Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union

by Vladislav M. Zubok

More important, however, were Gorbachev’s intentions. He never considered China a model for his reforms and, in contrast to Deng, pursued a global ideological mission. The Chinese, he said to Chernyaev, had not solved the main problem: how “to link personal interests with socialism,” the problem “that preoccupied [Lenin].”57 The Soviet leader believed the Soviet Union had human and scientific resources to reclaim a world leadership in new technologies. Democratization would tap into this potential. In May 1989, during his stay in Beijing, Gorbachev turned to his entourage of intellectuals: “Some of those present here have promoted the idea of taking the Chinese road. We saw today where this road leads. I do not want the Red Square to look like Tiananmen Square.” The Soviet leader believed that history had spoken in favor of the road he had taken.58 With this conclusion in mind, Gorbachev passed his own verdict on Deng Xiaoping. At his press conference in Beijing, Gorbachev declared: “We became convinced that we cannot succeed with reforms unless we dismantle the command-administrative system.”