ABSTRACT
Yegor Ligachev, member of the Politburo and secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, is the man most often associated with opposition to Gorbachev. Although he has never directly attacked or criticized Gorbachev, it is the nature and tone of his statements, as well as their timing, that mark him as the chief opponent of Gorbachev's reforms—of at least as the opponent with the highest party rank.
