The author examines the intent and the unexpected side-effects of Gorbachev's policy of "demokratizatsiia" on the Soviet political system. His analysis traces the emergence of competitive, multiparty politics, drawing from interviews and primary materials collected during 15 months (1988-1990) in the Soviet Union.

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians' most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now First published in 1926, this work has been translated into English for the first time and it positively teems with rich descriptions and vivid anecdotes: * from the depths of Moscow's sewers to the murky back rooms of its gambling dens... * from the steam-filled halls of banyas to the dining rooms of posh restaurants and taverns... * from the lives of students and waiters to the struggles of market traders and heroic firemen... Gilyarovsky documents pre-Soviet life in the Russian capital like no work before or since, and this first-ever English translation includes 88 historical images, locator maps, an index, nearly 300 useful footnotes, and a Russian language appendix of all poems and songs translated in the book.