Former Soviet leader Gorbachev’s death should remind young people of the horrors of communism
Few men accomplish so much that they leave this world to the echoes of their enemies rejoicing, but if there ever was such a person, surely it was former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died Tuesday at the age of 91. In six short years of leadership, Gorbachev did wonders: He quelled the nuclear arms race, ended the Cold War, and partnered with the U.S. and others to tear down the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe for decades. His death should remind young people just how awful communism is for them and their country.
Gorbachev embraced communism as a child but shunned the ideals once he learned “justice” and “equality” were not actually achieved in a communist state. “But in reality that terrible Communist experiment brought about repression of human dignity. Violence was used in order to impose that model on society. In the name of Communism we abandoned basic human values. So when I came to power in Russia I started to restore those values; values of “openness” and freedom,” Gorbachev said in an interview.
Because of these efforts, the people of the Soviet Union have experienced an entirely different kind of life than they would have without Gorbachev. “He gave freedom to hundreds of millions of people in Russia and around it, and also half of Europe,” said former Russian liberal opposition leader Grigory Yavlinsky. “Few leaders in history have had such a decisive influence on their time.”
Without Gorbachev’s foresight and courage to end communism in the Soviet Union, it might still have kept a firm grip on an entire nation and who knows what would have become of the increasingly dangerous nuclear arms race between the Kremlin and Washington. Without the vast difference we saw between the Soviet Union and the 15 independent countries that came from its collapse, we may not have been able to see the stark contrast between oppression, tyranny, and murder, and freedom, choice, and responsibility.
Communism’s trail of destruction is heinous: Collectively, the idea has led to the deaths of more than 100 million people. Mass murder was only one effect. Anyone who lived did so in a severely oppressive environment. Freedom of speech, religion, or property rights vanished. The government had control over every aspect of every person’s life. Just as bad as living in a communist state was likely the fact that reality was so much different than what people had been promised. Like a charming abuser, communists promise equality — even utopia — but the working class only endured poverty, destruction, and death. The idea of communism always gives way to a destructive, deadly reality.
Young people today either don’t know this or don’t care: They still embrace the idea of communism in droves. A 2020 Victims of Communism survey showed that 40% of Americans have a favorable view of socialism and almost half of Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) favors it. Almost 20% of Gen Z “think communism is a fairer system than capitalism and deserves consideration in America.”
This seems unimaginable when one considers the era that Mr. Gorbachev came from and yet it showcases just how much young people in today’s world need to learn U.S. and world history together, with an emphasis on government, economics, and social effects. Communism has no place in America and anyone who idealizes it doesn’t understand it or wishes ill on himself and his neighbor.
Few moments in modern history are as stunning as observing the devastating effects of communism before Gorbachev’s leadership and drastic changes after it collapsed — and none provide a more clear look at just how horrifying communism is for real people. May we remember these lessons and his courage always.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 11:31 AM.
