Earliest USSR possible

Your chaalenge with a POD of 1850 at the earliest is to have a successful communist revolution in Russia before 1917.
 
Your chaalenge with a POD of 1850 at the earliest is to have a successful communist revolution in Russia before 1917.
Off the top of my head, it isn't too doable before 1905. But, if you want everything to go as badly for the Russian Empire as possible, have Crimean War ending in bigger disaster and humiliation for Russia than it was IOTL (on the top of OTL destruction of Black Sea Fleet and prohibition to rebuild it and small concession in Bessarabia, have Grand Fleet to establish permanent presence in the region, direct territorial concessions to British, British support for Western Caucasian tribes, Finland and Poland being taken from the Empire, stuff like this). Then have ATL Balkan War to turn as badly for Russia as possible (string of Turkish lucky shots, similar to OTL Japanese killing of every Russian admiral worth mentioning, would help, although even without that war wasn't as one-sided as often presented, Turks had their chances), with more humiliating peace agreement. Nothing seems to help Russian revolutionaries as much as lost war. In the meantime, have Alexander II dead before his ascention to throne. Therefore, either Nicholas I reign continues longer (it is very popular version that he committed suicide IOTL) or young Nicholas II rules (and you can have this reign as backward and oppressive as you want to, with young Czar not having enlightened advisors of his own and being adviced by very reactionary figures from his grandfather's inner circle). It would delay the Emancipation for some time (not indefinitely, it was well understood by mid-19th century that the system is dead end, but it could continue on for a decade or more). So, when the Emancipation finally happens and the Empire starts industrialization, we have sudden influx of very bitter and disappointed just emancipated peasants in the cities, complete with very angry educated class being oppressed by reactionary authorities. This could lead to an early rise of the PSR. Now, they're not communists, more likely peasant socialists, but are you willing to split hairs? It all blows up sometimes between 1890 and 1905...
 
It doesn't necessarily have to be Russia. Union of Socialist Soviet Republics doesn't say Russia, does it? For all we know, Germany unifies via Communism.
 
It doesn't necessarily have to be Russia. Union of Socialist Soviet Republics doesn't say Russia, does it? For all we know, Germany unifies via Communism.
In a way, it has to be- oh, Union, Socialist and Republic(s) certainly could apply, but Germany pre-empting Russia (which is... not that easy to do, I'd say) has the likely result of the word 'soviet' not entering the English language, what with Germany's Rätesrepublik being the first example in such a timeline.
EDIT: Also, what Solomaxwell6 says.
 
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It doesn't necessarily have to be Russia. Union of Socialist Soviet Republics doesn't say Russia, does it? For all we know, Germany unifies via Communism.

He specified Russia. I believe by USSR, he means more "Communist Russia-centered empire" rather than "a nation calling itself the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."
 
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