Overall, how has the Cold War affected the countries of the former Soviet Union?

In essence, without the Cold War, the former Soviet republics very well still might be a part of the Soviet Union. Though Mikhail Gorbachev is viewed as a reformer, he very much wanted the Soviet Union to remain a strong consolidated group of several republics. This would have allowed the Soviet Union to retain its footing as a dominant state in the midst of the Cold War. However, when he loosened the military grip the Soviet Union had in these republics, the unintended consequence was that those in the republics found opportunities to further remove themselves from the Soviet Union.

Ironically, Gorbachev's resolve to show a unified state is what ultimately led to the independence of each former Soviet nation. While the autonomy was welcomed by the nations, the book is still being written regarding how the lives of citizens have improved since the end of the Cold War. In many East European countries, corruption is rampant—leading some citizens to still wonder if life were better as part of the Soviet Union. Time will continue to tell the story as each of these countries continue to try to establish effective forms of government, while attempting to curb corruption.