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Synopsis Two major happenings of the last decade of 20 century, the collapse of the once mighty USSR and the rise of a new Russia from its ruins, shook the world. Obviously, these happenings were interlinked, while one mass of people, the Russian people, and one charismatic leader, Boris Eltsyn were common to both. What one did to the other in the span of a generation, a defining decade of 20 century? Simply put, what happened to Russia and its people led by Boris Eltsyn after the Soviet Union? This indeed is a contemporary saga of socio-economic changes and political development of novel and epic proportions. The book unfolds this saga methodologically, analytically and in sequence, indeed like the account of a well-informed insider. Its vital aspects – political, economic, social, external behaviourism, and contours of a new society and its structures – are focused on separate chapters. Finally, it assesses the record of recurrent crises, failures and some successes of Eltsyn years in Russia. Within an academic framework, the book is written in a capsular format and in a communicative style and it heavily relies on Russian language sources as well as on field observations. The book is authored jointly by two eminent scholars of India and Russia who are widely known for their studies on Russia (USSR) and international affairs. As such, it is a model of cross-cultural academic creativity and interaction. Moreover, the theme and its presentation in the book are in themselves of interest to students, scholars and opinion-makers, indeed to all, wanting to understand better development processes, transitions from one type of society to the other, in contemporary Russia and beyond.