With the fall of communism and the creation of a new state have come major changes. Economically, Russia has continued to struggle. Most of the economy was directed towards military expenditures for nearly 7 decades, and the change to a consumer economy was (and has remained) a painful one. All of the ills of society that the Soviet Union had denied existed in their perfect state (unemployment, absenteeism, poverty, etc) were suddenly front and center to anyone travelling to the region. This new openness did benefit some, such as Yeltsin, who rode a wave of popularity to reelection in the Russian Federation. But many who could afford to emigrate did, and those who remained were confronted with a number of problems. The creation of the mafia (which took the place in many ways of the secret police) remains a major issue to this day. The devaluing of the ruble (most radically in August of 1998) devastated the Russian economy and the exchange rate. The lack of consumer goods, problems with food supplies, and poor medical and dental care have continued to be issues, as has rampant alcoholism and increasingly, hate crimes against minorities and homosexuals. Many of these crimes have been urged on by political parties which have become increasingly radical and nationalistic.
There have been some positives with the fall of Communism. Religion, which had never been completely abolished, had experienced a resurgence during World War II and continued to be practiced secretly thereafter. With the fall of the communist government churches, synagogues and mosques were reopened, and religious worship became public again. The practices of the secret police were exposed to the public (today, the Lubyanka prison is a museum), and the successors to Gorbachev admitted to a number of atrocities, including the Katyn forest massacre of Polish military officers during World War II. The opening of government has allowed for greater roles for women in politics.
The changes that the Russian government continues to undergo will continue for decades, and is the subject of a political science discussion rather than history. However, suffice it to say that these changes will continue to impact the entire world, given the power of the former Soviet Union, and will continue to be of importance to students of all areas of the globe.