Russia, or the Russian Federation, officially stopped being a communist country in 1991, when the Soviet Union, of which Russia was a part, dissolved. The Soviet Union was a federal socialist state that was established in 1922 following the Russian Revolution of 1917, which overthrew the Russian monarchy and resulted in the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, coming to power. The Soviet Union was characterized by a single-party communist government, state ownership of the means of production, and a planned economy.
The Soviet Union experienced significant political and economic changes during its nearly 70-year existence, but it remained a communist state until 1991. During this time, the Soviet Union underwent several major political and economic transformations, including the collectivization of agriculture, the industrialization of the economy, and the establishment of a command economy. However, these efforts were often accompanied by significant human rights abuses, including forced labor, persecution of political dissidents, and widespread corruption.
In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union faced a number of challenges, including economic stagnation, political unrest, and widespread disillusionment with the communist system. In 1991, a group of reform-minded politicians, led by President Mikhail Gorbachev, came to power and began implementing a series of political and economic reforms known as perestroika and glasnost. These reforms aimed to liberalize the Soviet economy, promote democracy, and increase transparency and accountability in government.
In December 1991, the Soviet Union officially dissolved, and the Russian Federation was established as an independent, democratic nation. The Russian Federation abandoned the communist system and adopted a market-based economy, with private ownership of the means of production and a greater role for market forces in determining economic outcomes.
Today, Russia is no longer a communist country, but it is still influenced by its communist past. Many of the economic and political institutions that were established during the Soviet era, including the bureaucracy, the military, and the state-controlled media, remain in place, and there is ongoing debate about the legacy of communism in Russia.