Introduction

The political system inherited by Mikhail Gorbachev when he came to power in the Soviet Union in March 1985 had changed surprisingly litde since Stalin's day. Russia emerged from the cold war as no more than a Eurasian power. Its global pretensions had gone. This had never been part of Gorbachev's plan. Boris Yeltsin had achieved his aim. He no longer had a rival power base to contend with in Moscow. He used his new status to introduce radical reform which was designed to overthrow the last remnants of communism in his country. The occupation reached a climax on Sunday 3 October 1993, when about 15 000 rebel supporters overwhelmed the interior troops to gain entry to the White House. The war in Chechnya further battered Yeltsin's reputation as a leader, Few Russians had much time for the Chechens, who were widely believed to have close links to the mafia, but the military operation remained highly unpopular.