The subject of his new book is perestroika, which ushered in a democratic era in our history. In his capacity as First Deputy Head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and later as an advisor to the President of the USSR, the author was largely 'inside' the events unfolding, closely interacting with the 'architects' of perestroika and aware of the reactions of foreign leaders. Moving along with the reader through the stream of those dramatic years, he attempts to understand why perestroika, which began with breathtaking expectations, a turbulent surge of society towards freedom and renewal, ultimately ended in the collapse of the state and economic chaos.