The Fate of Marxism in Russia

In this powerful book, a major architect of perestroika, leading sponsor of glasnost, and close associate of Mikhail Gorbachev acknowledges the decay of his country, reveals his own progression from Party ideologist to critic of Marxism and Communism, and urges the restructuring of Soviet society on a new basis of democracy, morality, and economic efficiency. "In The Fate of Marxism in Russia, Alexander Yakovlev, one of the architects of perestroika, meets Marxism on its own intellectual turf and beats it, repudiating Marx, Lenin, and Stalin and embracing freedom and democracy. We can all benefit from his reasoned insights."-James A. Baker, III, 61st Secretary of State "Alexander Yakovlev belongs to the high priesthood of Marxism: as such, he is probably the most highly placed among the intellectuals who have assaulted Marxism from within....[He] offers fascinating insights into the thinking of the enlightened wing of the Party leadership during the perestroika era."-Thomas F. Remington, from the introduction "Here, for the first time in Russia, a Soviet scholar tells the truth about Marxism and the disastrous effects of its application. No other book either in Eastern Europe or the Soviet Union has shown what Marxism proved to be in real life and how dearly our peoples had to pay for Marx's prejudices and illusions."-Alexander Tsipko, from the foreword