The Union of Soviet Republics (USR) is a constitutionally democratic republic that exists in Eurasia since 1922. The name is a translation of the Russian: Союз Советских Республик, Soyuz Sovetskikh Respublik, abbreviated ССР, SSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from Советский Союз, Sovetskiy Soyuz. A soviet is a council, the theoretical basis for the socialist society of the USR.