This study, written by a Russian expert on the media, analyzes the unique role of the mass media--television and the press--in the social, political, and economic changes that began in the Soviet Union in 1985 under the name of perestroika and culminated recently in the country's dissolution. In addition, the work examines the restructuring of the media, from mouthpiece of the Communist Party to independent commentator. By viewing the struggle for control of the media as reflective of the country's political turmoil, the author provides a fascinating insight into the ways and means of Russian politics.