In contrast to the common notion that Russian Mafia is a collective term for Russian criminal offenders, the birth and emergence of this term was historically identified as misleading and erroneous. Though the Russian Mafia is identified as such, it does not mean the crime was committed by Russians, and may actually include individuals who have nationalities or citizens of other East European countries.

This paper discusses and analyzes the birth and development of the Russian Mafia in the 20th century. Tracing its roots from early 20th century, at the height of Socialist Communism in the USSR, this paper traces how Russian Mafia came into being, including the transitions it underwent as the USSR broke up and nations became once again independent East European countries. This paper, in sum, argues that the Russian Mafia as a concept and

The first phase of the Russian Mafia's history was its emergence and reign during Eastern Europe's transition and development as a Socialist society. Prior to the Socialist period, however, the Russian Mafia was already an inherent part of the Tsarist government. It enjoyed a 'Robinhood' status and image in pre-Socialist Russian society, committing criminal acts and offenses only against the elite class. As explicated in Finckenauer's study, "[s]tealing the Russian czar's timber was not considered criminal, whereas one peasant stealing anything from another was." Thus, prior to the Socialist regime, the Russian Mafia was already a powerful element in the society, helping out the peasants by taking advantage of the riches of the elite and wealthy class.

Finckenauer's (2004) analysis of Russian Mafia history demonstrates the interesting transition from being a key player in the USSR government to being, simply, criminal offenders that no longer hold strong influence in the government. His analysis was organized in a two-fold manner: the first phase discussed the emergence of the Russian Mafia during the reign of the

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Approximate Word count = 762
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)