At the end of 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union transformed the 15 republics of that union into independent states with various capabilities for survival. Among the new central Asian republics was Tajikstan, the smallest, weakest and poorest of the group. Independence came almost as a surprise to a country unprepared for self-government - a bad surprise in some ways, even if good in others. The result was a long civil war and lasting identity crisis.