{"product_id":"9780875804941","title":"Alexander Yakovlev: The Man Whose Ideas Delivered Russia from Communism","description":"\u003cbr\u003eA significant political figure in twentieth-century Russia, Alexander Yakovlev was the intellectual force behind the processes of \u003ci\u003eperestroika\u003c\/i\u003e (reconstruction) and \u003ci\u003eglasnost\u003c\/i\u003e (openness) that liberated the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe from Communist rule between 1989 and 1991. Yet, until now, not a single full-scale biography has been devoted to him. In his study of the unsung hero, Richard Pipes seeks to rectify this lacuna and give Yakovlev his historical due.\u003cp\u003eYakovlev’s life provides a unique instance of a leading figure in the Soviet government who evolved from a dedicated Communist and Stalinist into an equally ardent foe of everything the Leninist-Stalinist regime stood for. He quit government service in 1991 and lived until 2005, becoming toward the end of his life a classical western liberal who shared none of the traditional Russian values.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePipes’s illuminating study consists of two parts: a biography of Yakovlev and Pipes’s translation of two important articles by Yakovlev. It will appeal to specialists and students of Soviet and post-Soviet studies, government officials involved with foreign policy, and general readers interested in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Illinois University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47018988929264,"sku":"9780875804941","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780875804941_p0.jpg?v=1763836921","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780875804941","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}