Americans have a severe disease - worse than AIDS. It's called the winner's complex.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
Starting reforms in the Soviet Union was only possible from above, only from above. Any attempt to go from below was suppressed, suppressed in a most resolute way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Reforms in the Soviet Union could only be initiated by those in power, as grassroots movements were actively suppressed.
Mikhail Gorbachev's quote highlights the significant challenge of implementing reforms in a rigid political system like the Soviet Union. He emphasizes that meaningful change had to originate from the top echelons of power because any grassroots efforts to instigate reform were met with strong resistance and suppression, illustrating the struggle between authority and the desire for change.
Themes
ReformSoviet UnionAuthorityChangePolitics
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of political leadership in enacting reforms.
More from Mikhail Gorbachev
All quotes βGentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep.
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The soviet people want full-blooded and unconditional democracy.
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New approaches are needed, new orientations in both thought and action. We must make the transition to a new civilization...We are talking of a transition toward a new civilization. No one knows what it will be like. What is important is to orient in that direction... I am convinced that a new civilization will inevitably take on certain features that are characteristic of, or inherent in, the socialist ideal.
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According to Lenin, socialism and democracy are indivisible.... The essence of perestroika lies in the fact that it unites socialism with democracy and revives the Leninist concept of socialist construction both in theory and in practice. We want more socialism and, therefore, more democracy.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
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