Mikhail Gorbachev: The Last Leader of the Soviet Union in His Own Words

At the age of 91, Mikhail Gorbachev passed away yesterday, the last leader of the Soviet Union. With his reforms, he contributed to the end of the Cold War, but failed to prevent the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Here are some of Mikhail Gorbachev’s most notable statements, as reported by Reuters and relayed by the Athens News Agency.

“One day we held hands and went for a walk in the afternoon. And we continued to walk like this all our lives.” About his wife Raisa, his interview in American Vogue magazine, 2013.

“This is another bell ringing, a new dire warning that in the nuclear age new political thinking is needed and new policies are needed.” Piasks public statements about the accident at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl (Ukraine), May 14, 1986, on Soviet television.

“At some point, the country began to lose its momentum, difficulties and unresolved problems began to accumulate, elements of stagnation and other phenomena alien to socialism appeared. And this severely affected the economic, social, cultural and spiritual life”.

“There was a need for change for a long time, in the economy and other fields, but it was not implemented in the political and practical work of the party and the state.” Address to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, January 1987.

“For everyone, and above all for our two great powers, the agreement whose text is on the table offers, finally, the great opportunity to take the road that leads away from the threat of destruction. It is our duty to take full advantage of this opportunity and move forward together towards a world free of nuclear weapons, better for our children and our grandchildren and their children and their grandchildren (…) to the promise of fulfillment and the happiest life, without fear, and without the senseless waste of reimgs on weapons of destruction.” At the signing ceremony of the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) with US President Ronald Reagan, December 8, 1987, in Washington.

“We had half a million men there, armed to the teeth. The largest concentration of weapons, well-trained soldiers, tanks, nuclear weapons. If we gave such an order, it would be wrong, it would lead to disaster, we could end up in World War III.” On his decision not to order the Soviet Army to stop the fall of the Berlin Wall, Canadian CBC interview, 2009.

“First of all, I am deeply moved, as a person, by this decision, I will not hide it. But I accept the award (…) not personally, but in recognition of the great value and enormous importance of the important mission we call perestroika for the fate of the whole world.” Remarks to foreign journalists after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, October 15, 1990.

“As fate would have it, when I became head of state, it was already obvious that something was going wrong in this country. We had an abundance of everything: land, oil, gas and other natural reimgs, and god blessed us with intelligence and talent — and yet we lived much worse than the world in other industrialized countries, and the gap was constantly growing.

The reason has been obvious for a long time: our society was caught in the grip of the bureaucratic system. Condemned to serve the ideology and carry the heavy burden of the arms race, it was unbearably pressed. All attempts to implement half-hearted reforms, and there were many, failed one after the other. The country was losing all hope. We couldn’t go on living like this. We had to change everything radically. For this reason, I have never regretted not using my position as Secretary General to simply ‘reign’ for a few years.

I leave office with trepidation — but also with hope, with faith in you, your wisdom, and your spiritual strength. We are the inheritors of a great civilization, and our revitalization and transformation to a modern and dignified life depends on each and every one of us.” Last speech as leader of the Soviet Union, December 25, 1991.

“Regarding Russia’s military operation in Ukraine that began on February 24, we underline the need to stop the hostilities as soon as possible and start peace negotiations immediately. There is nothing more precious in the world than human lives.” Gorbachev Foundation announcement, February 26, 2022.