Conversations with Gorbachev : On Perestroika, the Prague Spring, and the Crossroads of Socialism

Mikhail Gorbachev and Zdenek Mlynar were friends for half a century, since they first crossed paths as students in 1950. Although one was a Russian and the other a Czech, they were both ardent supporters of communism and socialism. One took part in laying the groundwork for and carrying out the Prague spring; the other opened a new political era in Soviet world politics. In 1993 they decided that their conversations might be of interest to others and so they began to tape-record them. This book is the product of that "thinking out loud" process. It is an absorbing record of two friends trying to explain to one another their views on the problems and events that determined their destinies. From reminiscences of their starry-eyed university days to reflections on the use of force to "save socialism" to contemplation of the end of the cold war, here is a far more candid picture of Gorbachev than we have ever seen before. "Mikhail Gorbachev and Zdenek Mlynar were friends for half a century, from the time their paths first crossed as students in 1950. Although one was a Russian and the other a Czech, they were both ardent supporters of communism and socialism. One took part in laying the groundwork for and carrying out the Prague Spring; the other opened a new political era in Soviet and world politics." "In 1993 they decided that their conversations might be of interest to others and so they began to tape-record them. This volume is the product of that "thinking out loud." A historical document in its own right, the book is a record of two friends trying to explain to one another their views on the problems and events that determined their destinies. From reminiscences of their starry-eyed university days to reflections on the use of force to "save socialism" to contemplation of the end of the Cold War, here is a more revealing picture of Gorbachev than we have seen before."--Jacket Contents Introduction Translator's Note Author's Preface CONVERSATION ONE: The Criss-Crossing of our Paths 1. Student Communists 2. New Hopes and New Disappointments 3. Twenty Years, Divergent Paths CONVERSATION TWO: How We Sought to Reinvigorate Socialism 1 .The Prague Spring and its Defeat 2. More Democracy, More Socialism 3. Freedom of Choice Either Exists or It Doesn't 4. An Airplane Took Off, Not Knowing Where It Would Land 5. What to Do With the Party ? 6. Can the Use of Force "Save Socialism"? CONVERSATION THREE: There's Only One World 1. Breaking Out of the Dead End of the Cold War 2. Socialism is Alive as a World Process 3. At a Crossroads of Civilization CONCLUDING THOUGHTS The Conscience of the Reformer Index

mikhail Gorbachev And Zdenek Mlynar Were Friends For Half A Century, Since They First Crossed Paths As Students In 1950. In 1993 They Decided That Their Conversations Might Be Of Interest To Others And So They Began To Tape-record Them. From Reminiscences Of Their Starry-eyed University Days To Reflections On The Use Of Force To Save Socialism To Contemplation Of The End Of The Cold War, Here Is A Far More Candid Picture Of Gorbachev Than We Have Ever Seen Before.

This title invites us to eavesdrop on an intimate conversation between one of the major political figures of the 20th century and his closest friend as they chat about the momentous events they lived through and helped orchestrate. Z.M. It would be worthwhile to begin our conversation with the question of why exactly we joined the Communist Party.