The
Soviet Union officially ceased to exist on December 26, 1991, 74 years
after its inception in 1917. The fall of the Union left the world in
awe. The pre-revolutionary flag was raised in Kremlin, but it wasn’t
without turmoil. As the Soviet empire fell apart, many problems began to
surface. Civil wars, armed insurgencies, and attempted coups troubled
the ex-Soviet republics throughout the 90s as the region tried to
stabilize itself.
Some of the conflicts were motivated by ethnic
and religious differences, while others were triggered by historical
disputes that had been haunting the regions throughout the 20th century.
Furthermore, the power vacuum created by the fall of the centralized
government reflected in the rise of new political elites, nationalism
and crime. We offer you an overview of the conflicts that shaped the
territories of the former Soviet Union.
