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Gorbachev Taking A Stand For Peace And Democracy Essay

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Gorbachev: Taking a Stand for Peace and Democracy

Sean Li, Jack McMahon, Ian Park, Henry Smith

Introduction

On December 26, 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved into fifteen independent states. With its abrupt demise came the solemn resignation of former General Secretary of the Communist Party, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. Gorbachev has been labeled many things: a friend to the West, the great villain of modern Russia, and the liberator of Eastern Europe. The 1980’s Time Man of the decade and recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, Gorbachev was one of the most influential statesmen of the 20th century; a visionary who realized that new thinking would be required to overcome the boundaries of old ideology in order to achieve …show more content…

He inadvertently catalyzed the fall of the Soviet Union and ushered in a time of economic instability for many Russians. For this, he is reviled by many in Modern Russia. However, Gorbachev is respected by a great many. Few leaders in history have had the courage to choose a course for reform and stand by it as resolutely as Gorbachev did. In his nobel lecture, he declared, “I have long ago made a final and irrevocable decision. Nothing and no one, no pressure, either from the right or from the left, will make me abandon the positions of perestroika and new thinking. I do not intend to change my views or convictions. My choice is a final one.” Gorbachev took a stand or reform and change in a nation hampered by the customs of an oppressive ideology. Perestroika and Glasnost were able to expand the rights of the people including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom of assembly. He set a precedent for diplomacy by halting the arms race and averting nuclear destruction. Ever since Gorbachev took office and began negotiations with Reagan, the world’s stockpile of ballistic missiles has declined. With tensions between Russia and the United States again on the rise, and leaders advocating for nuclear arms proliferation, international peace is at risk. Gorbachev stand is now more relevant than ever, a reminder that ideological divides are better resolved through conferences than

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