A new book by Ye.T. Gaidar

The key subject of the first of them is the problems faced by the societies where the institutions most important for life organizations have collapsed and no new ones to replace them have been formed. Although such problems occur relatively rare, they result in extremely negative consequences for society. Therefore they also give rise to an ardent desire on the part of those who have experienced a long period of anarchy to obtain order whatever the cost. The cost can be prohibitively high. Russia’s experience in the 20th century – the destruction of the peasantry, political repressions, starvation and the perishing of millions of our compatriots is an eloquent illustration of this truth.

Frequently, the rigid political structures formed after the infliction of the traumas caused by the deinstitualization of society are ill - adapted to evolutionary change. That is one of the major problems of Russia’s future. Will the regime formed in the course of the post-revolutionary stabilization at the end of the 20th century be reasonable enough to evolutionary carry out the necessary reforms? Or will it try to preserve the existing rigid administrative mechanisms of social control, which do not permit evolution? In this case, as history teaches us, a new crisis and a new revolution with all the hardships of deinstitualization will be absolutely inevitable.

Ye. T. Gaidar’s second essay, “The State and Evolution”, although originally published 15 years ago, still has not lost its cutting edge. The essay is the product of the author’s reflections over the difference between the interests of the bureaucracy and those of the masses, which vividly manifested itself in the course of Gorbachev’s perestroika and the subsequent market reforms, and over the relationship between power and property in Russia

The desire to forget about the unpleasant and hard times is understandable. Unfortunately, if one does not want to know about his own past, he can make serious mistakes in future. This book is addressed to those who still have questions about their past and are eager to find answers to them.