Bridging the Eastern-Western Divide

Before Gorbachev rose to the ascendancy of the USSR political machine, he was the leader of his home region – desperately rural Stavropol. Located in the northern Caucuses, Stavropol was a deeply rural state with an agriculturally dependent economy. Throughout his time as head of the Stavropol region, Gorbachev’s status as a rising star was recognised with some of the highest rewards his party could provide – being sent on political envoys to western Europe. The goal of these trips was not just for Russian statesmen to experience western cultures, but also exhibit the most articulate, erudite young stars to the western world as a way of impressing the locals. Given Gorbachev’s academic background and relative youth, he was a prime candidate.

These trips were integral in shaping Gorbachev’s world view. He was particularly struck by the honesty and openness of western Europeans when it came to politics. They were quick to offer their own opinions and criticise public officials, unlike in the USSR where expressing the wrong political opinion in public could have grave consequences. This had a lasting effect on Gorbachev and even had him questioning, in private of course, some of his deeply held communist beliefs (Taubman, 2017).

This sight of the western world was important to Gorbachev and would undoubtedly have had a similar effect on many of his compatriots. If his peers had been exposed to the diversity of thought and opinion which was freely expressed in western countries at the time, would they have been more supportive of his reformist policies? Or at least more open to engaging in dialogue to create a stronger Soviet Union? The isolationist travel embargoes placed on eastern bloc countries to prevent mass emigration may have contributed towards a highly insular national mindset, one which could not be reconciled with an increasingly globalised world.

In any case, it would have been economically unviable for almost all of Gorbachev’s compatriots to travel abroad. Soviet living standards languished far behind that of their western counterparts, while international travel was a far more expensive pursuit in the era before budget package holidays and Ryanair seat sales. Ironically, uber-capitalist Michael O’Leary has done more than anyone to proletarianize international travel with flights cheaper than bus fares and sardine-like seating plans!

Even if Gorbachev had a state-owned airline with Ryanair’s operational capabilities at his disposal, it is unlikely he would have been comfortable completely liberalising international travel. While there was a significant risk posed to the Soviet Union by its own people fleeing the country, there was an even more serious threat of infiltration by foreign spies. While it was an inherently flawed policy and doomed to eventually fail, the closed border policy was not without reason.

But what if there was a way for citizens of the Soviet Union to benefit from seeing more of the world, while not risking a mass exodus (or infiltration)? A potential modern solution may lie in the power of social media.

For all the purported evils of social media, it has brought the world closer together. People all over the world can communicate at negligible cost, exchanging ideas, engaging in discussion and sharing culture with those who may never had experience it otherwise. While Gorbachev had the privilege to experience foreign cultures in person, his compatriots did not – perhaps digital cultural exchange programs could have helped bridge the eastern-western divide and facilitated an smoother transition from a cold-war era Soviet Union to a more sustainable, open, reformed future.

Communicating common experiences is one of the fundamental ways humans develop empathy and support for other people. Perhaps social media could have delivered a more honest view of the west, not just for the people, but also for the leaders. This may have resulted in greater tolerance and an easier transition following the fall of the iron curtain and helped both bridge cultural divides which still persist today. In today’s increasingly polarised world, perhaps we all could benefit from a digital cultural exchange with those we often see as enemies.

References

Taubman, William (2017). Gorbachev: His Life and Times. New York City: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1471147968.