The most human anyway.
Thats the point
The tragedy for the Soviet Union was that Yuri Andropov got sick so soon after taking the reins
Since when are we bothered about the strength of a communist, oppressive regime?
When it collapses and what pops up in its place is even more dangerous.
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It all got too much for Yelstin
Most of Eastern Europe was rid of Communism and democracies installed. I doubt those countries would say things are worse now.
It made qualification for international football tournaments a lot of more challenging for Eireās bunch of footballers.
Thatās enough that TFK should condemn the fall of Soviet Union.
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Newsnight leading with the great mans death. He was a powerhouse on the global stage
Russia has a very interesting and complicated history
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He didnāt destroy it, he liberalised things a bit - which was a good thing - and the natural result of that was the disintegration of the Soviet Union - which was also a good thing.
The Soviet Union was not worth holding together because it was a failed entity which was deeply repressive.
I canāt think of many good things done by any leaders of the Soviet Union.
He didnāt understand what he was doing. He didnāt understand the economics of the planned economy. He had no idea where what he was doing would lead. Where it lead was that a fairly stable failed entity morphed into a viciously unstable failed entity.
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And he was being manipulated by many of those who would later benefit. A weak man
A weak indecisive man promoted above his abilities.
Russia simply couldnāt economically maintain the Soviet Unionā¦ It was nothing to do with ideology. The place was literally falling apart and those that had means were ready to make their fortune in the chaos of its collapse.
You confuse the Soviet Union with Russia.
Ask the citizens of the Baltic countries, Ukraine and Georgia whether theyād prefer being free, independent countries to being part of a failed empire based on lies, repression and genocide.
I find it bizarre that anybody would think artificially propping up a failed empire was the way to go.
He was a much stronger and braver man than any of his predecessors, who were all weak, indecisive, cowardly and despotic.
Opening up to the world takes bravery. Shutting yourself away from it is the cowardice.
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Henry Kissinger taking the @Fagan_ODowd line here
EDIT
Hold on he appears to have flipped sides, more of a @Cheasty take now
Thatās bilge in fairness. Gorbachev wanted to hold all these satellite states to the Union. He had a conniption when Ukraine declared independence.
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The revisionists be revisioning.
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