|
From
ethnic turmoil and civil war to struggles for independence and political
mergers, countries come and go over time. Here’s a look at some
countries that no longer exist.
|
|
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established
in northern Eurasia, stretching from the Baltic and Black seas to the
Pacific Ocean. Toward the end of its reign, the communist country
comprised 15 Eurasian republics encompassing over 100 distinct
nationalities and was geographically the largest country in the world.
The USSR was a major superpower that nearly came to nuclear blows with
the United States during the Cold War. The Soviet Union collapsed in
1991 and many of the republics within it declared their independence. |
|
 |
|
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (Land of South Slavs) was located in Europe on the
west-central Balkan Peninsula. Once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Yugoslavia was first established in 1918, but called the Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. It became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in
1929. After World War II, the monarchy was dissolved, and the country
became communist, under the rule of Josip Tito. After his death in 1980,
it succumbed to ethnic tensions and a brutal civil war. In the
mid-1990s, Yugoslavia separated into seven distinct states: Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and
Slovenia. |
|
|
|
Rhodesia
Located in south-central Africa in the region that is now known as
Zimbabwe and Zambia, Rhodesia became a self-declared yet unrecognized
country in 1965. Rhodesia was administered by the British South Africa
Company seeking gold, copper, and coal, until the country gained
independence in 1979 following the 14-year Rhodesian Bush War. |
|
|
|
Austria-Hungary
Created in 1867 through a union of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom
of Hungary, Austria-Hungary included 11 different ethnic groups, was the
largest Catholic-led empire of its time, and lasted until 1918. The
empire eventually succumbed to nationalist sentiments, becoming the
separate nations of Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and
Yugoslavia. |
|
 |
|
North and South Vietnam
Vietnam was a French colony during World War II, but occupied by the
Japanese Empire. After Japan lost the war, the Vietnamese were able to
oust the French, but in 1954, at the Geneva Conference, the country was
divided into north and south—communist and non-communist respectively.
What ensued was a long, bloody war involving the North, the South, and
the United States, as well as smaller contingents from South Korea,
Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. The U.S. finally pulled out in
1973, after which North Vietnam seized Saigon in 1975, and Vietnam was
reunited under a communist government.
|
|
 |
|
Tuvan People’s Republic
In 1921, with Russia’s support, Bolsheviks created the Tuvan People’s
Republic, which was only recognized as independent by the Soviet Union
and Mongolia. The state lasted until 1944, when it was annexed by the
Soviet Union, and today the territory of Tannu Tuva, known as the Tuva
Republic (pictured is the modern-day Tuva flag), is part of the Russian
Federation.
|
|
 |