The USSR achieved military parity with the West in the 1970s and important arms control accords were signed that gave them a measure of security. Thus, the mid-1980s seemed a propitious time to take a daring leap toward capitalism with help from Russia?s new friends. But Perestroika, Glasnost and new legal codes designed with advice from Western experts led to an utter economic and social breakdown. Shocking concrete examples of the corruption, chaos and misery in the disastrous 1990s are related by the author, a Russian close to the administration in Moscow. If the intent was to turn Russia into a cowboy-capitalistic hell and undermine Russians' confidence in capitalism, it succeeded. But it did not succeed in stealing resources and destroying the West's long-term rival. No wonder the public was ready for a strong, smart, energetic leader to set a new direction...and so we have Putin.