Mikhail Gorbachev Vs Lincoln & Bismark : What PM Modi Can Learn From Greatness But Failure Of Gorbachev and Success Of Bismark & Abraham Lincoln

Mikhail Gorbachev’s ( 1931- 2022) death today has brought to an end a painful era for Russians and Hopeful era for West . Russians have a predominantly negative opinion of Gorbachev and hold him responsible for USSR’s breakup while West eulogises him and even gave him the well deserved Nobel Peace prize . Germany is another country which regards him highly . But USA , the principal gainer of his initiative to end of cold war, only used him and discarded him like a toilet paper afterwards . Gorbachev got fooled by orchestrated adulation in western world . He wanted a Marshal Plan like loan for Russia . USA spent $ 100 billion on Iraq war and against Saddam, a close ally of USSR but did not give money to Russia . It was rather mean on USA’s part but it was headed by and continues to be headed by presidents with small minds and a smaller vision .

Gorbachev was truly a very bold and visionary man who correctly diagnosed the weakness of Soviet System but could not control the forces which were unleashed by his Glasnost ( openness ) and Prestorika ( economic reform ) , in a nation whose population was suppressed for seventy five years . Undisclosed cover up of Chernobyl disaster by bureaucracy convinced him that the totalitarian system has outlived its usefulness and must be ended . Like Lincoln he had courage of conviction and was able to carry nation with him . But like Prithvi Raj Chauhan he also trusted rivals and underestimated their cunningness both inside inside and outside Russia .

In contrast , Bismark the father of German nation never boasted of any principles but practiced Chankya’s philosophy ( or call it Machiavelli) to form a great German nation by uniting thirty tribal states. In total contrast , democratically elected Abraham Lincoln was able to inspire Americans to fight for Liberty and Equality of human beings thus putting the future of nation at stake for no economic or material gain .

Whether Gorbachev could have done better and saved disintegration of USSR or simply put Soviet empire , will be debated for decades to come . British were able to handle disintegration of their empire much more systematically .Hungary, Poland , Czechoslovakia and Germany shall be eternally grateful to him for permitting their independence . Ukraine and other Soviet states which declared their independence unilaterally will also possibly remember him fondly .

So why his own countrymen are so much against him . One survey put his supporters being as low as fourteen percent . Most of the Russians support his Glasnost but recognize the failure of Prestorika . He just could not improve the Russian economy . Yelstin who followed him was rewarded for his courage in opposing military coup but was totally incompetent in other matters . He is really the cause of Russian economic misery . Putin popularity and success was in his ability to stablise and improve the Russian economy .But once again it has reached a stage where the law of diminishing returns has started applying .

What is the lesson for India and PM Modi in all this ?

The Bush doctrine or Wolfovitz doctrine of never allowing any power to challenge them in future , will be supported by the entire white race in West particularly because Europe is not united and has poor economy.

Western appreciation , TIME covers , Nobel Prizes are all selfish and transactional. and should be ignored . We need a Bismark to make India great not a brave leader like Prithvi Raj Chauhan living in echo chamber amongst sycophants. After defeating China , West will either break India or like to recolonise it . It will like to break India into Christian East , merge muslim Pakistan Punjab with India and make south India a separate nation . We must avoid going for war with China or Pakistan in spite of temptation of gaining worthless POK .

The north south gap in prosperity is not good for national economy . Kanpur was the fifth largest industrial city till casteism and corruption destroyed UP and Bihar . BIMARU states must be brought at par with national average to preserve national unity . We need to be more accommodative with states but curb heavy handedly any separatist threat as given by DMK’s Raja . Simultaneously we should reduce polarization on religion , caste , language etc . It is very difficult but Gandhi , Bismark or Lincoln possibly would have succeeded here. Even BJP , an idealist party , has just given up social or character reform agenda for staying in power . Now even electoral corruption stories have started creeping in .

As Mikhail Gorbachev is buried with due honour , India must learn its lesson well from his success and failures.