Eternal Russia Yeltsin, Gorbachev, And The Mirage Of Democracy [Paperback]

Here is an eyewitness account of the six years of turbulent change from the Soviet Union to Russia. Jonathan Steele's three decades as a journalist covering that eternal nation have given him a keen and deeply informed perspective on the democratic revolution and the issues still threatening the new nation. What does the future hold for Russian democracy under Yeltsin? Can market reform work? Under all the news and confusion, how much has the country really changed?Eternal Russiadraws on Steele's interviews with key figures, including Gorbachev and the former Communist Party Politburo, as well as senior members of the Yeltsin inner circle.[This] book is written in a highly-engaging style, with exciting first-hand accounts of the author's adventures in covering the unravelling of the Soviet empire, including detailed descriptions of the events of August, 1991, and October, 1993...Steele's work stands as one of the best available works documenting events in Russia since the late 1980s...[It] provides a superb feel for how events unfolded and contains many sound judgments about a wide variety of aspects of life in contemporary Russia.Steele effectively mixes this big-picture perspective with eyewitness accounts of turning points like the August 1991 coup. [This book] will help untangle Russia's fast-moving recent history for lay readers and specialists alike.Eternal Russiahas a powerful title conveying a profound truism. More important, it is an excellent book rooted in history while covering thoroughly the drama of events after 1987.Amid the Stygian pessimism, half-baked advice, half-understood facts, and confused thinking that inform much of Western comment on 'Zhirinovsky's Russia,' Steele's book stands out. He does not treat Russia as if it were a mysterious planet inhabited by little green men. He has lived there.A provocative and well-written interpretive analysis of the collapse of Russian communism and of the prospects for democratic consolidationl³B