The collapse of Socialism has had a profound effect on the society and politics in the countries that emerged after the break up of the Soviet Union. These countries had to learn everything from scratch. The collapse of socialism started teaching the new breed of politicians not only the fundamentals of real democracy but also the negative factors associated with democracy found in a typical developing country. The effects of the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union touched all sections of society, especially Russian women. Education and other social services lost their importance in an economy that was now in shambles. Although a number of Western scholars have written volumes on the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union this book is the first attempt by an Indian scholar (Vasundhara Mohan, Associate Professor, Centre for Central Eurasian Studies, University of Mumbai, India) to look at the effects with specific reference to the Democratisation of Soviet Polity, the status of women and the impact on the other social aspects of Russian Society. Written in a lucid style, this work is based on the author's research and personal knowledge acquired during her visit to Russia. Vasundhara Mohan obtained her Ph.D, in Political Science from the South Asia Studies Centre of the Rajasthan University at Jaipur in India for her work on the Muslim minorities of Sri Lanka. Her work on the status of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka has been published 'Muslims of Sri Lanka, Aalekh, Jaipur: 1985' as well as her doctoral dissertation 'Identity Crisis of the Muslims of Sri Lanka; Mittal, Delhi: 1987'. She later joined the Centre for Soviet Studies of the Bombay University in India. Continuing her post-Doctoral research, she worked on the nationalities problems in the Soviet Union, US-Soviet Relations and other contemporary issues. An alumni of the Salzburg Seminar, she continues to teach and guide research at the Centre (now renamed Centre for Central Eurasian Studies). Her publications include Soviet Foreign Policy in South Asia: A Case Study of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; Soviet Union Under Gorbachev; and Evaluation of the Gorbachev Era. This work is the result of her research carried out under field trip from the Indian Council of Social Science Research. Vasundhara Mohan lives in Mumbai (Bombay), India.