In the 1950-ties – 1960-ties there was not enough oil in the country even for inner consumption but the nuclear energy, hydroelectric power, sea and ocean fleet (including ice-breaking fleet) not to speak about space and military industries were developing.
We have a great historic example that Russia’s influence must be measured not only by the oil it has and the price of this oil but by realized opportunities.
http://shafranik.ru/publikatsii/neft-budet-stoit-kakpolozheno
I am not going to idealize Russia’s past. But even opening up new territories she was not building reservations – just the opposite she created conditions for mutual understanding and enrichment of contiguous cultures. And within the Soviet Union she could have become the richest country in the world if the leadership of the state had not taken care about economic development of the union’s republics.