Gorbachev: He was adored in Germany, not in his own country

The German press illuminates aspects of the last Soviet leader, a “romantic politician” who wanted to democratize a dictatorship and failed.

Countless articles and comments on the websites of the German press about the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who launched the end of the Cold War and is considered one of the pioneers of German Reunification. A politician who was loved by the Germans, but not by his countrymen. The Spiegel calls the Nobel Peace Prize winner a “romantic politician” and points out:

He tried to democratize a dictatorship

“He wanted to reform the Soviet Union and brought about its dissolution. He initially praised the then East Germany and yet went down in history as a pioneer of German reunification. He dreamed of new friendly relations between states and peoples and could not prevent the appearance of new dividing lines in Europe . He wanted to completely overhaul the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and ended up advertising pizza. The tragedy of this contradiction he could never overcome. Mikhail Gorbachev, popular in Western countries but despised by many in Russia, is no longer alive.” Her columnist Suddeutsche Zeitung he lists in detail all the stages of his life in an article entitled “From the unfulfilled dream of the democratization of a dictatorship”.

“With ‘glasnost’ and ‘perestroika’ began something that quickly developed its own momentum. The Soviet leader was soon torn between those who feared losing their claim to world power and their own influence and those who demanded all and more rapid and far-reaching reforms. These resistances often made him appear hesitant. Also, the economic reforms did not bring quick successes, but revealed the poverty that had been hidden until then. Nevertheless, Gorbachev did not deviate from his course, but rather aimed at even deeper changes by trying to democratize a dictatorship.” The columnist recalls that initially the West and Chancellor Helmut Kohl still did not trust Gorbachev. “He even compared him to Goebbels, the head of Nazi propaganda. In an interview with Newsweek, Kohl had said: He is a modern communist leader who knows public relations, Goebbels, one of the perpetrators of Hitler’s crimes, was also a public relations specialist”

“Contradictory, tragic figure”

THE Welt on her website she talks about a politician who was adored by the Germans but in his own country was considered the undertaker of the Soviet Union. “Gorbachev was a contradictory, tragic figure,” argues the German columnist. “Opinions about what was right and wrong about his policies will likely continue to diverge in the future. At home and in the post-Soviet space, Gorbachev cannot become a figure of consensus, as in Germany, who is only faced with positively”. The newspaper recalls with disappointment his positions on the latest developments in Crimea and Ukraine. “Ultimately, Gorbachev was a politician who staunchly defended his vision of Moscow’s supremacy. After Russia annexed Crimea eight years ago, Gorbachev spoke of the peninsula’s ‘return’ to Russia as a ‘successful’ case . He considered the referendum imposed by Moscow on annexation to Russia as legitimate and called the secret presence of the Russian army, later admitted by Vladimir Putin, as “nonsense”. In an interview a few days after the annexation, he spoke of his “free decision” people, above all. Despite occasional criticism of Putin for his anti-democratic tendencies, Gorbachev believed that he consistently represented Russia’s interests in the world. The former Soviet leader has not publicly commented on the new Russian invasion of Ukraine on February”.

For her commentator Tagesspiegel he was the most important political failure of the 20th century because, as he points out, he set in motion forces that destroyed the prevailing world order—and ultimately his life’s work. “In the theater, Mikhail Gorbachev would be a great tragic figure. What he wanted, he did not achieve. What he achieved, he did not want. The more he reformed the frozen Soviet system, the worse it became. Gorbachev, of course, recognizes this.” . The columnist also recalls 8 famous words that went down in history, but he never said them, as he claims. “Eight words never spoken by Gorbachev, but an aphorism coined by his translator: ‘He who comes too late is punished by life.'” In this way, Gorbachev finally pulled the rug from under the feet of Erich’s leadership Honecker, One month later the wall falls, one year later East Germany passes into history”.

Irini Anastasopoulou

SOURCE: Deutsche Welle