Empire Conflict Nationhood

Russia Kazakhstan and Georgia were three of the countries that started anew as independent states after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They were very different at the time and their political development since has turned out the same way. But what exactly lies at the root of their paths and what can we learn for analysing other countries in similar circumstances? Are resources pre-defining a country''s way to autocracy or are people''s changing ideas of legitimacy equally as important? A comparative study on the various paths of political development their sources and broader implications.