Which statement best describes how the 1922 USSR treaty affected governance?

• A. To dissolve the republics and establish a unitary monarchy.
• B. To create a loose confederation with full independence for each republic.
• C. To end all state structures and return to czarist rule.
• D. To federate Soviet republics into a single state, centralizing power while preserving republic status.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that the 1922 treaty created a real federal state by uniting several Soviet republics into one central government, while keeping those republics as constituent parts. The central authority in Moscow took charge of essential functions that affect the whole union—defense, foreign policy, currency, and major economic planning—showing a strong centralized grip over the entire country. Yet the individual republics retained their own governments and some internal powers, preserving their identities and formal status, even though their sovereignty was limited by the terms of the Union. This produces a centralized federation: a single state that coordinates across its republics, rather than dissolving them into nothing or giving each full independence, or reverting to czarist rule.