Socio-cultural morphology of political modernization as a lesson of Gorbachev's «perestroika»

The authors consider the four components of Gorbachev's «perestroika», its meaning and results. Particular attention is paid to the causes of the fall of the power of the center, which led to unintended consequences for the initiators of «perestroika». The article is based on materials of Gorbachev’s open lecture in RIA «News» in March 2013.