The Oral History of Americans and other foreigners who participated in the historic dismantling of the Soviet economy by Russian reformers and who contributed to the creation of the Russian market economy in the 1990s.
‘When we talk about history, the behind the scenes setting of the stage is rarely understood or recorded. So, that’s very important, because this is an important period in the history of the world and for us to learn well from it, we really need to understand the biggest possible picture of perceptions that we can.”
James Hickman, director, Esalen Institute Soviet American Exchange Program
The Satinsky Archive is made up of first-person interviews with former government officials, businesspeople, citizen diplomats and consultants that capture the essence of this turbulent reform period through the eyes of those who experienced it and present the importance of this experience in understanding contemporary Russia. The majority of the interviews were conducted prior to the February 24, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and were used as source material for Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy: Through American Eyes(2024).