandoned oil refineries
- Trans-Siberian Railway
Appearances
The Soviet Union is mentioned in Fallout, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and its updates Wild Appalachia and Wastelanders, and Fallout Tactics. The country's remains were meant to appear in 14° East's canceled Fallout Extreme, as the Cause made their way into China. The region would have been inhabited by Russian Cossacks.
Behind the scenes
- In the Fallout 3 add-on Operation: Anchorage, General Jingwei's shocksword has a symbol heavily resembling the Soviet hammer and sickle.[16]
- In Fallout 76, the Camp McClintock Patriotism Training building has a sign with the Soviet hammer and sickle being stabbed.[17] A poster depicts a similar situation, with a voting booth replacing the knife.[18]
- In Wild Appalachia, a top-secret Soviet spy ring was planned for inclusion. The player character would find a Soviet Mr. Handy and complete Mission: Accessible, a training program that would prepare them for secret operations for "Mother Russia."[19]
- The Fort Hagen Command Center map and globes found across Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 depict modern, post-1991 country borders, suggesting that the USSR's western republics/satellite states broke away, declaring independence. However, the reliability of these assets is unknown, as they are half-finished, with major bodies of water erroneously filled in.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Poster seen in Camp McClintock
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 For the history of the Soviet Union, see Wikipedia for details.
- ↑ Museum of Technology placard: "This is the actual skeleton of Captain Carl Bell who died on May 5, 1961 after his Space Capsule crash landed. Captain Bell is credited as being the first human in space on board the Space Capsule Defiance 7, but this has been constantly refuted by both the Soviet Union and China. Defiance 7's fight lasted for a total of 12 minutes and 7 seconds as it achieved one full revolution around the Earth. Donated by Edwina Bell."
- ↑ For reference, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, and the Vostok 1 flight was completed with his safe return to Earth.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 HELIOS One terminal entries; terminal, "Can I Tell Him?"
- ↑ The Switchboard terminal entries; research terminal, > 2067 Jun 19
- ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.85: "Michael Masters
Michael Masters was an esteemed electronic and biological engineer before the bombs dropped. He doesn't remember much of the first years after D.C. was destroyed, but he does remember his human life and resents his Ghoulish nature (though he does appreciate the gift of longevity). He was extremely intelligent and jovial in his old life, but living as a Ghoul has made him very pessimistic and angry at the world. He sees his Ghoulness as a karmic curse, because he was attempting to keep America at the forefront of human mutation experiments, breeding super-warriors after being inspired by the work of the German, Russian, and Chinese doctors."
(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census) - ↑ Wastewater treatment plant terminal entries; manager's terminal, Reply from City Treasurer
- ↑ Pioneer Scout camp terminal entries; Pioneer badge exam terminal, Codebreaker
- ↑ Pioneer Scout camp terminal entries; Pioneer badge exam terminal, Rail Enthusiast
- ↑ Vault Dweller: "Who is Lev, and why would he do this?"
Lou: "He's just some Soviet former mobster jagoff. He and his crew joined up with us a while back. You probably saw him hanging around the Crater Core? Liked to think of himself as Meg's number two, but I don't think she thought the same. Dunno why he did what he did. Maybe just hates ghouls. Maybe hates the rest of Meg's gang. Maybe both. I'll 'member to ask him next time he tries to kill me."
(Lou's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "How did you end up here?"
Lev: "From Russia, before the war. But I like it here. Americans are so soft. Such easy prey."
(Lev's dialogue) - ↑ Nobody ever considers Lev's Soviet origins a problem, unlike Mochou's.
- ↑ Eddie Winter holotape 0
- ↑ Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Page 3-2: Natalia Dubrovhsky's biography: "The granddaughter of a Soviet Union diplomat from the Los Angeles Consulate, Natalia is of Russian descent. She is a very talented acrobat, with excellent coordination and reflexes. High intelligence and resourcefulness coupled with a natural curiosity towards the outside world make her a perfect candidate for seeking out the water chip. The dwellers will certainly feel safer, as Natalia's childhood was rife with problems understanding personal property laws."
- ↑ File:FO3OA Shocksword texture file.jpg
- ↑ Patriotism Training sign
- ↑ Voting booth smashing a red and yellow hammer and sickle insignia
- ↑
Svetlana: "Congratulations, comrade! You are now top notch secret agent. I look forward to seeing what you do for Mother Russia."
(Svetlana's dialogue)
Note: This comment would have played upon completion of the cut quest Mission: Accessible.
- Non-game
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