This book analyzes the Soviet Union's social problems, focusing on those it shares with Western industrial societies. It assesses the social concerns confronting Gorbachev, including poverty; prostitution; health, education, and family issues; and the difficulty of adapting to technological change.

The demise of any empire provides an occasion for fresh examination of longaccepted "truths" about its history and its intrinsic nature: What set this particular empire apart from others? Why did it develop in the way that it did? Could events have taken a different path? What legacies has the empire left to its heirs? In this volume, eminent scholars reflect on the unique and central features of the Soviet empire during its period of consolidation in Europe and speculate on the long-term effects of its collapse. They reconsider subjects that have absorbed Adam Ulam's attention in his own...