No, Gorbachev tried to "tweak" a system that he still believed in. What happened through his actions - he did not expect (a dismantling of the Russian communist/socialist system). That was what was needed at the time. Only "real" change happens through complete destruction of the "old" & a rebirth of the "new" from "scratch". - Mekkar

well, yes - it is just the name of this article. .... what i think is that USSR needed democratic reforms, more freedoms .. BUT NOT destruction, not dissolution ... i believe in, and he should aim at - DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM, with fair wealth distribution .. similar to what China does - freedoms, but with law order still applying .. what happened is that millions of people lost livelihoods, jobs, healthcare, country crashed into mafia destructive chaos after the USSR sudden collapse ... i think, for these reason, that it was a mistake - Petr Buben