Word: sakharovs
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...first chapter, Sakharov, who died a few months after the book's completion, describes his initial misgivings about Gorbachev and glasnost. "Glasnost, thank goodness, is continually breaking new ground...[But]...the gap between word and deed has been growing," Sakharov writes. "Gorbachev and his close associates themselves may still not have completely thrown off the prejudices and dogmas of the system they inherited...
...remainder of the book, Sakharov recounts his opposition to the inertia demonstrated by the Soviet government in its reform efforts, as well as his activities abroad on behalf of democracy and his theory of rapproachment between socialism and capitalism. The description of a visit to earthquake-devastated Armenia and Azerbaijan reveals Sakharov's compassion and understanding of his country's problems...
...especially valuable portion of this book is Sakharov's narrative of the selection process for the first Congress of Peoples' Deputies and its initial meeting in June 1989. During that gathering Sakharov proposed a new version of the Soviet constitution that may be one of his most lasting gifts to civil rights in his homeland...
...book ends with a short epilogue in which Sakharov considers the future of the Soviet Union. He warns, "Only a radicalization of perestroika can over-come the crisis without a disasterous move into reverse...
While his actions on behalf of human rights permeate the book, Sakharov's incredible perceptiveness and extreme humility strike the reader most forcefully. Early in the book Sakharov engages in what appears to be indescriminate name-dropping--Thatcher said this, Mitterand that, Gorbachev another thing. However, Sakharov shows that each of these seemingly irrelevant anecdotes provide essential insight into a leader's character...