On december 25th 1991 the Soviet flag above the Kremlin was lowered for the last time and the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, made his resignation speech. "The totalitarian system has been eliminated...free elections...free press, freedom of worship, representative legislatures and a multi-party system have all become reality."rnA few hours later, America's then president, George Bush senior, declared victory in the cold war. "For over 40 years the United States led the West in the struggle against communism and the threat it posed to our most precious values...That confrontation is now over. The United States recognises and welcomes the emergence of a free, independent and democratic Russia."rnThe collapse of the Soviet empire was inevitable, rapid and largely bloodless. In its aftermath the world watched, with a mixture of hope and despair, the emergence of a new country that turned out a lot less free and democratic than advertised. Confrontation with America did not disappear but took on a new meaning.
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