This book by S.G. Kara-Murza contains his articles written in the 1990s – early 2000s and devoted to the problems of the formation of the Russian opposition and its place in the life of the state. Speaking about the formation of the opposition movement, the author analyzes the reasons for the collapse of Soviet power and comes to the conclusion that its enormous potential during the years of the so-called democratic reforms was spent on enriching the newly emerged nouveau riche, who destroyed a great power and brought the people to extinction. In this regard, the opposition movement in Russia has taken on an unprecedented scale, and without analyzing the essence of this phenomenon it is impossible to make predictions about the future of our country.