1. Comparative analysis of Political and Economic reforms in Russia, East European countries and China. Provide facts and explain failures and successes.
2. Did Gorbachev begin his reform because there was an objective demand for it, or it was just his personal (subjective) will that made him start the reform?
3. Analyze the impact ( political and economic) that Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Sakharov and Boris Yeltsin made in early stages of "perestroika". Compare those leaders.
4. Imagine yourself in a position of a Communist Party "hard-liner" in 1985. If you were to design a strategy of working with Gorbachev, then how would you proceed? What would your major goals have been?
5. If you were a part of the elite of the CPSU when the reform started, would you still oppose it had you known what the end (1998) would look like. Explain your answer in details.
6. Boris Yeltsin’s phenomena, and his role in Russia’s transition to democracy.
7. Discuss the issue of privatization in Russia. What the idea was? How it was implemented? Could it have been implemented differently? Illustrate your answer with examples and explain how you would have done it if you were in charge?
8. The paradox of Russian Congress of People’s Deputies. Discuss its role in Russia’s reforms. Explain the reasons for its demise. Was Yeltsin right when he used army to abolish the RCPD?
9. Analyze different electoral systems that Russia used since 1989. Show their pluses and minuses. Which of them was the most democratic? What do you mean by the word "democratic"? Try to design a "perfect" electoral system that Russia might use in the future.
10. Analyze current economic and political situation in Russia. Show the relationship between economic and political factors. Describe how you would proceed with reforms in Russia if you were elected President there. Take on both economy and politics, including institutions, structure and so on.