20 апреля 2017
TIME 100 asked Mikhail Gorbachev to write a brief essay with his thoughts about Vladimir Putin. Below is the full text and a link to the magazine’s website.
Faced with a crisis inherited from his predecessor, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin succeeded in stabilizing the situation, preserving the Russian state, steering the country away from the economic crisis, and strengthening its economic position.
In the initial phase, certain measures of authoritarian nature – a kind of manual control – were justified. Hence, the cost: a diminished role of parliament, the judiciary and civil society and less media independence. With time, the flaws of the economic policy became more evident. Economic growth slowed down even before deterioration of relations with the West and economic sanctions. This is increasingly affecting people’s lives.
Today, even as the international agenda continues to be important, equally urgent are Russia’s domestic problems: stagnating economy and declining living standards, the poverty of many and corruption and illegal enrichment of the few, the degradation of education, health care and science.
Each year, in his annual address to parliament, the President emphasizes these problems.
But, they cannot be solved without a change in politics, in the system of government.
I am convinced: Russia can succeed only through reliance on the people, only through democracy. Russia is ready for political competition, a real multi-party system, fair elections and regular change of government.
This should define the special role and responsibility of the President at this point in Russia’s history.
Chronicle of M.S. Gorbachev`s activity
Describes the time from the moment of Mikhail Gorbachev`s election to the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, until his resignation from the post of President of the USSR
Events
May 20, 2018
The Round Table: "From the Prague Spring to Perestroika"
October 27, 2017
Round Table “The 1917 Russian Revolution for Our Country and the World: 100 Years’ Retrospect”
October 5, 2017
The Expertise Round Table. Perception of Russia across the East and West: Memory, Identity and Conflicts. International Study of Images of Russia across Eurasia: Results and Discussion