Here's somesthing in English, from Radio Free Europe, just a quick Google. I thought Gorbachev's comments on the sidebar interesting. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/02/65e55bb7-8f00-48eb-8876-bef95791a1ea.html ----- Original Message ----- From: Andy Amago To: lit-ideas Sent: 2/23/2006 11:02:14 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] Collapse of the USSR BBCRussian.com has begun a series (in Russian, obviously) commemorating the beginning of the Thaw, attributed to Kruschev's secret speech given at the XXth Congress in February 1956. In that speech Kruschev denounced Stalin and the cult of Stalin. That speech is credited as the beginning of the end of the USSR, so much so that Ben Gurion, among the first in the West to read it, predicted upon reading it that the end of the USSR would happen in 30 years. It happened in 35. I thought it interesting for purposes of this list because of the earlier thread that the demise of the USSR is credited to Reagan. Far from it. The USSR was based on the cult of Stalin. When Stalin died, there was nothing left to hold it together, and a mere 35 years later, it collapsed. I would paste the link but it's in Russian and there's no translation. What the heck, I'm pasting it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/in_depth/newsid_4743000/4743480.stm