Mikhail Gorbachev dead at 91: Final leader
of the Soviet Union allowed 'glasnost'
free speech, helped end the Cold War and
bring down the Iron Curtain - but then
saw his own superpower crumble
Daily Mail (UK),
by
Jack Wright
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
8/30/2022 5:14:39 PM
Mikhail Gorbachev - the last leader of the USSR and the man despised by Vladimir Putin and Russian nationalists for ending the Cold War while failing to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union - has died at the age of 91, Russian news agencies cited hospital officials as saying.
The Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow said that the former Soviet leader died 'after a serious and long illness' but gave no other details, according to the Interfax, TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies.
Gorbachev had been suffering from long term kidney problems and was on dialysis - and was confined to a clinic during the pandemic.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Luke21 8/30/2022 5:19:38 PM (No. 1263557)
God bless him. Rest in peace.
14 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Californian 8/30/2022 5:20:13 PM (No. 1263558)
And the Soviet Union shrinks a bit but is otherwise the same today except propped up with western cash for energy.
6 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 8/30/2022 5:23:15 PM (No. 1263563)
He is in Heaven with Ronald Reagan chillin' with Jesus now. The wall was torn down. History was made by historic men. Rest in peace.
14 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 8/30/2022 6:06:38 PM (No. 1263590)
FTA - "Though in power less than seven years, Gorbachev unleashed a series of reforms that resulted in breathtaking changes, including the reunification of Germany, the collapse of Stalin's empire, the liberation of Eastern European nations including Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic republics from decades of Russian domination, and the end of the nuclear confrontation with the West."
So, Putie, what's YOUR problem?
If Gorbie had any advice for Vlad Putin today, I wonder what he would tell him. Gorbie was ok in my book. Rest in peace, Mr. Gorbachev. You and the Gipper, President Ronald Reagan, are keepers, sir.
17 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Illinois Mom 8/30/2022 6:06:45 PM (No. 1263591)
A little quiz for my fellow Rush lover's.
How did Rush refer to the fawning over Gorbachev the Libs did every time he did anything?
They claim the Reagan wasn't the one who caused The Wall to fall, it was all Gorbachev.
10 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Newtsche 8/30/2022 6:14:43 PM (No. 1263598)
No more Gorbasms, even the little blue pill won't change that.
6 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 8/30/2022 6:15:34 PM (No. 1263599)
And so was Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, of the UK. The world was so fortunate to have these three individuals once leading the world. See the movie, "Iron Lady" when you get a chance.
12 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
whyyeseyec 8/30/2022 6:15:56 PM (No. 1263600)
Gorbachev was a communist and therefore, not worthy of mention or praise.
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 8/30/2022 6:18:12 PM (No. 1263602)
Or, read the book, "Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years". Both the movie and the book are most uplifting while highlighting the evils of the time.
10 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 8/30/2022 6:31:13 PM (No. 1263608)
I'm surprised he lived this long. Most Russian leaders are gone by age 75. What he didn't understand is that the Soviet system could not be reformed. It was crumbling from within - like a house of cards made of brittle paper.
0 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Hazymac 8/30/2022 6:34:22 PM (No. 1263614)
Gorbachev, like Anwar Sadat, was at bottom a peacemaker. Rest in peace with Raisa.
10 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
udanja99 8/30/2022 6:38:06 PM (No. 1263618)
Beg to differ - it was Reagan, Thatcher and Pope JPII who ended the Cold War. Gorbachev had no choice but to go along with it.
14 people like this.
#5 - I can hear Rush, even now: "It was called, 'He...LOST!'"
While the concurrent arrival on the scene of Reagan, Thatcher, and John Paul II was what really ended the Cold War, it wouldn't have been as smooth with a hardline Stalinist in the Kremlin. One bio I read talked about childhood visits to his extended family in the Ukraine where he was impressed by the rich farmlands - something that Russia lacked. It helped set the stage for the reforms once he took power - reforms that were then exploited by the three Western leaders mentioned above.
5 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 8/30/2022 8:36:08 PM (No. 1263729)
Reagan was the force behind the fall of the Soviet Union but Thatcher held firm with him. Gorbachev could see the collapse coming and, decent man that he was, knew it was for the best for the planet. RIP, Mikail. You were one of the sane, smart men the world needed.
6 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Ruhn 8/30/2022 8:47:45 PM (No. 1263743)
Gorbachev fooled a lot a people, especially the western press who fawned over him like a Soviet Obama. True, he ushered reforms into the USSR that were ultimately too little, too late.
Notice that he pushed 'reform', not transformation. Because at his core, Gorbachev was still a true Marxist believer.
2 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
MNluxiegal 8/30/2022 9:37:29 PM (No. 1263791)
Rush called the fawnig press coverage of M. Gorbachov, "Gorbasms".
The fall of the Soviet Union and the entire Iron Curtain was due to Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher, with help from Helmut Kohl plus a bit from Gorbachov. Oh, and not to forget prayers and help from God Almighty.
2 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
DVC 8/30/2022 11:04:53 PM (No. 1263844)
He was no hero.
1 person likes this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
PChristopher 8/30/2022 11:25:09 PM (No. 1263866)
I remember the MSM fawning all over him and his wife like they were stars on the red carpet at the Oscars, even as they berated President Reagan, just like they still do with Obama. He might've been a smoother, sweet-talking Communist but he was still a Communist trying to hobble the US, so spare me all the fawning now. He's gone...no tears here.
1 person likes this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
MDConservative 8/31/2022 11:31:42 AM (No. 1264324)
"He gave us all freedom - but we don't know what to do with it." - Economist Ruslan Grinberg
And that's it in a nutshell. I'm reminded of the DNR releasing farm-raised pheasants to salt the area for hunters. As they were released none flew away, all trying to return to the cages and their upbringing. Russians have never experienced "Freedom". From the Czars to the Communists and now the Putinistas, they have no idea - and I'm not sure that the bulk are "yearning to be free"...like those pheasants. Life is good enough.
0 people like this.
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