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What the Shifts of Power in the U. S. S. R. Mean.

Political scientist professor William Taubman discusses who wields power in the Soviet Union, in the wake of the past week's events. Taubman had an editorial this weekend in the New York Times saying that the time has come for Mikhail Gorbachev to step down. (Taubman teaches at Amherst College, and is currently working on a biography of Nikita Khrushchev).

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Other segments from the episode on August 26, 1991

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 26, 1991: Interview with William Taubman; Interview with Mary Beth Hurt; Commentary on the 1991 Emmy Awards.

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34:20

William Taubman

William Taubman is a Political Science Professor at Amherst College and an expert on Russia. He has written many books on the Soviet Union. His latest is a biography of the Russian ruler Nikita Khrushchev who led the country after Stalin’s death and attempted to de-Stalinize the country. It’s called “Khrushchev: The Man and His Era” (W.W. Norton). Taubman will also discuss Russia’s recent veto of the Security Council resolution on Iraq and Russia’s relationship with Saddam Hussein.

Interview
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22:08

The Governmental Standoff in the Soviet Union

Boris Yeltsin may be forced out of office tomorrow when the Congress of People's Deputies meets in a special session. William Taubman, a political science professor at Amherst College, was in Russia this January, and has visited the beleaguered country five times in the last 18 months. He talks about the current chaotic state of Russian politics.

Interview

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