Gorbachev Introduced glasnost and perestroika to reform the Soviet system. These policies inadvertently eroded the ideological and institutional foundations of the USSR, accelerating its collapse. His policies of liberalization unleashed an economic chaos that the Soviet system was not able to contain.
Today, Trump is pursuing a similar, if ideologically inverted, disruption of the US institutions. Attacking the deep state, undermining trust in media and elections, and prioritizing loyalty over expertise. He's enacting a purge of the permanent bureaucracy under the guise of draining the swamp, feeding off polarization and institutional distrust. These policies erode the very stability of the system paving the way to an unravelling akin to that of the USSR.
Gorbachev inherited a stagnant economy that he attempted to fix using market reforms with perestroika. These reforms took form of a shock therapy with sudden price liberalization, fiscal austerity, and privatization. An economic collapse followed as a result of hyperinflation, economic instability, and the rise of an oligarchic class. Similarly, Trump is busy slashing regulations and cutting corporate taxes, fuelling short-term growth that deepens wealth inequality and corporate consolidation. Like Gorbachev, he's ushering in a polarized economic landscape where faith in the system is rapidly dwindling among the public.
The economic unravelling of USSR revived nationalist movements, particularly in the Baltics and Ukraine, that undermined the unifying ideology. Similarly, amplified nationalism, in form of MAGA, is deepening cultural and regional divides in the US. Trump's rhetoric is rooted in divisive politics. Just as Soviet republics turned inward post-glasnost, prioritizing local grievances over collective unity, so are states like Texas, Florida, and California are increasingly talking about breaking with the union.
Gorbachev's reforms set the stage for Yeltsin who presided over the chaotic privatization of state assets, enabling a handful of oligarchs to seize control of Russia's oil, gas, and media empires. The shock therapy transition to capitalism led to a rapid rise of the kleptocrats. Similarly, Musk's companies target the remaining public services and industries for privatization. SpaceX aims to replace NASA, Tesla/Boring Co. are going after infrastructure, while X is hijacking public discourse. In this way, his wealth and influence mirror Yeltsin-era oligarchs' grip on strategic sectors. The main difference here is that Musk operates in a globalized capitalist system as opposed to the post-Soviet fire sale. Musk is actively using his platform and wealth to shape politics in his favor, and much like Russian oligarchs, he consistently prioritizes personal whims over systemic stability.
Yeltsin was sold as a democratic reformer but enabled a predatory elite. Many Russians initially saw capitalism as liberation, only to face a decade of despair as the reality of the system set in. Similarly, Musk markets himself as a visionary genius "saving humanity" with his vanity projects like Mars colonization, yet his ventures depend on public subsidies and exploitation of labor. The cult of the techno-oligarch distracts from the consolidation of power in private hands in a Yeltsin-esque bait-and-switch.
The USSR collapsed abruptly, while the US might face a slower erosion of its institutional norms. Yet both Trump and Gorbachev, despite opposing goals, represent disruptive forces that undermine the system through ideological gambles. Much as Gorbachev and Yeltsin did in their time, Trump's norm-breaking and Musk's oligarchic power are entrenching a new era of unaccountable elites.
Marx was right! History repeats, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.
