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MOSCOW: Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday. He was 92.
Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany.
On becoming general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985, aged just 54, he had set out to revitalise the system by introducing limited political and economic freedoms, but his reforms spun out of control.
His policy of ‘glasnost’ — free speech — allowed previously unthinkable criticism of the party and the state, but also emboldened nationalists who began to press for independence in the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and elsewhere.
Many Russians never forgave Gorbachev for the turbulence that his reforms unleashed, considering the subsequent plunge in their living standards too high a price to pay for democracy.
Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2022
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Comments (32) Closed
Aug 31, 2022 07:31am
Great leader of Russia - RIP.
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Aug 31, 2022 07:40am
What he did was incomplete and premature and now we see wars in Europe
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Aug 31, 2022 07:40am
Michael Gorbachev will be long remembered as a friend of humanity. He dealt with US Statesman in very friendly manner, the end of Cold War, And Agreement to moratoriums on missiles production. His contribution to peace will always be aknowledged. RIP.
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Aug 31, 2022 08:02am
RIP
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Aug 31, 2022 08:05am
Rest In Peace sir
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Aug 31, 2022 08:08am
Reduced cold war tension but responsible for collapse of USSR.
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Aug 31, 2022 08:11am
RIP
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Aug 31, 2022 08:26am
He was a great friend of India, we Indians will remember him as a good friend of India. RIP great friend. India will always stand with Russia.
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Aug 31, 2022 08:44am
“ To every man upon this earth ,death cometh soon or late ,
And how a man can die better than facing fearful odds …
……” poem Horatous
He was a brave man .
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Aug 31, 2022 08:46am
Rip
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Aug 31, 2022 08:55am
Advocated peace by sealing all the deals which were unthinkable. RIP
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Aug 31, 2022 08:55am
Bipolar world was better for third world countries. Now everybody is tasting crunch of unipolar world.
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Aug 31, 2022 09:16am
We almost forgot the man who shrewdly divided the great Soviet Union into pieces.
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Aug 31, 2022 09:16am
Which Cold War?
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Aug 31, 2022 09:22am
Gentleman, peacenik, and an absolute charmer.
Deeply saddened.
If there is heaven, it is reserved for people like you.
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Aug 31, 2022 10:13am
Mikhail Gorbachev will always be remembered in the history of former USSR.
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Aug 31, 2022 11:40am
Gorbachev realised thst artificial union do not last and holding it togather will cause lot of bloodshed, so he let the natural course take place which is independence for all the nations of the soviet union. Same way Indian union is going.
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Aug 31, 2022 12:13pm
A brave and prescient man who removed the Soviet yolk and mental shackles that freed his people, at least for a time, from autocratic rule. He will forever be rembered for heeding Ronald Regans entreaty to "tear down this wall" -- the Berlin Wall that was the living symbol of Cold War division and repression.
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Aug 31, 2022 12:15pm
RIP. Great leader, towering personality and good friend of India. I could recall his visit to India in 1984 or 1985 and we overwhelmly followed his programmes for three days in black and white TV.
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Aug 31, 2022 12:26pm
Ending the Cold War resulted in the beginning of a series of 'hot' wars that caused 100 times more damage to humanity. Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, and many other parts of world are still suffering from the consequences.
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Aug 31, 2022 12:29pm
The US is unilaterally following the arms reduction treaty by supplying all its near-expiry weapons to countries and rebel groups around the world.
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Aug 31, 2022 12:46pm
He was the leader of the World. Sad to here of his demise.
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Aug 31, 2022 01:00pm
He was a weak leader who surrendered USSR to the west that resulted in unipolar world. This resulted in misery around the globe particularly Muslim nations who were pro USSR. These were devastated one by one by USA and its allies. West never honoured its commitment to Russia resulting in current mess in Europe. He will be remembered as a naive.
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Aug 31, 2022 01:09pm
RIP to the final member of Soviet Union Communist Party
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Aug 31, 2022 01:11pm
With the help of $ fed Neutrals, the CIA defeated him.
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Aug 31, 2022 03:21pm
Good intentions do not always lead to good results. He did what he can
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Aug 31, 2022 03:35pm
Inna Lilla Hay Waa Inna Illehey Rajayoon.
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Aug 31, 2022 08:51pm
@KPK Booster,
But a person of his stature should have known the strength of Soviet Union's enemies.
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Aug 31, 2022 08:53pm
Only if he had read Allama Iqbal he would know that his mission is doomed to failure. All he accomplished was creation of Unipolar world order.
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Aug 31, 2022 09:24pm
Michael Gorbachev. The man who single handedly destroyed the USSR.
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Sep 01, 2022 02:28am
A great world hero who strived for international peace. He tried his best to save the Soviet Union while promoting liberty & prosperity in his country, but faced very difficult circumstances.
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Sep 01, 2022 02:41am
It's unfair to blame Gorbachev for breaking up the Soviet Union. His predecessors had already destroyed the Economy. He tried his best to save it by introducing democratic / liberal & economic reforms. But he lived in very difficult times.
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