World Leader DEAD – End Of An Era!
(DailyVantage.com) – Historically, many political figures have polarized events, yet some became lightning rods for change. Mikhail Gorbachev pioneered peace and a new era for Russia and its ex-Soviet satellites, ending the cold war with the collapse of the Soviet Union. He paved the way forward for modern Russia. Both sides of the US political aisle largely respected the former leader, who passed away on August 30 at age 91 after battling a long illness.
Gorbachev first rose to power in 1985, sparring with former President Ronald Reagan amidst the cold war, which had been ongoing for nearly 40 years since the end of the second world war. For six years, the General Secretary of the Communist Party implemented “perestroika,” or reforms, introducing liberal policies to the strictly authoritarian USSR. As the Soviet Union faced an inevitable collapse, his policies led to “glasnost,” more openness, increased freedom of speech and press and less suffering — which was perhaps his greatest legacy, even if it wasn’t his intention.
Mikhail Gorbachev, who rose to power in the Soviet Union and set in motion a series of revolutionary changes that transformed the map of Europe and ended the Cold War that had threatened the world with nuclear annihilation, has died in Moscow. He was 91. https://t.co/hYeovyISVa pic.twitter.com/ExXIlukRl6
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 30, 2022
Gorbachev ruled until radicals attempting a coup weakened his hold on power in 1991 as the USSR dissolved. Eventually, he gave up power to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. He remained a prominent figure but failed to secure a presidential win in 1996. The last Soviet leader remained on the sidelines through the beginning of now-President Vladimir Putin’s rule — even if the two didn’t always see eye to eye.
Many people are mourning Gorbachev’s loss. Even Putin extended his deepest condolences. The former leader might have been a polarizing figure in Russia and the old Soviet Union, but he leaves behind a lasting legacy that anyone is unlikely to forget.
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