Russia Goes Dry: Alcohol, State and Society

Russians today are the world's heaviest drinkers. The consumption of alcohol permeates family life, shapes the economy, and plays an occasional but striking role in the political leadership. Russia Goes Dry is an entertaining and instructive study of the Soviet leadership's attempt to eliminate alcohol abuse. It traces the profound influence of alcohol through Russian history and charts the campaign from its initiation under Mikhail Gorbachev to its disappointing aftermath in the postcommun...