Majority of Russians do not think that Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most significant political figures of the century

It is not a secret that in the West the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev is considered to be one of the most significant political figures of the century. Public Opinion Foundation asked 1,500 respondents of 29 regions of Russia on February, 2001 if they share this opinion. It turned out that only 27 % of Russians agree this with point of view. The majority of the respondents, 62 %, do not think so. 11 % found it hard to answer this question. It is essential to note that the number of these who regard the ex-president of the USSR as “one of the most significant political figures of the century”, increased in 7 % since 1995. And, on the contrary, the number of those, who do not agree this statement decreased in 7 %. Moreover, almost a half of the respondents (46%) think that if Gorbachev had stayed in power a few years longer, the situation would be worse in Russia today. Only 13 % consider that it would be better than it is now. 23% think that it would be the same as it is now.