The lecture offers a perspective on the 1990s not only as a time of economic reforms but also as a period of profound social changes that affected millions of people. Yevgeny Gontmacher will analyze how the country experienced the transition from a planned economy to a market one, what challenges reformers faced, and how Russian society evolved during this time of change. This lecture addresses a period that still evokes debates, strong emotions, and a desire to understand anew what exactly happened to the country after the collapse of the USSR. It will discuss not just reforms as a set of decisions and economic measures, but how these changes reflected on people's daily lives, the social sphere, habits, expectations, and the sense of the future. Such a conversation is especially important today, as the 1990s increasingly become subjects of myths, simplifications, and harsh evaluations. At the center of the discussion is the time of Yegor Gaidar's reforms and their consequences for society. This was a moment when the old system was effectively dismantled, and the new one was just beginning to take shape. Millions of people changed professions, sought new ways to earn a living, learned to live in a market economy, faced uncertainty, and at the same time felt a sense of opening opportunities. It was during this time that entrepreneurship intensified, a new middle class emerged, and a different social structure of the country was formed. But alongside this, tension, confusion, inequality, and the necessity to make decisions under constant pressure of circumstances grew.