When Mikhail Gorbachev became the secretary general of the Soviet communist party in 1985, no one could imagine what would follow, including himself. Jacques Rupnik explains how he has contributed to change the world.
Poland. 1980-1981. On Aug 31, Lech Walesa launches Solidarnosc as a platform that rapidly evolves into a wider social movement and extends its influence beyond the Polish borders to the rest of Eastern Europe.
Prag, 1968. Czech politician Aleksander Dubcek introduces his own brand of ‘socialism with a human face’. But that’s more than the USSR can take. On Aug 21, Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia. Jacques Rupnik tells more.
Budapest 1956. On October 23, Hungarians take to the streets to demand more openness in the government. Triumphant at first, the revolt is violently crushed by Soviet tanks on November 4. Jacques Rupnik tells more.
East Germany, June 16, 1953. The wall has not been completed, but Berlin is a divided city. Workers in East Berlin take to the streets in the first mass protest since the end of the war. Jacques Rupnik looks back.
Jacques Rupnik 
