The system was dead already, and it is to Yeltsin’s great credit that he was able to bring Russia out of the ruins in one piece. Although Russia’s future is uncertain, its history is becoming clearer, in part because we now know that the Twentieth Party Congress started the process that brought about the end of Soviet despotism.
因此，虽然俄罗斯普遍指责戈尔巴乔夫和叶利钦导致苏联解体，但这样做既没用，也不公平。这个政权体制已经死了，能够带领俄罗斯完整地走出废墟也应归功于叶利钦。虽然俄罗斯前途未谱，但它的历史变得更加清晰，部分原因是因为我们现在知道苏共20大开启了苏联专制的终结。