Michail Sergeevic Gorbacev
One
of the key figures of the 20th century, a man who has changed the
history and has disappeared along with his change, an unlucky man but at the
same time a great figure who has seen the course
of history in the world change in his hands. This man is Michail
Gorbaciov. He was born in 1931 on the 2nd of March in Privolnoe in
Caucasus. In 1966 he was made Secretary of the Communist Party in Stravopol and
in 1970 Deputy of the
Supreme Soviet of USSR. In 1971 he was a
member of the central Committee of the Party and in the end in 1978 he was made
Secretary of Central Committee of CPSU.
He became famous all over the world only when in 1985 he took office as General
Secretary of the Supreme Soviet Communist Party and succeeding Cernenko.
There aren’t many writings about him, but the best book which was published by
La Stampa Edition is “Winners and Losers” where all his editorials are
collected. They are taken from La Stampa ( a newspaper published in Turin) and
many other dailies (about 150) which gave him space for his editorials. Most of
information and data in this article are taken from this book which includes a
marvellous introduction by Ezio Mauro. Gorbaciov’s words flow as those of a
person of wide thoughts and visions.
He uses direct and clear words
without anything to interpreter. When he talks politics he says words that no
politicians ever say: “ Those people who make politics, take decisions and
think differently from
those who have to explain comment and critic such decisions”. To the question
if Communism doesn’t exist anymore or
is still alive and it could be born again Gorbaciov answers “ The model of
Communism which died is that of
Stalin which had been an adventure since the beginning, a regime which
completely ignored democracy, human rights, people’s needs, a system which
violated the society and betrayed Socialist ideas, therefore this is my opinion:
“ The model of Stalin’s
Communism doesn’t exist anymore and I want to add:” Thank to God”. Then
there is another letter and it make us think about Italy above all. It says: “ But the beast of Stalinism dies hard and in fact it appeared
again in Breznev Period , hidden behind the
password of stability and people voted for stability. This is a signal
which has to make people think about. They prefer order and tranquillity to
democracy and freedom. This temptation hasn’t disappeared even today”. We
could define Gorbaciov as the greatest historical reformer of this century.
He has radically changed Russia and
neighbouring countries, destroyed
the Berlin Wall and introduced a lot of novelties in the world.. But this
century ended along with the beginning of USSR
decline. Gorbaciov started a process
of change and inevitably
disappeared behind a veil that the others drew over his heroic behavior and
tried to hide his traces. He was brave to explain his reformist policy, his
Perestroika in the world , in Cuba
in front of Fidel Castro a man who was furious because his words. Maybe his
destiny is now accomplished and some of his words make us shiver. “ ..but I
know that today Russia is a colossal, a potential mix of intellectuals and it is
able to find a solution to get out of this crisis. For this reason I’m very
critical toward Russian leaders who demand
a few billion dollars and promise that Russia will dance the European
can-can or the American jazz…”According to Michail the 1991 coup d’état
couldn’t have been successful, in fact he says: “ That coup had been
destined to fail before that the first tanks could enter Moscow. His promoters
and authors hadn’t realize that society hadn’t gone back anymore “. He has
been a great man and almost as a prophet referring
to the presidential experience, he says “ … Sometimes I’m asked if
I am satisfied for what I did. And when I am asked directly
and I can’t no longer contain myself
and I say that my destiny has been exclusive and special: I have made so
deep reforms linked to political, economic and spiritual freedom and
gave back people eternal and universal values. I am not disappointed of
my destiny and I’d like to say: “Whatever is going to happen my
destiny has just been decided”.
Raissa
Makimovna Gorbaciova
was born in 1932 in Rubtsovsk , a town in the Oriental Siberia which became
famous to be near a nuclear power and offered
not much to nature around. She was the daughter of a railroader called Maksim
Titorenko. In 1952 she met Michail at the university in Moscow during a student
dancing party. She was a student in philosophy and Michail studied law. In 1953
they got married without any money for the wedding rings either, and in the past
he couldn’t afford to give her a coat. He was a man of humble origins but he
found a job in the district prosecutor’s office in Stravopol in the North
Caucasus. At the beginning they lived in a one-roomed flat and then in a small
house where in 1957 Irina, their first daughter was born. Michail worked and
Raissa was a teacher in a local school. Raissa became famous together with his
husband and it was the first time that a president went out with a woman, his
wife, the First Lady. Her weapon was the
same of her husband: sympathy. She
was a person ready for every event,
meeting, and occasion with great people, historical figures but also common
people those who actually made the history She met the First American Lady,
Nancy Reagan and other important wives. Anyway, she will remain in many common
people’s hearth because of her behaviour toward the others. People like her
were unlikely to do official visits asking
for agricultural details , for example about vegetables prices or how much
grounds could produce , questions about farm tools etc. She was the author of a
biography entitled “I hope” which was published in 1991. She was a good
First Lady from 1985 to 1990 but in
1991 she got depressed because she was imprisoned in the dacha of Capo foros in
Crimea during an unsuccessful attempt of a coup d’état. All the people
noticed her conditions when they got off the plane in Moscow. Then she went into
hospital. At the end of September she was in the news because of her death from
leukemia. She died when she was 67, after 48 years with Michail. All attempts at
the German Hospital of Munster failed. Michail and Raissa were one thing and
when she died he said “ I won’t able to live without her”.
Traduced
By Elisa