Ukraine. 3C Ostrogoths. Rus. 1240 Golden Horde. 1392 Lithuania. 1569 Poland. 1648 Independent Cossack state. 1654 Muscovy protectorate. 1772 Russia. 1918 Independent. 1923 USSR. 1991 Independent. CIS.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. USSR. 1917 Communist revolution, Civil War. 1923 Union of states. 1939 +Galicia. 1940 +Baltic States, Bessarabia, Karelia. 1945 +Ruthenia. Recognized: 1923 US, 1924 Britain, 1940 Yugoslavia. 1991 Dissolved. Russia.

USSR. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Voroshilov, Kliment. 1881-1969. Soviet Head of State 1953-60.

Wallenberg, Raoul. 1912-47?. Swedish diplomat. Saved thousands of Jews in WWII Budapest. Jailed by Soviets. Holocaust.

Warsaw Pact. 1955-91. USSR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, E Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania. Treaty for the combined defence of Eastern Europe under Soviet supreme command.

Warsaw Uprising. 1830-1. Czartoryski attempt to oust Russians crushed. 1944. Polish underground army defeats Germans but Soviet delay allows German reinforcements to defeat Poles, destroying potential opposition to later Soviet control.

World War II. 1939-45. Allies-Britain, France, US(1941-), Russia(1941-) vs Axis-Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia(-1941). Caused by German Totalitarian expansionism resulting from WWI reparations and fear of Communism. 55M dead. 35M wounded. 30M refugees. Cost $US 1500B. Led to United Nations, Soviet power, State of Israel, atomic weapons.

Yugoslavia. Balkans. 1918 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, Slovenes. 1929 =Yugoslavia. 1929-31 Dictatorship. 1941-45 Italy, Germany occupy. 1945 Socialist Federation of Republics. 1948 Broke Soviet ties. 1991 -Croatia, Slovenia, Civil war. Serbia. Croatia. Bosnia-Hercegovina. Slovenia. Macedonia. Montenegro. Tito. Kosovo.

Zhdanov, Andrei. 1896-1948. Russian Politburo member. Created Cominform. Restricted Soviet cultural activities.