My rule of the U.S.S.R.

When I took the title of General Secretary, I envisioned an almighty and powerful Soviet Union where it influenced the world. I believed that communism and the west could coexist and live peacefully, however it did not turn out that way as in the end I resigned when my followers tried to assassinate me. I realized the Soviet Union needed change, so I came up with the idea of Glasnost and Perestroika. I believed these two ideas would make communism appealing to the Russians and the satellite blocs. However when I gave them a bit of freedom, they wanted more. My ideas destroyed the nation as its productivity went down and the food began to become rationed. When I allowed the satellite blocs to decide upon democracy or communism they all chose democracy. There were nations and leaders that begged me to help them. When I allowed the satellite blocs to decide their own future, a couple of leaders thought that I betrayed them. My response to them was, Perestroika is what Russia needs, but you must determine what your nation needs. I told those nations what I thought were bad ideas but whether they listened to me or not did not matter as I would not intervene. I allowed them to choose their own futures and did not intervene like what I did in Hungary, because I realized that communism was dying. Communism was slowly deteriorating from the inside out, but there was nothing I could do. The end of communism in Europe was near. 

Resignation

I did not want to resign as a president but I knew it was a wise choice. I was already losing my popularity, as there was a coup trying to assassinate me. All of my allies have turned on me.  I had to arrest my own men and kill them for treason and dishonesty. They were no longer loyal to me but to a man named Boris Yeltsin. Boris Yeltsin may have plotted the coup himself but I don’t know that. All that I remember is that Yeltsin and I both agreed upon the fact the Soviet Union should have been dissolved. It was the right thing to do, as Russia and communism was slowly deteriorating. All of the satellite nations in the free election had voted for democracy, or their leader was overthrown. The chances for communism to survive evaporated when all of them chose to become democratic. The Soviet Union I knew was disintegrating right before my eyes. The satellite states had all turn communist and the east Germans wanted to be reunited with the west Germans. The Warsaw Pact became nullified when all of this happened and I began to question myself. I questioned myself: was it because I was a president of the Soviet Union so long that they had become tired of me or was it the fact they thought that I was a bad leader. It became inevitable for me to question why my own men would turn on me and plot a coup against me in the crisis I was in as the leader of the Soviet Union. I was upset and in a state of confusion when I resigned and to this day I still question myself if that was the right decision. 

Nobel Peace Prize

I was honored when I was nominated and won the Nobel Peace Prize in nineteen-ninety. I was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize due to my principals, such as Perestroika. In Perestroika my idea of Glasnost allowed the people to be open and speak a bit of their mind more. It was the first step to the end of communism, as I no longer believed that communism would withhold without change. Many in the satellite states were becoming tired of communism and looked forward to change. I realized change was needed in order for Russia to continue on as a world superpower as communism was destroying the Russian Economy. My principal of Perestroika and Glasnost gave the idea of letting the satellite nations have their own election to either be a democracy or a communism state. All of them chose democracy, as communism was slowly dying; however I believed that they would have stayed communist due to their gratitude. However they did not listen and look what happened to Yugoslavia, it was torn apart and it was engulfed by war. I believe I have done right and that I do deserve this award, however I wished there would have been different results. I have lifted the physical barrier and mental barrier between East Europe and West Europe. All that is left is for Europe to reconstruct and merge together as a whole once again. My ideas and principals allowed me to end the Cold War. I am grateful for this award but I still wish that things didn’t have to turn out this way.

Reunified Europe

During the reunification of Germany I wondered if Europe would become whole again. The physical barrier was removed and the mental barrier due to communism was removed, all that was left was the economy and politics. I wondered when they merged if it would have been peaceful or a disaster. In reality it was a disaster as they were trying to combine the economy of a rich and prosperous West Germany and the rags and ruins of East Germany. Under Honecker’s rule East Germany’s economy was in ruins and it was only getting worse. However he pretended as nothing was happening and ignored it. When I was visiting they all shouted at me saying Gorby or Gorby come help us. It was as if it was a living prison as they could not see their family on the other side. However when Hungary allowed East Germans to come from Germany and they were able to enter West Germany, the barrier was broken. The Germanys were united and became whole. While it was a joyous moments for most the combination of their two economies led to disastrous results. However the EU was developed and a common currency called the Euro was created. Europe was once again united but it still did not compare to the United States. The truth was the United States, although younger and less than three hundred years old, had surpassed Europe. Although Europe was once again reunified it was not the same as the United States now was the most powerful nation.

Mikhail Gorbachev Bio

Mikhail Gorbachev was born into this world in the second of march in nineteen eighty-one at Privolnoye (near Stavropol) in Russia. When he was thirteen Gorbachev worked at a collective farm and later earned a degree in law at the University of Moscow. While he was there he joined the communist party and in the young communist’s league he became their secretary. In 1961 he was the first from his village to become a delegate of the communist party. After a series of deaths of those who held the office of general secretary, it became clear that Gorbachev should be the general secretary. Gorbachev wanted to introduce reform to the communist party but did not want drastic change, as he still wanted the U.S.S.R. to be communist. Therefore in 1988 he introduced Glasnost.  He ended the involvement of Soviet affairs with Afghanistan and also introduced freedom of the press to the communist state with Glasnost. Gorbachev called Glasnost, “socialism with a human face.”  He also withdrew soviet forces in Afghanistan and completed a full withdrawal within the next year. He nullified the Brezhnev Doctrine and allowed East Germany to deal with their internal affairs. In 1989 Gorbachev allowed the satellite states to create their own future and promised he would not intervene with it. He felt hat their gratitude toward this move would cause the satellite states to remain communist, but that did not happen.  Many of the dictatorships in the satellite states were overthrown, as they no longer received support from the Soviet Union.  He visited East Germany and many began shouting Gorby and wanted him to help them cross the Berlin Wall. In March of 1990, he was elected as the president of the Soviet Union. In 1991 he allowed free elections for the satellite states. However he would not back them up, allowed them to choose their own future, and would not intervene. He told the current leaders that they could do whatever they wanted but he would not provide support to them. This saddened a few leaders who ruled as dictators because without Soviet support they could not maintain their power. Erich Honaker lost his control shortly afterwards and Germany became united. Gorbachev also survived a coup but later when the Soviet Union became a republic he, stepped down from his position. Gorbachev was hailed as man of the decade by Time Magazine and in 1990 he received a Nobel Peace prize for his ideas.  Gorbachev was known for his new way of thinking with foreign affairs and even the prime minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher, said, “I like Mr. Gorbachev, we can do business together.” After the Cold War he resigned as President and was succeeded by Boris Yeltsin.  Although he was not the president anymore he still remained active in Russian Politics and expressed concerns over Yeltsin’s reforms.  During 1996 he established the Social Democratic Party of Russia, which unified several Russian Social Democratic parties. Gorbachev attended Reagan’s death and represented Russia. He also still remains active in the world’s politics even today.