Eyewitness recalls 1991 Soviet coup
In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union “the evil empire.” A fast-food commercial featured a matronly Russian woman in a drab, ill-fitting outfit. “Day wear,” droned the Russian-accented announcer. The woman shone a flashlight to turn the outfit into “evening wear” and carried a beach ball for “swimwear.”
Back then, we didn’t hold a high opinion of the Soviet Union.
We didn’t realize that the Soviet Union’s people held it in similar low regard. It seemed more of a surprise to us than to them that their country imploded in late August 1991.
I happened to be visiting the Soviet Union during those historic days 20 years ago.… Seguir leyendo »