"Few [Western] historians seem to regard Soviet Russia's reconquest of Ukraine or the Caucasus as anything other than an internal 'Russian' event. It is still more unfortunate that the creation of the Soviet Union, which began in December 1922, is often thought to have involved a mere change of name. In this way the lengthy process of decomposition of the [[w:Russian Empire|[Russian] Empire]], and the five-year labours of the Bolsheviks to replace it, can be passed over in silence."