Chapter 24 Summary

In September 1990, the future is beginning to look promising in the Soviet Union. Throughout the summer, Gorbachev has given indications that he will accelerate reform. Gorbachev teams with Boris Yeltsin to develop an economic plan, "The 500 days Plan," to stimulate the economy and redistribute power to the republics. Gorbachev has stated publicly that will support the plan, despite pleas from top Party leaders, who say the plan is clearly influenced by the west, and it will surely mean the end of the Soviet Union. In the next few months, three events will change the future of Soviet Union forever.

The first omen of things to come is the murder of Father Aleksandr Men, a Russian Orthodox priest found dead near his home in the small village of Semkohz, about 30 miles from Moscow. Father Men, born a Jew, had spent his life teaching Soviet...