Progress in the former USSR?

**General_Curtis_LeMay** · February 21, 2007, 10:18 PM

I pose this question after reading an article in a magaxine recently: Has life gotten any better in teh 16 years since communism tumbled in the former USSR? I personaly believe that the Former USSR is going through the neccissary grouth pains, but will soon, in my lifetime, begin to function with all the glory and prosperity of a capitalist nation.

"Viva La Revolution"

**vizi** · February 21, 2007, 11:50 PM

You could help by investing in the TMRFX Russian mutual funds advertised on the left side of this thread, as of 12:48 US EST, instead of posing questions.

*Viva La Stockbroker*

**Khan Kong** · February 22, 2007, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by General_Curtis_LeMay

I pose this question after reading an article in a magaxine recently: Has life gotten any better in teh 16 years since communism tumbled in the former USSR? I personaly believe that the Former USSR is going through the neccissary grouth pains, but will soon, in my lifetime, begin to function with all the glory and prosperity of a capitalist nation.

"Viva La Revolution"

I won't say about the whole former USSR, but Russia step by step is doing well, but not for 16 - only last 7 years. Some former USSR republics also have progress, but others stagnated or regressed.

**Bwaho** · February 22, 2007, 03:01 AM

I think major cities like Moscow and St.Petersburg will see improvements, but the rest of the country wont be much better.

Poor living standards is a russian tradition

**~~Space Wolf~~** · February 22, 2007, 03:14 AM

Progress; Russia?

Kind of an oxmoron, isn't it?:hmmm:

**Erik** · February 22, 2007, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Bwaho

I think major cities like Moscow and St.Petersburg will see improvements, but the rest of the country wont be much better.

That's also what I noticed when I was on holiday in Russia a few years ago.
Moscow and St. Petersburg were quite modern, similar to most of Southern Europe.

But the countryside was terribly backward, some villages didn't even have flowing water so people still had to scoop their drinking water from a well.
Most of Africa is more advanced than that.

**wilpuri** · February 22, 2007, 10:15 AM

Some of the fastest economic growth of recent years in Europe has been displayed by former SSRs (Estonia, Bulgaria, etc).

Originally Posted by Erik

But the countryside was terribly backward, some villages didn't even have flowing water so people still had to scoop their drinking water from a well.
Most of Africa is more advanced than that.

Let's not exaggerate. Most of Africa isn't that advanced.

**Bwaho** · February 22, 2007, 11:23 AM

and many of those countries love the USA and want to join NATO... my advice to America is: Invest!

**cegorach** · February 22, 2007, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by wilpuri

Some of the fastest economic growth of recent years in Europe has been displayed by former SSRs (Estonia, Bulgaria, etc).

Bulgaria was hardly a SSR...

Another topic about modern Russia and ex-Soviet states - how many can you have ?:hmmm:

**Erik** · February 22, 2007, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by wilpuri

Some of the fastest economic growth of recent years in Europe has been displayed by former SSRs (Estonia, Bulgaria, etc).

two times nothing is still nothing.

Let's not exaggerate. Most of Africa isn't that advanced.

OK, maybe not most of Africa, but certainly most urban areas.
I still think Russia's countryside is a lot like Africa, and Russia's major cities are a lot like Europe.

**JP226** · February 22, 2007, 09:06 AM

No, russia is doing alright right now, but they've attached their success to a few hot commodities like lumber and oil. They aren't diversified and as a result they'll have drastic swings with the natural tide of the world market

**General_Curtis_LeMay** · February 22, 2007, 03:11 PM

Well, this is my oppinion on the matterm that just as the masteres of the world made huge and spawling cities at the begining of the 20th century, while the countryside remained undeveloped and poor, so it is in russia, and a lot of the former SSR's. But I do believe that soon, due to a lack of cheap products, the global economy will begint to invest in Russia, seeings as it posseses more natural resouces than the continent of North America does.

Butr untill then, only the rich, and those that are employed by the rich will have a standard of living, but I do believe that progress will occour. It is inevitable, with the way the global economy is going: that the more advanced, wealthy nations are starting to make extremely advanced and complicated machinery and service (computers, cell phones, stock brokerage, ect)

But still, there is one thing that is an extreamly important factor to all of this: how the current government views the west, if they embrace, and seek good relations with us, (like Ukrain), then there can be progress, but if the bear gets all high and mighty on us, then I forsee a terrible future.

**RusskiSoldat** · February 22, 2007, 04:52 PM

I pose this question after reading an article in a magaxine recently: Has life gotten any better in teh 16 years since communism tumbled in the former USSR? I personaly believe that the Former USSR is going through the neccissary grouth pains, but will soon, in my lifetime, begin to function with all the glory and prosperity of a capitalist nation.

Russia is certainly doing better, can't speak for any other republics since I haven't been there, but Ukraine seems to be fairly well off, and Kazakhstan is definitely immensely wealthy and prosperous (the opposite of the other central Asian states).
Azerbaijan has also had astronomical GDP growth (some 34%) due to natural resource development, and Estonia and Latvia (or was that Lithuania?) have the highest GDP growth rates in Europe.
As for Russia itself, the average standards of living surpassed the 1989 values only in 2005, and going to the countryside was like taking a trip to the 1970s for me.
The government has only recently begun addressing major problems (notably the health crisis) with the funds we began to get from the prosperous oil trade. Corruption is still a problem, as is the declining quality of education and the lack of healthcare for most, but what can you expect with a mid right pro business government.
My hope is that whoever succeeds Putin is more leftist than he is, Russian social programs need reworking and now that the country has a tremendous surplus, there is no better time to get to it.

**RusskiSoldat** · February 22, 2007, 08:39 PM

Which in itself is amazing.
I remember seeing a graph that showed the GDPs of the Caucasian states fall to less than a tenth of their 1988 values (as of 1993) after breaking of from the USSR.
What's the reason for that?

**milns** · February 23, 2007, 04:02 AM

Soviet economy was based on hevy industry, after fall of CCCP these huge factories was closed due to economical and political reasons, also many of Soviet republics were living from other republic money which they lost after 1991 and some countries tried to reorientate their markets to EU instead of SU.