„Gorbymania”: între iluzia „comunismului cu față umană” și realitatea competiției Marilor Puteri
“Gorbymania”: between the Illusion of “Socialism with a Human Face” and the Reality of Great Power competition

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the phenomenon of “Gorbymania” as a psycho-political mechanism with systemic effects on the end of the Cold War and the dynamics of the Soviet Union’s disintegration. Building on the classical debate concerning the role of personality in history, the article integrates concepts from complexity theory—most notably the notion of a “bifurcation point”—and tools of counterfactual history to assess the weight of individual decision-making in situations of structural crisis. The case of Mikhail Gorbachev is approached as a paradigmatic example of the interaction between charisma, international legitimacy, and internal institutional constraints. The analysis demonstrates that Gorbachev’s popularity in the West functioned as a symbolic feedback loop that reinforced his commitment to non-violence in 1989, thereby accelerating major geopolitical transformations, while simultaneously contributing to strategic indecision and the erosion of domestic authority. By exploring the contrast between external perceptions and internal receptions of reform policies (glasnost and perestroika), the article argues that “Gorbymania” was not merely a media-driven epiphenomenon, but a catalytic factor that reshaped the relationship between power, political image, and decision-making. The conclusion emphasizes the contingent nature of the Soviet collapse and the decisive role of leadership choice at a moment of maximum systemic instability.

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