Thatcher and Gorbachev

This week, I wanted to return to the recorded dialogue between Thatcher and expand on it through Margaret Thatcher on Leadership : Lessons for American Conservatives Today, specifically the chapter highlighting the leadership Thatcher had while engaging the Soviet Union. To summarize, Thatcher and Gorbachev held a strong relationship comprised mostly of intellectually debating each other. Meanwhile, Thatcher harshly criticized the Soviet Union publicly and even said Gorbachev would be a better leader than Chernenko while Gorbachev while Gorbachev was running for office. Then, after he took office, Thatcher continued to harshly criticize the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Reagan despised all Soviet leaders; this highlights the different leadership style the two had, but Thatcher's was more instrumental to the fall of the USSR than Reagan.

Thatcher's leadership style can best be explained by Sun Tzu's Art of War.  Thatcher quickly analyzed her opponent, both the Soviet's as a whole and the leaders within the Union, and directly exploited their weaknesses while avoiding their strengths.  The Soviet's strength was in the message they spread, economic equality for all.  Reagan attempted to battle this with brute force, but it was Thatcher's cunning leadership that crippled the empire.  Thatcher knew that the Union was crumbling and the leadership was questioned, because the leader was weak.  Chernenko led a weak group of leaders whom was frustrated with their current situation.  Therefore, Thatcher exploited this weakness by befriending Gorbachev.  As Sun Tzu states, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer; Thatcher kept strong communication with Gorbachev throughout his reign within the empire.

Thatcher must've known that this was a weakness within the Soviet Union, because Sun Tzu also explains that a leader ought not do anything just for the sake of doing something, but because it is a part of a grander plan.  Thatcher likely befriended Gorbachev, because she knew that it would lead towards him being forced to use rational choice theory and either accept that the Soviet Union's reign was coming towards and end and he must prepare the empire for a transition of power or continue fighting the Western world.  By befriending Gorbachev, Thatcher highlighted this dichotomy by showing Gorbachev that capitalism isn't as evil as the rest of the Soviet leaders portrayed it to be.  Meanwhile, Thatcher used Reagan to present the other side of the dichotomy; to fight capitalism meant to constantly face opposition yelling at you to "Tear down that wall!"