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In 1988, no one expected the East Bloc todisintegrate within a year. In Russian historian Constantine Pleshakov’scheeky, sharply worded account of the last days of the Evil Empire, none of thekey playersnot Reagan, Bush or John Paul IIhad any idea where events wouldlead. Pleshakov’s insight is that the runaway pace of history was triggered bythe quagmire in Afghanistanthat crippled the Soviet behemoth and the rise of Solidarity in Poland, whichset an example for dissidence throughout the East Bloc. Gorbachev may havesymbolized change, but Pleshakov defines him as a mediocre, disingenuous,muddle-headed leader who accidentally caused the collapse of the Communistsystem he hoped to save.
