Mao vs. Gorbachev: Was it all up to them?

 

Although the Chinese and Eastern European Revolutions were similar due to their being surrounded by Communism, the different revolutions were far from identical. The idea of Communism was a large part in each revolution. However, the main difference between the revolutions was that in China, Communism was elected and desired. In Eastern Europe, Communism was forced upon the government by Russia's "Red Army." Communism is a large commitment for any country. For it to work effectively, the country needs to be fully committed to the obligations and rules necessary. Chinese citizens, under Mao Zedong, may not have been fully for Communism, but Mao certainly was. Mao was very oppressive and wholly believed that Communism was attainable and would bring success to China. This is the main reason why the Chinese Revolution of 1949 differed greatly from the Eastern European Revolutions in 1989. In Eastern Europe, Gorbachev was a very passive leader. He realized that medaling with other countries' affairs would get him into trouble. Therefore, with his speech to the United Nations, Gorbachev openly announced that he agreed to not interfere with the matters of his people. In other words, Gorbachev allowed revolution to occur. In my opinion, the reason all of the revolutions were nonviolent was due to this air that Gorbachev gave off. Although he did not oppose Communism, he accepted that his people did not want it. Gorbachev had very important characteristics of a great leader. He listened to his people, even if their ideas conflicted with his own. The Chinese Revolution was violent because Mao was a dictator and did not take into account the feelings of his citizens. He wanted Communism and nothing was going to change that. Most Eastern European Revolutions severely contrasted the Chinese Revolution, however one was different: the extremely gory revolution of Romania. In Romania, Ceausescu was a Communist and wanted Romania to be Communist. This resistance, stemming from the leader, ultimately created a harsh circumstance that led to violent uprisings.