Summary
Gorbachev said that after Stalin, there were attempts to reform the Soviet Union but they did not succeed. At first, Gorbachev tried to focus on economy and agriculture, but his attempts were met with resistance. This made him realise that if democratic changes were not implemented, his attempts to reform the Soviet Union would fail just like the previous reformers. At first Gorbachev tried to change the system. He realised that it could not be changed and it had to be replaced.
Gorbachev said that it was hard to open the door with the United States. Human rapport had to be developed to build cooperation. When Gorbachev first began talking to Reagan, Reagan accused him of human rights violations and demanded him to make changes to Soviet policy. Gorbachev told Reagan that they should speak like equals.
Gorbachev said that in principle, Communism as a model of organising and reforming a society had to be rejected. He said that humanity should learn from the past, reject what did not work and build a new civilisation.
Gorbachev said that it was not his intention to cause the break up of the USSR through perestroika. He felt that it was his fault for not explaining things properly. If he had done so, the 1991 coup would not have happened.
At the end of the interview, Gorbachev expressed the hope that History would judge him fairly.