The contrast with Russia\u0027s current strongman, Vladimir Putin, could not be more stark.
By contrast, history will be far kinder to a towering giant who died Tuesday: the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, who spurred historic changes through glasnost and perestroika , bringing peace and hope to both his country and the world.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
In the early years, many were still too afraid of Communist retribution to speak openly unless they knew they could trust you, or your translator. But in later years, they became very vocal with me. Often, several people would crowd around to talk loudly and simultaneously about their concerns: the long lineups to get basic food, how to work the system to get a better apartment, the right kind of bribes to offer officials who could grant them favours.
I vividly remember returning to Moscow in August 1991 after a quick trip to Latvia, only to discover that, on the same morning, a group of hard-line Communists had staged a coup and imprisoned Gorbachev. My Russian office staff and friends were in despair, convinced this meant the bad, old totalitarian Communist days were back. In fact, the coup lasted only three days.Article content
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