Commentary: Gorbachev valued positive change over power and inspired generations
by Bincheng Mao, Chicago Tribune
Sep 09, 2022
3 minutes
When East Germans defied Soviet domination with the Leipzig march in 1989, they were chanting an unlikely slogan. “Gorbi, Gorbi!” they shouted in a celebratory tone, referring to then-Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev.
The brave demonstrators were hungry for democracy and freedom. Yet they chose to voice their ideals using the name of the very person leading the Soviet Union. Even more profoundly, East Germans’ fervent wishes could be aptly conveyed with two other words — perestroika (reform) and glasnost (openness).
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