Gorbachev. The Last Word

The Soviet leader, who brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall, was acclaimed as the architect of Glasnost and Perestroika, policies that gave the citizens of the Soviet Union -- what Ronald Reagan called "the Evil Empire" -- a chance to be free. At the same time, under his rule, the Chernobyl nuclear facility exploded and its destruction was concealed. Citizens demanding independence in the Baltic states died. Soldiers wielding shovels brutally suppressed protesters in Tbilisi. Soviet tanks killed peaceful demonstrators in Baku. Under Gorbachev, the Soviet empire collapsed. He is now condemned by his own people.