Democratization in Russia under Gorbachev, 1985-91: The Birth of a Voluntary Sector

Self-help organizations and charities were the least-studied pressure groups to emerge during perestroika. This book examines the social exclusion experienced before 1985 by non-working citizens; studies the pre-1985 disabled people's movement and its numerous unofficial, but non-dissident organizations; discusses why the Gorbachev leadership adopted the non-Soviet concept of "charity;" analyzes the failure of local authorities after 1985 to stave off pluralism and defeat the voluntary organizations; and assesses how successfully the latter built the foundations of a civil society.