If it's any consolation, Austria got rid of the Soviets in 1955 and yet the situation you describe sounds extremely similar to the one here. The main difference seems to be overall wealth - GDP per capita is about 3.3x as high here, despite being neighbours. Neighbours on the other side of the Iron Curtain for 3-4 decades.

I don't know what the answer is, but I have a feeling it's not violence. The countries of former Yugoslavia to me don't seem to be doing better than those that emerged from Soviet rule peacefully. It's hard to judge from the outside, but the societal problems there seem even deeper.