"A thorough, balanced, and insightful analysis of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika... essential reading for any person who wishes to understand the turbulent, and in many ways contradictory, period it describes... it will be impossible to have an informed discussion of Gorbachev's legacy without reference to Brown's volume, which represents the current state of research and informed judgment on that watershed period of Russian history and of international relations."—Jack F. Matlock, Jr., Journal of Cold War Studies
"Archie Brown's knowledge of Gorbachev and Gorbachevism is unsurpassed. This new book...highlights the dynamics and significance of perestroika as a major attempt to overhaul the institutional and cultural foundations of Sovietism... On the basis of remarkable archival research, interviews with key actors, and extensive use of personal memoirs, Brown provides a gripping account of the political and moral battles surrounding Gorbachev's efforts to bring down the ossified system inherited from his predecessors and embark on a genuine New Course meant to democratize socialism"—Vladimir Tismaneanu, Perspectives on Politics
"Historical reputations will rise and fall, but there will be one constant feature of Gorbachev's seven years. Nobody else will be able to consider them seriously without reading the work of Archie Brown, who has emerged as the leading authority on the high politics of the period by dint of assiduous labour on the printed record and discussions with virtually all the important individuals involved"—Paul Dukes, History Today
"Archie Brown has established himself as one of the world's authorities on the life and political activity of MikhailGorbachev, and this book focuses on his role in the transformation of the USSR between 1985 and 1991."—David Lane, The Political Quarterly
"In the 1980s Brown had to field his share of brickbats from those who accused him of wishful thinking about the very existence of serious reformers inside the Soviet establishment. History proved him right, and his critics wrong. Now, as this volume shows, he has the Soviet archives on his side as well"—Mary Dejevsky (The Times Moscow correspondent during perestroika), Oxford Today
"The book of the renowned British political scientist and historian Archie Brown—the result of many years of work on the theme—uses a wide range of sources: the memoirs of participants in the events, the protocols of Politburo sessions, the articles and speeches of M.S. Gorbachev and his comrades-in-arms and others."—Olga Malinova, Polis (Moscow)
"As all specialists surely know, Archie Brown, currently Emeritus Professor of Politics at Oxford University, was the Western scholar who recognized first and most fully the remarkable leadership talents and radical reformist instincts of Gorbachev... Brown's judgements are so sound and well supported by his close reading of Soviet official documents, archival records, memoirs, and interviews that it is hard to remember that they were well out of the mainstream when he first began propounding them... For this magisterial account of seven years of Gorbachev's remarkable leadership...we are in Archie Brown's debt."—Thomas F. Remington, The Russian Review
"Russian readers... will be grateful to the author for his thoughtful and meticulous analysis of the actions of politicians and of the dramatic events bearingon the fate of millions of former citizens of the former USSR...In his reflections on perestroika and its lessons, he brings the discussion on to a truly international level"—Andrei Grachev, Svobodnaya mysl' [Free Thought]
"Mikhail Gorbachev's most important biographer here passes judgment on the man and the process he unleashed...The book's first part comprises four pieces written at the time of perestroika, which in retrospect were remarkably perceptive. In the years since, the mounting archival and memoir evidence—and Brown brings much of it to bear—has only strengthened his argument"—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Professor Brown was the most lucidly analytical and perceptive of commentators during those crucial [perestroika] years."—Sir Patrick Cormack, MP, The House Magazine: The Parliamentary Weekly
"Archie Brown is the dean of Gorbachev experts"—Sir Rodric Braithwaite, British Ambassador to Moscow, 1988-1992, Moscow Times
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"Demonstrating his meticulous scholarship and painstaking research, Brown adapts to the Soviet scene the concept of 'institutional amphibiousness', by which some parts of the state system can simultaneously work for functions and purposes contradictory to those of the state."—Times Literary Supplement
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioningobedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"Intuition, a talent for scientific foresight, scrupulous attention to the facts, and the ability to bring out from among a great number of conflicting tendencies the most decisive allowed Brown to become an authority on the evaluation both of perestroika and the activity of its leader His most recent reflections give an integral view of the "seven years that changed the world," possessing great value also for the Russian reader."—Lilia Shevtsova, Pro et Contra
"In the 1980s Brown had to field his share of brickbats from those who accused him of wishful thinking about the very existence of serious reformers inside the Soviet establishment. History proved him right, and his critics wrong. Now, as this volume shows, he has the Soviet archives on his side as well"—Mary Dejevsky (The Times Moscow correspondent during perestroika), Oxford Today
"Mikhail Gorbachev's most important biographer here passes judgment on the man and the process he unleashed...The book's first part comprises four pieces written at the time of perestroika, which in retrospect were remarkably perceptive. In the years since, the mounting archival and memoir evidence—and Brown brings much of it to bear—has only strengthened his argument"—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Archie Brown is the dean of Gorbachev experts"—Sir Rodric Braithwaite, British Ambassador to Moscow, 1988-1992, Moscow Times
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"Demonstrating his meticulous scholarship and painstaking research, Brown adapts to the Soviet scene the concept of 'institutional amphibiousness', by which some parts of the state system can simultaneously work for functions and purposes contradictory to those of the state."—Times Literary Supplement
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post-Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"Intuition, a talent for scientific foresight, scrupulous attention to the facts, and the ability to bring out from among a great number of conflicting tendencies the most decisive allowed Brown to become an authority on the evaluation both of perestroika and the activity of its leader His most recent reflections give an integral view of the "seven years that changed the world," possessing great value also for the Russian reader."—Lilia Shevtsova, Pro et Contra
"The book is strong in its portrayal of Gorbachev as a leader. His charisma, personality, belief in Leninism, reformist impulses, and suspicion of wholesale revolution shine through the pages...The book offers a clear picture of a leader who responded to complexity by trying to maintain his power as 'Pope' while also carving out a role as 'Luther'...Highly recommended."—CHOICE
"In the 1980s Brown had to field his share of brickbats from those who accused him of wishful thinking about the very existence of serious reformers inside the Soviet establishment. History proved him right, and his critics wrong. Now, as this volume shows, he has the Soviet archives on his side as well"—Mary Dejevsky (The Times Moscow correspondent during perestroika), Oxford Today
"Mikhail Gorbachev's most important biographer here passes judgment on the man and the process he unleashed...The book's first part comprises four pieces written at the time of perestroika, which in retrospect were remarkably perceptive. In the years since, the mounting archival and memoir evidence—and Brown brings much of it to bear—has only strengthened his argument"—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Archie Brown is the dean of Gorbachev experts"—Sir Rodric Braithwaite, British Ambassador to Moscow, 1988-1992, Moscow Times
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"Demonstrating his meticulous scholarship and painstaking research, Brown adapts to the Soviet scene the concept of 'institutional amphibiousness', by which some parts of the state system can simultaneously work for functions and purposes contradictory to those of the state."—Times Literary Supplement
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestratedpublic adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"Intuition, a talent for scientific foresight, scrupulous attention to the facts, and the ability to bring out from among a great number of conflicting tendencies the most decisive allowed Brown to become an authority on the evaluation both of perestroika and the activity of its leader His most recent reflections give an integral view of the "seven years that changed the world," possessing great value also for the Russian reader."—Lilia Shevtsova, Pro et Contra
"In the 1980s Brown had to field his share of brickbats from those who accused him of wishful thinking about the very existence of serious reformers inside the Soviet establishment. History proved him right, and his critics wrong. Now, as this volume shows, he has the Soviet archives on his side as
well"—Mary Dejevsky (The Times Moscow correspondent during perestroika), Oxford Today
"Mikhail Gorbachev's most important biographer here passes judgment on the man and the process he unleashed...The book's first part comprises four pieces written at the time of perestroika, which in retrospect were remarkably perceptive. In the years since, the mounting archival and memoir
evidence—and Brown brings much of it to bear—has only strengthened his argument"—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Archie Brown is the dean of Gorbachev experts"—Sir Rodric Braithwaite, British Ambassador to Moscow, 1988-1992, Moscow Times
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"Demonstrating his meticulous scholarship and painstaking research, Brown adapts to the Soviet scene the concept of 'institutional amphibiousness', by which some parts of the state system can simultaneously work for functions and purposes contradictory to those of the state."—Times Literary
Supplement
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestratedpublic adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"Intuition, a talent for scientific foresight, scrupulous attention to the facts, and the ability to bring out from among a great number of conflicting tendencies the most decisive allowed Brown to become an authority on the evaluation both of perestroika and the activity of its leader His most
recent reflections give an integral view of the "seven years that changed the world," possessing great value also for the Russian reader."—Lilia Shevtsova, Pro et Contra
"Mikhail Gorbachev's most important biographer here passes judgment on the man and the process he unleashed...The book's first part comprises four pieces written at the time of perestroika, which in retrospect were remarkably perceptive. In the years since, the mounting archival and memoir
evidence—and Brown brings much of it to bear—has only strengthened his argument"—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Archie Brown is the dean of Gorbachev experts"—Sir Rodric Brathwaite, British Ambassador to Moscow, 1988-1992, Moscow Times
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"Demonstrating his meticulous scholarship and painstaking research, Brown adapts to the Soviet scene the concept of 'institutional amphibiousness', by which some parts of the state system can simultaneously work for functions and purposes contradictory to those of the state."—Times Literary
Supplement
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"Intuition, a talent for scientificforesight, scrupulous attention to the facts, and the ability to bring out from among a great number of conflicting tendencies the most decisive allowed Brown to become an authority on the evaluation both of perestroika and the activity of its leader His most
recent reflections give an integral view of the "seven years that changed the world," possessing great value also for the Russian reader."—Lilia Shevtsova, Pro et Contra
"Archie Brown is the dean of Gorbachev experts"—Sir Rodric Braithwaite, British Ambassador to Moscow, 1988-1992, Moscow Times
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history,"—The Economist
"The real genius of the end of communism was Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Archie Brown has been his closest and best commentator."—Financial Times
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
"The bulk of the book is a necessary reminder of what Mr. Gorbachev and perestroika achieved—even if inadvertently. For what, asks Mr. Brown, did Mr. Gorbachev sacrifice "the boundless authority, the unquestioning obedience, the orchestrated public adulation"? For freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, competitive elections and a host of other accomplishments. The author rightly concludes that the "democratic shortcomings of post—Soviet Russia notwithstanding, the country that Gorbachev bequeathed to his successors was freer than at any time in Russian history."—The Economist
