Although 1989 & 1991 witnessed more spectacular events, 1990 was a year of embryonic change in Russia: Article 6 of the constitution was abolished, & with it the Party`s monopoly on political power. This fascinating collection of documentary evidence crystalises the aspirations of the Russian people in the days before Communism finally fell. It charts
- among many other social developments
- the appearance of new political parties & independent trade unions, the rapid evolution of mass media, the emergence of a new class of entrepreneurs, a new openness about sex & pornography & a sudden craze for hot-air ballooning, banned under the Communist regime. 1990 is a reminder of the confusion & aspirations of the year before Communism finally collapsed in Russia, & a tantalising glimpse of the paths that may have been taken if Yeltsin`s coup had not forced the issue in 1991.