Final days : the inside story of the collapse of the Soviet Union

Grachev, foreign policy advisor to Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985 until 1991, and then press secretary, describes meetings with Western leaders, State Council debates on a new treaty of union, and Gorbachev's private talks with leaders in government, business, religion, and culture, in his account of debates occurring between the August coup and the end of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991. Includes the text of Gorbachev's resignation speech. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. Frontmatter Foreword (Archie Brown, page ix) Preface (page xv) Mending the Breach (page 1) Reinforcements from the Second Front (page 13) On a Crumbling Verge (page 33) A President Without a Country (page 47) One Last Mission for the Union (page 59) On the Eve of the Seventy-Fourth Anniversary of the October Revolution (page 85) The Mirage of a Confederal State (page 97) "A Free Man with Nothing to Fear" (page 113) "A Cloud in Trousers" (page 119) Fight to the Finish (page 127) Final Hours (page 145) Checking the Pulse (page 153) Last Rites (page 159) Burying a Time Capsule (page 169) Departure (page 175) Afterword: A Mythical Kingdom Vanishes—Again (page 195) Appendix: Resignation Speech of Mikhail Gorbachev (page 203) Notes (page 207) About the Book and Author (page 214) Index (page 215) Annotation "As press secretary to Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Grachev witnessed and recorded many events unobserved by the general public. In this engaging and compelling book, he recounts these episodes in vivid detail, interpreting them in the context of the time. Highlighted are top-level meetings with Western leaders; State Council debates on a new treaty of union (promising, until Gorbachev and Yeltsin sparred over Russia's policy toward the Chechen republic); and Gorbachev's private talks with leading members of government, business, and religious and cultural circles from around the world."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved As Press Secretary to Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Grachev witnessed and recorded many events unobserved by the general public. In this book he recounts some of these episodes in detail, interpreting them in the context of the time.