Gorbachev: Heretic in the Kremlin

Discusses Gorbachev's leadership of the USSR, his private life, his rise to power, his accomplishments and problems, and the future of the Soviet Union

As documented here, the ills of perestroika are grave and the prognosis pessimistic that major reforms within the U.S.S.R. can be accomplished in less than several decades. In a comprehensive study of the Gorbachev regime, Doder, former Washington Post Moscow bureau chief, and Branson, former Moscow correspondent for the London Times , survey the monumental difficulties of dismantling the world's largest welfare state and assess why " perestroika and glasnost have aggravated many of the problems they were supposed to cure." We are shown why democratic principles and a market economy are viewed with suspicion and hostility by a Russian populace that historically has been governed by, and indeed fervently wants, an ideology and a hierarchical system of authority. The polarization of Slavophiles vs. Westernizers is intensifying throughout society and the party, even among Gorbachev supporters, according to the authors, who themselves admire the Russian president. Readers will find Doder and Branson's judgments sound, their knowledge imposing, their perspective essential to an understanding of the Russian turmoil. 25,000 first printing.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Doder and Branson, Moscow correspondents for the Washington Post and London Times , respectively, examine the political battles Gorbachev has had to fight since assuming power in 1985. This work is a sequel of sorts to Doder's Shadows and Whispers ( LJ 1/15/87), and continues the authoritative and revealing insights into Kremlin politics. It also explores the evolution of Gorbachev as a political visionary and describes the resistance Gorbachev's plans have received from both ends of the political spectrum. The authors skillfully bring to life the Soviet political players, including frequent Gorbachev opponent Boris Yeltsin, who recently wrote his autobiography, Against the Grain (Summit, 1990). Even the much-analyzed Gorbachev comes more fully into view here, set against the backdrop of an empire undergoing a wrenching transition. An important book for anyone who wants to know what the Soviet leadership faces in the 1990s.
-Kim H. Tunnicliff, Albion Coll., Mich .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.