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LINK Mikhail Gorbachev Didn't Mince Words When It Came To His Opinion Of Donald Trump

Throughout its history, the USSR had many different leaders, some who were more impactful than others. Mikhail Gorbachev was both an impactful and a different type of Soviet leader. Gorbachev died on August 20, 2022 and was the last living leader of the former Soviet Union. As Reuters states, Gorbachev's political life was strife with both controversies and oddities. Gorbachev oversaw the fall of the Soviet Union, which was already significantly weakened by his domestic policymaking. Gorbachev brought an end to the Cold War, made numerous partnerships with the USSR's western opponents, including President Ronald Reagan, and helped push forth Germany's reunification.

Much to the entertainment of many, Gorbachev also took part in advertisements for various brands. One of the more notable of these is a Pizza Hut ad from 1998 that he was featured in. He also had a modeling partnership with Louis Vuitton, as Newsweek explains. Alongside his marketing antics, he also didn't hold back barbs when criticizing other politicians, particularly Donald Trump. According to CNBC, in 2018, Gorbachev actually gave negative commentary regarding Trump's intelligence over his decision to withdraw the United States from an international treaty that called for the disarmament of nuclear weapons.

Like many other countries, the Soviet Union had a complicated history. As Britannica states, the USSR's earliest roots were strife with civil war, bloodshed, and revolution. Much of Russia's modern development came after the Russian Revolution, as the Bolshevik leadership under Lenin transformed the country into an industrial powerhouse. The USSR would eventually become a nuclear superpower, setting the stage for the Cold War against the United States. The man responsible for ending the Cold War and helping to bridge Russia and the West together was Mikhail Gorbachev.

As Reuters reports, Gorbachev saw the collapse of the USSR under his leadership. He became General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1985, then president in 1990, leading to numerous reforms. The same year he was named president, Gorbachev was also the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize and would receive many more honors for his humanitarian efforts (per The Gorbachev Foundation). He left behind a complicated legacy as the last living leader of the Soviet Union and as someone with his critics and unlikely admirers.

Mikhail Gorbachev Thought Very Little Of Donald Trump

By now, most of the controversies surrounding of the controversies that surround Donald Trump. As The Atlantic reports, the businessman and former president had a laundry list of scandals, such as sexual assault, racism, and fraud. One of Trump's more controversial moves during his presidency was his decision to withdraw the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. As the BBC states, the withdrawal happened formally on August 2, 2019, and was subject to criticism. The treaty, signed by Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in 1987, forbids either country from deploying intermediate-range (310-3,400 miles) nuclear, ballistic, and cruise missiles (per the Arms Control Association).

Gorbachev was one of the observers who had a few choice words for the U.S. president. As stated by CNBC, Gorbachev criticized the withdrawal, adding that the move was " ... not the work of a great mind." The move was seen by many officials as an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Russia, evoking memories of the Cold War. However, Gorbachev's comment was one of the more direct statements made over the withdrawal.

HippieChick58 9 Sep 3
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3

Gorbachev was waaay ahead of his time and no wonder Putin disliked him so much. What many do not know he was also instrumental in forming the first UN charter on the environment called the "Earth Charter." [en.wikipedia.org]
"The idea of the Earth Charter originated in 1987, by Maurice Strong and Mikhail Gorbachev as members of The Club of Rome, when the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development called for a new charter to guide the transition to sustainable development. In 1992, the need for a charter was urged by then-Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, but the time for such a declaration was not believed to be right. The Rio Declaration became the statement of the achievable consensus at that time. In 1994, Strong (Chairman of the Earth Summit) and Gorbachev, working through organizations they each founded (the Earth Council and Green Cross International respectively), restarted the Earth Charter as a civil society initiative, with the help of the government of the Netherlands."

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At some point I would like to find out why the general thought is Gorbachev caused the collapse of the USSR. I know it is not a simple answer much like the American Paradox the HCR as written about.
I realize putin blames him and did not go to the funeral. How trumpy of him. Sadly for the Russian people and the world putin is not a nice man, he is a bully but many like that in a "leader". 😟

6

He was also in love with his wife, Raisa, who was an intelligent, beautiful woman! Yes, this has nothing to do with politics! 'Dump' and a mind! Where?

Love for one's mate may not be political but it does speak to character. Kindness is not well respected among some tribal members. Though it is an age old tale.

@silverotter11 Got that right! Some are so far above the TRIBE!

3

He was not well liked in Russia.

In an article in today's paper many Russians (especially those that managed to escape Russia) felt he was a breath of fresh air. Of course no should believe the 'opinions' of people living under the thumb of Putin.

@JackPedigo Economic conditions were horrendous for much of the nation, when USSR collapsed so it was no boon to them.

@rainmanjr After the collapse I heard that a number of NATO military officers went to the 'former' USSR to check out their might. Most of the subs were seriously flawed as well as a lot of other equipment. Given the poor economic system people started to seriously wonder how they were able to bill themselves as a 'super' power. Things did improve, economically for a while but now they are headed down the toilet again.

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