Mikhail Gorbachev

[ER]

Last Soviet leader, RIP.

[indianasmith]

For a brief time, he made us think there was hope for a more Democratic Russia and a more peaceful world.
RIP, Mikhail.  You tried.

[Trevor]

RIP: I remember when he came into office and started speaking about glasnost and perestroika. Once I heard those words and understood what they meant,  I was relieved that World War 3 wouldn't break out.

With Putin in charge, I'm not so sure.

[Alex]

RIP to the most influential politician of my lifetime.

[Rev. Powell]

A great man. He changed the world.

[ER]

The fact he survived to reach such an age is almost a miracle, as he had many enemies while in power, made it through a coup attempt, and after he left office there were those who had reason to feel betrayed by him.

Incidentally, while my father was working in what was then West Berlin, people with whom he was connected became aware that some within East Germany's Stasi were at the very least kicking around the idea of assassinating Gorbachev, with their rationale being that the direction he was taking the USSR was having a negative impact on their own country, which was losing huge subsidies from Moscow, leaving East Germany so undermined it was honestly asking its citizens to donate blood, which it then sold off on the international market. That's desperation!  There were also genuine Marxist idealists in East Berlin who felt Gorbachev was the impending doom of European Communism, which he was. So this intelligence was passed on, and presumably shared with the Soviets, and who knows, maybe the history of the world was changed for the better because the East Germans, who were infamous for their brazen activities, never got their schemes off the ground.

[Trevor]

The German ambassador to SA summed up Mr Gorbachev's legacy thus:

https://www.news24.com/news24/columnists/guestcolumn/opinion-german-ambassador-andreas-peschke-what-gorbachev-meant-to-me-growing-up-in-east-germany-20220901

[Morpheus, the unwoke.]

Thank whatever powers there may be he was in the Kremlin while Ronny raygun was in Washington....

[ER]

Thank whatever powers there may be he was in the Kremlin while Ronny raygun was in Washington....

Oh no....it can't be....not.... He Who Must Not Be Named is not back.... No, must resist that thought.