How did you feel about Gorbachev in the 80's?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

Just wondering what the DU take on the old head stain is.

Gorby is love?

[veganwitch]

1. root beer

i cant remember which one it was (barqs maybe) that was giving away stuff after the soviet union fell. there were coins, pins, and your own gorbachev birthmark temporary tattoo.

i was 10 and not too politically minded.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. Your own gorbachev birthmark temporary tattoo?

I want one of those!

I remeber there was Gorbachev blotter acid.

[fob]

10. You REMEBER Gorbachev blotter acid?

Is that all you did with it?



just kidding

Edit: Forgot to answer the main question. I remember the polls that were reported where both Gorbachevs, Mikhail and Raisa had HIGHER approval than the rayguns!! I know that reflected my feelings at the time.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

13. Mums the word I remember liking Gorby more than Raygun

thats for sure!

:)

[LTR]

2. Right leader at the right time

I was pretty surprised when I saw all the reforms he was pushing, especially following a long line of hard line leaders.

But perhaps he was a visionary. He must have realized the Soviet Union was on the brink of collapse.

If anyone single individual deserves credit for the end of European communism, he would be the one.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

4. I seem to recall from "Fast Food Nation" that Gorbachev spoke at a

fast food convention. He makes hundreds of thousands of dollars for his appearances as a keynote speaker. He likes capitalism quite a bit these days!

[LTR]

6. He does a lot of motivational seminars in the US

Ironic, since he doesn't really speak English.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

14. "We're marching for self interest! We'll march for ever more!!!"

Ever see Bob Roberts?

[Callisto]

11. Andropov...

Remember Andropov was first- then he *died* ..then it was Gorby- I was going to "World Beyond War" meetings in those days and terrified that Reagan would nuke us all to hell. Then along came Gorby- Reagan is getting all the credit now, but truly the Afghan war had much to do with the SU dying as it did. Gorby came along and had reforms in mind, and managed not to be assasinated..amazing. I give Mikail most of the credit. He is a great man with great vision. Or inside info!

[Melodybe]

5. Well, I always felt like Gorby and Mtv took down the USSR

I actually liked Gorbachev, when I was little. I thought he looked friendly. Considering I was only like 8, my political thoughts weren't too deep at the time. But I remember Gorbachev and felt sorry that everyone always made fun of his head stain.

However I am not to well versed in the later USSR, I know plenty about its beginnings though, thanks to an Imperialism class I took a few years ago.

I always felt that the USSR was falling apart anyway and that the flooding of our culture into theirs, rock music, movies, etc, was what finally brought the wall down. I give Bruce Springsteen more credit than I ever gave Reagan.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. I definately feel that it was the American people - our culture - that

killed the USSR.

Maybe that's fodder for a new thread?

[Kilroy003]

7. He visited Minnesota once in June of 89, I think.

It might have been in the early 90's though. The State went all out and planted thousands of flowers along the freeways so Gorby might think that Minnesota was pretty. I never really understood why he chose MN. I think it had to do with farming, or something, although if I remember correctly, he stayed pretty close to the cities. I was just a little punk kid, but the day he came was June 3rd. I only remember that because that's my B-day.

[NoPasaran]

9. I thought he was a great man attempting a very difficult task

A task which in the end turned out to be impossible. Had someone with his vision been the Soviet leader in 1968 when Dubcek tried his "socialism with a human face" experiment would be very different and probably a happier place. As it was, Brezhnev destroyed the last chance that the system which originated with the Bolsheviks could grow and adapt into a real socialist democracy. When Gorbachev attempted reforms a couple of decades too late, Soviet society was too stagnant and broke apart.

[Zynx]

12. If Malenkov had gotten in there instead of Khurschev

The USSR could have possibly wound up something like China is today. Among other things, he was not a fan of the arms race, liked the idea of more consumer goods, and favored incentives. Starting in the 1950's, that's a rather good policy for the USSR.

Brezhnev era is probably too late to save it without major surgury, which of course Brezhnev was not interested in.

[evil_orange_cat]

15. I asked my parents if birds kept pooing on him

... but I was just a little tyke back then... born in '80 ;)

[obnoxiousdrunk]

16. Reminds

me of Glasnost & Perestrokia which played a greater role in ending the cold war than RR's "Tear down that wall Mr Gorby ".

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

17. Absolutely!!! We are pretty damn arrogant in this world IMHO

We claim responsibility for everything other than the crimes we commit!