Soviets (singular: soviet; Russian: сове́т, tr. sovjét, Russian pronunciation: [sɐˈvʲet], literally "council" in English) were political organizations and governmental bodies of the late Russian Empire, primarily associated with the Russian Revolution, which gave the name to the latter states of the Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union. Soviets were the main form of government in the Russian SFSR, Free Territory, and to a much lesser extent were active in the Russian Provisional Government. It also can mean any workers council that is socialist such as the Irish soviets. Soviets do not inherently need to adhere to the ideology of the later Soviet Union.