Conclusion

Abstract

AbstractSoviet universities, similar to all other Soviet institutions, experienced considerable turmoil in the period following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This was a time of revolutionary change across the region and brought about a radical break from the traditional Soviet university model in a number of countries. State withdrawal was used as an opportunity by universities to open up to market forces by introducing student fees, increasing student numbers, and engaging in commercial activities. Yet, in most contexts, the liberalisation was temporary, and newly formed states soon imposed various controls on their universities. Since the late 1990s, most of the changes at former Soviet universities have been evolutionary. This concluding chapter brings different thematic threads together and consolidates some of the key ideas pertaining to change and continuity as well as different types of change. It looks at the aspects of the Soviet university that experienced more prominent change and those that have changed less. All in all, these universities have remained flagship institutions in many contexts and demonstrated a remarkable capacity to regain equilibrium while undergoing incremental adaptations. The transformations have influenced the purposes and functions of universities, and shaped them as national institutions. While the Soviet university did not quite succeed in perpetuating the Soviet order for longer than 70 years, some of its characteristics remained resilient in the decades that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union.