Boris Yeltsin

He has been called a democrat and a drunkard, a dictator and a tsar. For the better part of a decade, he has led the seemingly impossible task of dragging his enormous nation into the world's political and economic mainstream. Boris Yeltsin's political journey is akin to President Lincoln's log-cabin-to-White-House tale. A former construction site foreman, he has survived countless crises to remain in control of Russia since the collapse of communism. Despite rumors of ill health, strong opposition and questionable decisions, he has never lost an election. BIOGRAPHY(R) travels to Russia for an intimate portrait of one of the world's most contradictory leaders. Insight into Yeltsin's life and rule comes from his bodyguard of 11 years, political allies and opponents and ordinary citizens who have endured the wrenching transformation of the former superpower. From the indelible image of him standing on a tank outside Parliament in 1991 to the bitter struggle over Chechnya, this is a comprehensive portrait of one of the most important leaders in modern history.

• documentary