At the end of August 2022, a piece of news made headlines: Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union and the last chairman of the CPSU, died.
Chinese netizens were more surprised, in the eyes of everyone, Gorbachev is a person who belongs to the previous era, belongs to the Cold War, belongs to the Berlin Wall, and belongs to nuclear deterrence.
Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, Nixon, Reagan, and even George H.W. Bush have all passed away, and Gorbachev's name has been forgotten. But in a corner where no one has found, the Soviet gravedigger lived to be 91 years old, surviving a large number of Cold War politicians.
Speaking of which, there were two people who buried the USSR, one was Yeltsin and the other was Gorbachev.
But Gorbachev's influence was too low compared to Yeltsin's president, and he did not hold any important positions in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and he did not even enjoy the decent life that a retired leader of the country should have.
In order to make money, Gorbachev once rushed to the set for a long time, like a third-rate star, making cameos in movies and TV series. In order to make quick money, the former helmsman of a big country did not hesitate to shoot advertisements for Western companies, and was once criticized by the Russians as "boneless".
So, how complicated was Gorbachev's life in his later years? What is the inner world of this leader?
[a]
The old and new regimes are hiding, and they are not people inside and out
From the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to the first decade of the 21st century, the presence of Russia as a great power was very low in the past 20 years.
Economically, Russia is still in the top 10 or so in the world as a whole, but its domestic industry is basically paralyzed and has been reduced to a "gas station disguised as a powerful country".
Politically, Russia's overseas influence is not comparable to that of the Soviet era, and even the arms sales business, which used to be the main focus, has to be actively promoted by Russia.
In order to make money, Russia sold an aircraft carrier to India for $1 like a rip-off, earning a large amount of modification fees from it.
Yeltsin bears the main responsibility for Russia's decline to this point, but in fact, in the eyes of many Russians, the culprit is Gorbachev.
In the Gorbachev era, the Soviet Union was still a superpower, and although the economy was poor, it did not collapse, much better than the hunger and cold of the 90s. Not to mention the huge international influence of the Soviet era, which Russia has struggled to match to this day.
It is thought that back then, because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev was highly praised by the Western world, and he was a little flustered at that time, thinking that he would become a link between the East and the West, and a guest of honor in various countries.
Unexpectedly, in just one year, Russian President Boris Yeltsin stole all the limelight and became a politician in the eyes of the world, and Gosin himself was forgotten.
At this time, Gorbachev found that he was not a human being inside and out: the old men of the CPSU at home, and now the Russian Communist Party, hated him very much - hated him for betraying the organization, for betraying the faith.
The people did not like him either, because most of the people in his time did not live well, the economic reforms he promised did not succeed, and the political reforms ruined the country.
In the end, the Russian government only promised to give him a pension, but refused to allow him to participate in politics.
Overseas, his former "friends" are now also thinking differently, and Yeltsin, who is in charge of Russia, is the number one man and a reliable friend. And a retired veteran cadre, a former leader without power and power, will never be able to pry open the door of Western governments.
Gorbachev was disappointed, but could not do anything about it, because he was exactly 60 years old at the time, the legal retirement age, and he wanted to live in peace of mind.
[two]
The Russian economy collapsed, and Goetz embarked on the path of art
At the time of the handover of the baton between the Soviet Union and Russia, the Russian government gave the former Soviet high-ranking old people a decent retirement package:
A monthly pension of no less than 3,000 rubles, free medical care and housing allowances, two recuperation trips for senior cadres per year, as well as bodyguards and cooks.
You must know that in the Soviet era, the ruble was more expensive than the dollar, one ruble could be exchanged for 1.8 to 2 US dollars, and 3,000 rubles was close to 6,000 US dollars.
In the 1990s, the purchasing power of the US dollar was more than double that of today, so 3,000 rubles is equivalent to more than 10,000 US dollars today, which is indeed tempting as a pension.
Together with housing, medical care and other services, the retirement life of the old cadres of the CPSU must be delicious.
Unfortunately, the plan is not as fast as the change, and since 1992, Russia has carried out the reform of private ownership, which has been followed by "shock therapy", which has destroyed the country's economy, and inflation has reached an unbelievable level.
In 1993, prices in Russia were 100 times higher than the previous year! The ruble, which was the national currency, had almost turned into waste paper, and the high salary of 3,000-4,000 rubles could only be exchanged for a dozen dollars on the Russian black market at that time.
This sudden change brought down many of Russia's bureaucracy, who had been living on their salaries, and when the banknotes in their hands turned into waste paper, the officials had to barter and sell them for food.
Russia's famous phenomena such as "medals for vodka", "AK47 for cigars", and "T72 for cars" appeared during this period.
It was also in this year that Gorbachev was "electrocuted" for the first time and went to Europe to shoot the movie "The End of the World", which tells the thinking of German society after the Cold War, and Gorbachev played himself in the film.
The key to making a movie is that Europeans pay dollars, which is extremely precious in Russia. In the same year, he also starred in the action blockbuster "Sniper Killer", playing himself.
But because the drama path was too narrow, Gorbachev's film invitations were limited, and in order to survive, he also began to write memoirs, which is the main way for Western politicians to make money.
As the leader of the former Soviet Union, Gorbachev could write about so much: the internal scandals of the Soviet Union, the diplomatic stories of the Eastern bloc, and the dark past of the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union could all be sold for money.
Gorbachev did choose the right path, and his autobiography, "Truth and Confessions," was a mediocre hit in the Western world, selling millions of dollars in the United States and Europe.
Everywhere, the US dollar is a hard currency, which gave Gorbachev the confidence to cooperate with the West
After 1995, he began to run to the New World, and the capital giants of the Western world also saw the appeal of the Soviet president.
The following year, Gorbachev made a startling decision to work with fast-food giant Pizza Hut to shoot an ad for Pizza Hut.
In 1997, Gorbachev shot a Pizza Hut commercial on Red Square.
In the advertisement, the former Soviet leader walks through Red Square, but instead of Lenin's tomb, he enters a Pizza Hut restaurant. He cut a slice of pizza with his own hands and gave it to the child next to him, who was his granddaughter.
The commercial, which was shown in the United States and other Western countries, caused a global buzz, with Russian media deriding: "Gorbachev is chopping pizza like the Soviet Union did." ”
The most fierce reaction was Zyuganov, chairman of the Russian Communist Party, who directly scolded Gorbachev as a soft commodity without bones.
But scolding and scolding, just this minute of appearance, 160,000 US dollars went into Gorbachev's pocket, which was enough to support the elderly.
[three]
Lonely writing books + filming dramas, the old age of a generation of leaders
In 1998, the hapless Gorbachev was hit hard again, a financial storm swept through Russia, several banks where Gorbachev had kept money went bankrupt, and it happened that his wife Raisa also fell ill - leukemia and needed a lot of money for treatment.
At that time, although Gorbachev had free medical care, the level of medical care in Russia was too poor, and his wife ended up receiving treatment in Germany, where there were the best doctors in the world, but the medical expenses were also frighteningly high.
For the Germans, Gorbachev was the driving force behind the reunification of the two Germanys, but the Germans did not open a back door to him, and his wife Raisa spent almost all of Gorbachev's savings for treatment.
In 1999, Raisa still died, and Gorbachev was heartbroken and wept bitterly in front of reporters. Sending away her beloved wife, Mrs. Gorbacho is empty, and she will face life alone in the future, and if she does not work hard to make money, her life will be difficult to maintain.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Gorbachev came into contact with the television industry, worked as a program host, and interviewed political leaders from all over the world.
In addition, he is a contributing writer for several Russian newspapers, commenting on world trends and Russian policy.
In addition to these jobs, his main work was to write books, and in the 30 years after his retirement, Gorbachev wrote and published more than 80 books on his own, which was very prolific.
At the same time, Gorbachev also has a very good relationship with the American literary and artistic circles, and has appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster "Lord of War", and also collaborated with Clinton in dubbing musicals.
After 2005, because the Cold War theme cooled down in the film and television industry, Gorbachev had fewer opportunities to act in movies, but fortunately, the category of documentaries rose, and Gorbachev became a popular guest of political documentaries in various countries.
The famous "The Beatles and the Kremlin", "The Doctrine of Shock", "The Iron Lady" and "The Eve of Nuclear War" all have Gorbachev's appearances.
According to statistics, Gorbachev in his later years made a brief appearance in more than 70 film and television works, which can also be regarded as "prolific".
Privately, Gorbachev also learned wisely, no longer depositing money in commercial banks, but building his own foundation. It is a common tool for Western politicians and plutocrats, both safe and tax avoidant.
In addition to satisfying his daily life, the money saved by Gorbachev was kept by his daughter Irina's family - her daughter is the pearl of her palm and the last sustenance of life.
When he was young, and even in the first 10 years of his retirement, Gorbachev was still more concerned about the quality of life, liking good food, high-end clothing and imported electrical appliances, but most of these life tastes were brought by his wife Raisa.
Because Gorbachev was a relatively self-disciplined person, he lived a regular life, and drank and ate meat in moderation, so he was in good health.
In 2007, the European fashion brand LV approached Gorbachev to collaborate with him on an advertisement that would pay him handsomely.
Gorbachev was very excited, took the initiative to participate in the planning, and finally launched the "Return to the Berlin Wall" commercial: in the film, he sits in a car, staring at the Berlin Wall next to him, with LV's bag next to him.
The ad was Gorbachev's last highlight, and it did make a lot of money, supposedly hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In 2012, Gorbachev's new autobiography, "Lonely Companion," was released, and the name is a microcosm of his later life.
After 2016, Gorbachev had physical problems, and heart and kidney problems made him often hospitalized. But he remains optimistic and actively publishes books and gives interviews.
In 2020, when the new crown epidemic hit, Gorbachev began to live in seclusion, and he spent a long time in the hospital for maintenance.
At the beginning of 2022, he contracted COVID and developed complications. Half a year later, Gorbachev died of illness at the age of 91.
In his later years, he was tired of dealing with various journalists and did not want to mention his story and that of the Soviet Union. Regarding his past, Gorbachev once said: "People should understand me, my original intention was to perestroika, but I did not carry it out." ”
Literature / Shogakuno
Resources:
1. "The Sorrow of Gorbachev", Zheng Yuchuan
2. "Gorbachev's Later Life", Jiang He