Effects on Russia of end of Soviet Union

[bailey_187]

What are the economic, social and environmental impacts of the end of the USSR in 1991 on Russia?

Obviously unemployment, economic collapse but what are specific facts please

[Red Commissar]

I know that for one thing that the population of Russia began to decrease (this is disregarding the republics that seceded from the Soviet Union), crime went up, and people became more apathetic after seeing that "capitalism" didn't better their lives.

Criminals took full advantage,

http://www.worldpolicy.org/journal/articles/wpj04-1/sokolov.htm


By the time privatization began in earnest, criminal groups were well placed to benefit from the massive opportunities it presented. They quickly moved to become business partners in the newly formed commercial enterprises while maintaining their role as extralegal enforcers. Racketeers now had an economic stake in maintaining the welfare of the businesses they protected, since they provided a steady source of income. As criminal groups began entering into long-term economic partnerships with businesses, they became subject to fundamental economic laws, setting their “fees,” for example, according to what the market would bear.

Before long, criminal gangs found themselves competing for clients, which meant they had to offer businessmen something besides threats. In the mid-1990s, a self-regulating market for private protection began emerging in the Russian business world. Private enforcement agents, such as licensed security agencies and “outsourced” state protection services, entered the picture. The largest companies had internalized protection services by creating what were in essence private armies. Joint “roofs” between gangs and the police began to appear in the mid-1990s. These were arrangements in which a criminal gang might handle one set of problems for an entrepreneur and a private police force would handle another. The police have even been known to take an active role in mediating disputes between criminal groups and business owners.

Speaking in regards to economics, it takes a quick look at indicators.

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/7/50/2452793.pdf

In the intro of that report, it says that Russia's GDP shrunk by over 40%, and industrial output lost over 50%. This was compounded by Russia being exposed to the collapse in the Asian markets in the 90s. There was also problem with capital leaving the country, and Russia inheriting the $50 billion debt of the Soviet Union.

For Russian workers, industrial accidents were common place as a result of the fast transitions industries were encouraged to carry out.

It also mentions an environmental impact. Russia focused on using natural resources such as oil and natural gas to facilitate their transition from a centrally-planned economy to a market one. In the process they neglected to improve the already terrible environmental standards the USSR had and continued to damage the environment. They only began tackling the issue in 1999. Additionally, I think Russia doesn't even have an environment minister to this day. The report also mentions that these standards impacted workers negatively.