This is an account of Russia before, during and after Communism, including the 1991 coup. It unravels the key issues troubling outside observers and the Russians themselves. The book draws directly on interviews with Gorbachev, members of the Politburo and members of the Yeltsin team. It also takes a grass-roots perspective; through eye-witness experiences as the extraordinary changes unfolded from 1987 to the present day, the book follows the citizens' movements, the protest marches, the public demonstrations, and the August 1991 coup. It explains how ordinary people too events into their own hands and how Russians reacted to the loss of their empire.