2. Russia (Soviet Union)
The Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the establishment of the Soviet Union, initiating a period of profound upheaval. The subsequent civil war resulted in the loss of millions of lives. Under Joseph Stalin’s rule, the Great Purge of the late 1930s led to the imprisonment or execution of millions considered dangerous to the state. The Holodomor, a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, caused the deaths of millions. World War II inflicted further devastation, with the Soviet Union suffering immense human and material losses. The Cold War era imposed additional hardships, including political repression and economic challenges.
