its role as center of the Soviet government, the USSR was often referred to as Russia. "The fifteen Soviet republics - all independent nations today - included: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldora, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan" (Schomp 19).
             In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the old Soviet Union. Gorbachev loosened controls on farms and factories and allowed for the first free elections. Top Communist officials were frightened by his reforms; therefore, in August 1991 they planned to overthrow him. Moscow's citizens protested and demanded the right to choose their own leaders. Ironically, the Communist officials were overthrown and Gorbachev ceased the Communist Party. Consequently, the Soviet republics, one by one, declared their independence. By December Soviet leader Gorbachev had resigned; thus, the Soviet Union no longer existed.
             "Russia is now a democratic republic. The governing body is called the Federal Assembly. It has two houses: the
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