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.

Viet Cong. 1954-75. Communist guerillas seeking to reunify Vietnam.

Viète, François. 1540-1603. French mathematician, algebraic notation. Equation theory.

Vietnam. Annam. 209BC Nam Vet kingdom. 111BC China. 2C Funan, 939 Independent. Khmer, Cham, Mongol invasions repelled. 1407 Ming. 1867 France (S). 1883 Tonkin, Annam French protectorates(N). 1940 Japanese occupy. 1945 Independent. 1946-54 French Indochina War. 1954 Communist Democratic Republic (N). 1955 Republic (S). 1962 Vietnam War. 1976 Socialist Republic of Vietnam 1987 Economic liberalization. 1995 US recognition.

Vietnam War. 1946-54. =Indo China War. 1962-75. Democratic South Vietnam falls to Communists despite US aid to 1973.

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.

Whitlam, Gough. 1916-. Australian Labour Prime Minister 1972-5. Quit Vietnam War. Dismissed by Governor General. Reduced immigration restrictions. White Australia.

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.