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a smooth transition to entire independence whilst permitting growth was unrealistic. For example, dependency on Russia’s energy was a huge complication for many countries, including Ukraine. Without the supply of energy Ukraine would be hopeless. Furthermore, every generation of the population of these countries had not lived an economically active life without the structure the Union had provided, hence leading to a lack of experienced management, effective organisation and skills to navigate a development strategy for the near- and long-term future in an open market economy. The years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union were the most difficult times for each of the post-Soviet countries, across Eastern Europe and into central Asia, as they

day. The “gold rush” environment that occurred as economies privatised meant it was inevitable that corruption would occur when people found out what they could gain from income inequality. The main issue with corruption is that it drains economic energies from an already struggling country, whilst corrupting political operations and invalidating the law, a key structure for a newly evolved country. These economic set backs were a huge hinderance that placed the regenerating countries on the back foot on their quest to catch up to the West. The overarching issue was that all the countries of the Soviet Union were formerly completely dependent and integrated with the other member states. Any expectation of

had an absence of experience and little sense of direction. Since the start of the twenty-first century, many of the republics have found their feet and are now well developed. Estonia stands twenty-ninth in the Human Development Index, with Lithuania thirty-fourth and Latvia thirty-seventh. However, the countries in central Asia, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, are still considerably behind those in Europe, especially the Balkan states. The re-layering of the Soviet Union has meant each of the newly formed countries have had their own experience of freedom, with huge diversity over economic and political stability. Will the re-drawing stay as it is or is there another phase to come? One only has to look at what Russia are doing with the migrant crisis in Belarus or their involvement in Crimea, Ukraine to see that Mother Russia is trying to flex its muscles again.

30 | Geographical Magazine • Merchant Taylors’ School

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