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SCMP Editorial

Nowhere is the ideological divide between the East and West more apparent than in the reaction to the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union.
In the West he is revered as having helped slow the arms race with the United States and end the Cold War, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
But in Russia, where he died on Tuesday aged 91, he is widely viewed negatively, being blamed for the collapse and breaking up of what was once a world power.
In China, he stands as a lesson that no matter how necessary reforms are, they have to be implemented gradually with a focus on stability and continuity.


Gorbachev broke the mould of most previous Soviet leaders, being charismatic and outgoing in nature. He was no less a believer in communism, but saw how it was failing people as a result of a stagnant economy, inefficient bureaucracy and weak political system.
Shortly after taking power in 1985, he began implementing reforms to create a market economy, restructure the government and introduce freedoms. Summits with then US president Ronald Reagan led to the signing of a treaty to limit missile deployment.
Relations between China and the Soviet Union also improved; during a visit to Beijing in May 1989 amid student protests, Gorbachev agreed with paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to end decades of mistrust and lay the foundations for cooperation. But Deng also wanted to avoid the Soviet leader’s mistakes and strove to strengthen the Communist Party’s hold on power.
Gorbachev’s reforms were carried out with undue haste. Democratic elections diluted the communists’ power and led to the toppling of Soviet-controlled governments in central Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall and creation of one Germany and the beginning of Nato expansionism. The Soviet Union was dissolved at the end of 1991, and Gorbachev resigned as president.
Politicians often boast of their achievements when they leave office. Gorbachev had good reason to be proud; he made the world safer. But as the unravelling of arms control treaties between Washington and Moscow and perceived threats to Russian security that led to its invasion of Ukraine show, legacies can be fragile.


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Diplomacy

Mistakes made by proud Gorbachev avoided by China

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev shakes hands with China’s top leader Deng Xiaoping prior to their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 16, 1989. Photo: AP

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War, dead at 91

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev addresses a group of 150 business executives in San Francisco in June 1990. Photo: AP

 Mikhail Gorbachev and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in 2004. File photo: AP 

Mikhail Gorbachev, left, and then US President Ronald Reagan meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986. File photo: AP

Mikhail Gorbachev in Berlin, Germany in 2014. File photo: dpa

China offers tributes to late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for fostering Beijing-Moscow ties

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (left) raises his glass in a toast with Chinese senior leader Deng Xiaoping at a banquet at the Great Hall of the People on May 16, 1989. Photo: Reuters

Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife Raisa visit the Great Wall during a historic visit in China on May 17, 1989. Photo: AFP

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev attends the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow in 2018. Photo: Reuters

The time Mikhail Gorbachev appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial

Mikhail Gorbachev had a clause in his contract that he would not eat the pizza in the commercial. Photo: YouTube

Gorbachev taught communist China how to survive

Mikhail Gorbachev addresses a group of 150 business executives in San Francisco in 1990. Photo: AP

Buzzwords of the Gorbachev era: perestroika, glasnost and ‘no sex’

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990. File photo: AFP 

Opinion


Chaos following the break-up of Soviet Union left Deng Xiaoping determined to strengthen Communist Party’s grip on power



Chaos following the break-up of Soviet Union left Deng Xiaoping determined to strengthen Communist Party’s grip on power.


Russia

History

War and conflict

China-Russia relations

US-Russia relations

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Editorial

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Editorial | Mistakes made by proud Gorbachev avoided by China

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Chaos following the break-up of Soviet Union left Deng Xiaoping determined to strengthen Communist Party’s grip on power

Editorial | Mistakes made by proud Gorbachev avoided by China

Chaos following the break-up of Soviet Union left Deng Xiaoping determined to strengthen Communist Party’s grip on power