Since the post-Soviet context is not particularly well known to the majority of readers, the author uses this introduction to provide a general background against which developments in particular post-Soviet countries can be better understood. The author begins by placing these developments in the sociohistoric context of language policies of the Russian empire and the USSR. Then, she offers a comparative overview of the outcomes of language shift in 14 post-Soviet countries, separated into three geographic groups: Eastern European countries, Transcaucasus and Central Asia. Throughout, the author highlights historic, demographic, linguistic and sociopolitical factors that shaped distinct language shift outcomes in geographically close countries. The author also outlines the contributions and challenges to contemporary sociolinguistic theory that emerge from this work and point to productive directions for future research. (Contains 2 tables, 2 maps and 12 notes.)