Mikhail Gorbachev — "The Soviet Union was a great country. But it had to change."
The Soviet Union was a great country. But it had to change.
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More from Mikhail Gorbachev
"Perestroika is a revolution without shots."
"I am not a fan of capitalism. But I recognize its effectiveness."
"The cold war is over. Let us build a new world."
"The one who is late is punished by having to wait for a long time."
"I am a convinced communist. This is my main credo. I will never renounce it. I am a convinced Marxist-Leninist. I will never renounce it."
About Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022)
Final General Secretary of the Soviet Union whose glasnost and perestroika reforms led to the USSR's dissolution and the end of the Cold War. Closely associated with Boris Yeltsin (his domestic rival and successor as Russian leader) and Ronald Reagan (Cold War counterpart and arms-control partner). For an intellectual contrast, see Vladimir Putin, Russian president (2000-2008, 2012-) — Putin has publicly called the Soviet collapse 'the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century' — Gorbachev's signature achievement. Putin's two-decade political project has been organized around reversing Gorbachev's liberalization.