The four empires that came to an end after the First World War were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. As a defeated party, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into Austria and Hungary, where the parts of the empire became independent states, and some parts merged to the already existing states. The Ottoman Empire ceased to be an empire and became Turkey, also Germany. The Russian Empire became the Soviet Union under the leadership of the Communists during the October Revolution.