This comprehensive ten-year history of Russia following glasnost and perestroika presents a dismal picture of a nation in disarray, battling with seemingly insurmountable economic, social, and political problems. Major topics include the election of Mikhail Gorbachev; dissolution of the gulag system; Boris Yeltsin’s opposition to Gorbachev’s initiatives; environmental legacies, including the disaster of Chernobyl; the break-away of the Baltic states; Gorbachev’s arrest; the rise of Yeltsin; creation of the stock exchange; an explosion of crime; and decay of the military. Interviews with Gorbachev and with Russian officials Edvard Shevardnadze, Nikolai Ryzhkov, and former KGB chief General Oleg Kalougine provide insights into the causes and severity of the problems. Journalists and ordinary Russian citizens reveal both the hope and disillusionment of a proud but troubled nation struggling with its newfound identity. (57 minutes)