Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of Soviet Union has died aged 91 in Moscow Central Clinical Hospital, he died after a long and serious illness. In a barrage of tributes from all over the world to the man generally acknowledged for ending the cold war, Mikhail Gorbachev has been referred to as “one of the greatest figures of the 20th century.” Gorbachev led the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985-91 and is famous for his policies of “perestroika” (restructuring) and “glasnost” (openness), which aimed to democratize Soviet Union.
Gorbachev is hailed in the West for ending the “Cold war”. After becoming the leader of the Union in 1985, Gorbachev launched sweeping reforms aimed at the liberalization of the economy and public life. His tenure saw the fall of Berlin Wall. He resigned in 1991 with the breakup of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. Lets look at the contribution of Gorbachev the last USSR leader through his tenure!
Breathe of Fresh Air
Gorbachev became the breath of fresh air after the stagnation of the Leonid Brezhnev years. He was the first general secretary to have been born after the 1917 revolution. His tenure was the tenure of change and experimentation in the UUSR.
Free Market
His first task was to revive the moribund Soviet economy, which was at that time about to collapse. He also reformed the Communist Party from root-and-branch in order to reform the economy. His solution to this problem was done with two policies “perestroika” or restructuring and “glasnost” or Openness. But he was not to replace state control with that of free market economy.
Democratization of Soviet
His other weapon for dealing with the stagnation of the system was democracy. For the first time there were free elections for the Congress of People’s Deputies. This relaxation of the repressive regime caused a stirring among many nationalities that comprised the sprawling Soviet Union.
End of Cold War
Gorbachev wanted to end the Cold War, successfully negotiating with the then US President Ronald Reagan. He wanted this for the abolition of a whole class of weapons through the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty.
End of Military annexation in Afghanistan
Gorbachev announced unilateral cuts in Soviet conventional forces, while finally ending the humiliating and bloody occupation of Afghanistan. This was followed by economic sanctions on the USSR by the USA. Soviet signed a peace treaty in 1988 and withdrew the country completely in 1989.
Collapse of Soviet Union
Opposition to Soviet policies was growing in other associated states of Eastern Europe. The majority of people were against Soviet interference and the presence of Red Army in the Eastern Bloc. The break-up of the USSR started with the Baltic republics in the north. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia broke free from Moscow, starting roller-coaster that spread to Russia’s Warsaw Pact allies. This was the last and with this era of Mikhail Gorbachev died.
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Gorbachev continued to criticize the government for going back to capitalism and for the other policies. He was vocal in both Russia and in international matters. Gorbachev accused Vladimir Putin of running an increasingly repressive regime. In 2014, Gorbachev defended the referendum that led to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Evan though USSR broke under his regime, he remained one of the strong man in the modern times, who made considerable impact on the history of the World. Long Live Revolution!
