On this UVA Speaks podcast, Allen Lynch, Professor in the Department of Politics in the College and Graduate of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, discusses the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev. Lynch explains that during his short time in power, Gorbachev oversaw sweeping reforms that dismantled the Soviet Union’s economic and political systems. The West welcomed these reforms as they ended the Cold War peacefully. In his own country, these programs led to destabilization that brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union. Lynch describes a legacy of opposed reputations at home and abroad. He also shares personal reflections on Gorbachev’s 1993 visit to the University of Virginia.

Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. www.rev.com/tc-editor/shared/J1…loadFrom=SharedLink

Allen Lynch, a Professor in the Department of Politics in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. Lynch’s research interests include Russian foreign policy, Russian politics in comparative perspective, and relationships between international order and political development. He has many books and monographs to his credit, and his articles have appeared in journals in the US and abroad. His works have been translated into Russian, Chinese, French, German, Serbo-Croatian, and Polish.