He claims Gorbachev actually believed he was saving socialism. Is this true? Was he actually just an idiot? It feels possible but I have always just considered him to be evil

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[–] 45 points 4 months ago (1 child)

One of my biggest irks about the Western perception of post-Soviet Russia is the depiction of Yeltsin as a bumbling but amusing and harmless drunk. In reality he was just as bad as liberals think Putin is.

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  • [–] 20 points 4 months ago

    Yeltsin was a callous, cruel, dangerous, greedy and violent man. The fact that he was an alcoholic only made him more threatening, not less.

    Of course, he chose to direct his aggression within the borders of the RF, so everyone who was terrified of Russia only saw him being the bubbling fool.

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