On Mikhail Gorbachev's passing
I found out about his death from a BBC Russian Service breaking news alert I got on my phone (I got the app shortly after the start of the war). And I was surprised by how much the news... "upset" is a strong word. I would say "unsettled."
For better or for worse, the chain of events he started defined my childhood. I was too young to really understand what was going on during perestroika. I do vividly remember being confused and a bit upset when Leningrad went back to its original name. I remember, at five years old, wondering why all the grown-ups were staring at some ballet playing on TV and not paying any attention to me. I remember when statues of Lenin started vanishing, to the point where it was almost like a game. The Great De-Lenining.
No, what really struck with me, what defined my childhood, was the ultimate outcome of what he set in motion - the collapse of the Soviet Union. And I've written plenty, on this LJ and on social media in general, about what that was like.
I feel like many Westerners never quite grasp just how many Russians hate Gorbachev because of that. I'm not one of them. As traumatic as the collapse was, I don't really blame him for it. Gorbachev made have gotten the ball rolling, but there were plenty of people, who often had the best of intentions, who had their part in where the ball ended up. .By the time 1991 rolled around, a lot of it was out of his hands, anyway. And besides, given the state of Soviet economy, it was going to be a disaster no matter what he did. The only question is what kind, and how bad it would get.
(Also, anybody who thinks Soviet Union could have survived if things went differently is delusional.The fact that the Baltic states bolted the first chance they got is telling, and so was just how quickly Nagorno Karabakh situation got out of control at the first sign of Soviet weakness)
I can't really bring myself to say 'rest in peace" about Gorbachev. Too many painful memories, and the overwhelming sense that so much potential got pissed away.. But I can acknowledge that, in the end of the day, Gorbachev loved his country and wanted to do what's best for it. He dared to challenge the status quo and took risks. He deserves respect for that.
Perhaps in a different Russia, a more peaceful Russia, a more prosperous Russia, people might be able to look back at him more kindly.
For better or for worse, the chain of events he started defined my childhood. I was too young to really understand what was going on during perestroika. I do vividly remember being confused and a bit upset when Leningrad went back to its original name. I remember, at five years old, wondering why all the grown-ups were staring at some ballet playing on TV and not paying any attention to me. I remember when statues of Lenin started vanishing, to the point where it was almost like a game. The Great De-Lenining.
No, what really struck with me, what defined my childhood, was the ultimate outcome of what he set in motion - the collapse of the Soviet Union. And I've written plenty, on this LJ and on social media in general, about what that was like.
I feel like many Westerners never quite grasp just how many Russians hate Gorbachev because of that. I'm not one of them. As traumatic as the collapse was, I don't really blame him for it. Gorbachev made have gotten the ball rolling, but there were plenty of people, who often had the best of intentions, who had their part in where the ball ended up. .By the time 1991 rolled around, a lot of it was out of his hands, anyway. And besides, given the state of Soviet economy, it was going to be a disaster no matter what he did. The only question is what kind, and how bad it would get.
(Also, anybody who thinks Soviet Union could have survived if things went differently is delusional.The fact that the Baltic states bolted the first chance they got is telling, and so was just how quickly Nagorno Karabakh situation got out of control at the first sign of Soviet weakness)
I can't really bring myself to say 'rest in peace" about Gorbachev. Too many painful memories, and the overwhelming sense that so much potential got pissed away.. But I can acknowledge that, in the end of the day, Gorbachev loved his country and wanted to do what's best for it. He dared to challenge the status quo and took risks. He deserves respect for that.
Perhaps in a different Russia, a more peaceful Russia, a more prosperous Russia, people might be able to look back at him more kindly.