I consider it vitally important to preserve the democratic achievements which have been attained in the last few years. We have paid with all our history and tragic experience for these democratic achievements, and they are not to be abandoned, whatever the circumstances, and whatever the pretexts.
Meaning
Announcing his resignation on 25 December 1991, as the Soviet Union dissolved, Gorbachev urged citizens to protect their new freedoms of speech and choice, which had been won at great historical cost. Hard-won rights can be lost gradually. Defend them through small habits: stay informed, vote, and speak up when others' liberties are being narrowed.
Source: Resignation Address (1991)
About the author
Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022) was the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985 to 1991. His reforms of glasnost and perestroika helped end the Cold War, and he received the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize.
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