ABSTRACT
Aleksandr Yakovlev, one of Gorbachev's closest allies, was the Politburo member chosen to respond to Ligachev's Gorkiy speech, and he strongly rebuffed Ligachev's conservative statements. In the past, similar speeches by Ligachev had stood without reply. Yakovlev's prompt response indicates that Gorbachev had changed his tactics in the struggle against the conservatives and had become more active and aggressive in his approach.
