13/06 Michail Gorbatschow in West-Germany/Staatsbesuch der BRD
Text auf deutsch Gorbimania in the West Gorbachev was a darling of Western politicians from as early as 1986 when he first detailed his plans to “reconstruct” the Soviet Union under the twin labels of Perestroika (~change, redesign) and Glasnost (~openness, transparency) and a lot of freedom-minded citizens in the East took this as a…
21/03/89 The soviet army shrinks/Truppenreduzierung der Sowjets
A step towards independence A key factor leading to the revolution in 1989 is Michail Gorbatschow’s doctrine, that the “brother states” of the Warzsaw Pact will be responsible for their own destiny. Mikhai Gorbachev (Yuryi Abramochkin,RIA Novosti archive, image #359290) This means that a) the Soviet Union won’t stand in the way of national reforms,…