Mikhail Gorbachev Resigns as USSR Collapses in 1991

Gorbachev's Resignation and the End of the USSR

• 🎙️ Mikhail Gorbachev officially resigned as president of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991, handing over nuclear codes to Boris Yeltsin.
• 🚩 The red flag that had flown over the Kremlin since the 1917 revolution was taken down, symbolizing the death of the Soviet Union and the rise of Boris Yeltsin's Russia.

Gorbachev's Achievements and Failures

• 🕊️ Gorbachev stated his biggest achievement was granting society political and spiritual freedom, ending the Cold War, and stopping the insane militarization of the country.
• 📉 He acknowledged leaving the country in a dangerous state, with the old system crumbled and the new one not yet functional, leading to greater societal crisis.
• 😔 Many Russians watched his farewell speech with sadness, acknowledging his wonderful beginning but sorrowful end, and expressing concern about no longer being citizens of a great country.

Global and Domestic Reactions

• 🤝 President Bush expressed enormous personal regard for Gorbachev and emphasized the US commitment to a peaceful transition to democracy.
• 🇺🇸 Bush planned to formally recognize five republics (Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus) and may discuss the need for Western aid.
• 🌍 The US views Boris Yeltsin as problematic but recognizes the relationship needs nurturing due to the stakes involved.

The Fragility of Democracy

• 🗣️ Gorbachev is credited with giving people freedom of speech, expression, and religion, and freedom from fear by smashing totalitarianism and ending the Cold War.
• ⚠️ However, he failed to deliver freedom from want, both in terms of basic needs and the ability for ethnic groups to define themselves.
• 💥 The fragility of democracy is highlighted by violence in Georgia, where people are fighting against a democratically elected president, raising concerns about the potential spread of conflict and the risk of extremist groups obtaining tactical nuclear weapons.