The post soviet states also collectively known as the former soviet union fsu or former soviet republics and in russian as the near abroad discussed below are the states that emerged and re emerged from the union of soviet socialist republics in its breakup in 1991 with russia internationally recognised as the successor state to the soviet union after the cold war. Russia and the former soviet republics modern world cultures thomas r mccray professor charles f gritzner on amazoncom free shipping on qualifying offers this new series teaches students about the most important geographic concepts and shows them how people are affected by and respond to economic. Today ethnic russians are a sizable minority in several former soviet republics and many are more favorably inclined toward russia than are their fellow citizens according to a recent pew research center survey of countries in central and eastern europe. Presents illustrated overviews of the physical geography history population culture society politics and economy of russia and the former soviet republics discusses the regions future and includes a chronology and a further reading list. This book examines a country and culture at the core of a great political realm it was a realm of eastern slavic tribes 1000 years ago of the russian empire for 500 years and of the union of soviet socialist republics the soviet union or ussr for most of the twentieth century it involved the