RUSSIA'96

After all the horrors of the Soviet Union--the gulag, the secret police, the famines, the totalitarian control over every aspect of life--is it possible that the citizens of Russia would voluntarily return power to the Communists? In the coming weeks they may very well do just that, by electing a Communist as their President. What would induce a people to take such a step? The Russians have enjoyed unprecedented tastes of freedom over the past few years, and the process began so hopefully, even heroically. Now the descendants of Stalin's victims are poised to welcome as their rulers the heirs of Stalin's politics. Will they do so? Or will they pause at the brink? On the following pages TIME explores the reasons for the trouble in the Russian soul, the fierce campaign for the presidency and what the outcome may mean for the world.