The Gorbachev factor

Mikhail Gorbachev was arguably the most important statesman of the second half of the twentieth century. He played the decisive role in ending the Cold War and in allowing the countries of Eastern Europe to regain their independence peacefully. He left Russia a freer country than it had ever been. Although he failed in his attempts to turn the Soviet Union into a genuine federation, he refused to resort to the repression that would have been needed to preserve the USSR intact in the face of opposition from a number of its peoples. What kind of man made this massive difference to his own…