In the history of organized crime, the Russian Mafia is one of the most ill-conceived terms used to describe and identify organized crimes committed in Eastern Europe, especially when it was still under the collective governance of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, or USSR. .

             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 group underwent radical transitions from being a significant player in the Soviet Socialist politics and economy to being criminals-cum-business people in contemporary East European societies. .

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             The texts that follow highlights the discussion and analysis of the Russian Mafia's transition from being a pseudo-government to being petty, yet organized, criminal offenders in the present East European social and politico-economic landscape.

             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 Soviet Socialist regime, while the second phase was the weakening of its power after the fall of Communism in East Europe.