Seven Years that Changed the World

Seven Years that Changed the World: Perestroika in Perspective
Archie Brown
Oxford UP     378pp   £25
ISBN 0 19 928215 9

It was only because Gorbachev introduced competitive elections that Yeltsin was able to make a political comeback. Both men had many characteristics of charismatic leadership, and both showed great courage. But whereas Gorbachev’s policies were fully considered, Yeltsin’s decisions were often impulsive. Both men were workaholic, but while Gorbachev rarely stopped, Yeltsin alternated bursts of activity with periods of lassitude, often alcoholic.