Source: China News Network, Global Network, Fortune Chinese Network, Social Sciences Literature Publishing House "Memoirs of Khrushchev", Harbin Publishing House "Bush Family"
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In the former Soviet Union, the country's top leaders were for life. But two of the leaders were abolished, Khrushchev and Gorbachev. [Zuoyi]
And both of them are retired leaders, and their lives in their later years can be described as very different. One is crazy to make money, but the other has no home.
01
Khrushchev in his later years
Khrushchev
In October 1964, Khrushchev had a rare holiday, so he went to the Black Sea to enjoy life. But a few days later, a phone call suddenly stopped Khrushchev, who had not yet finished his vacation. The other end of the phone said that there was an emergency meeting and that Khrushchev had to rush back to Moscow immediately.
Khrushchev and Nixon
So Khrushchev hurried back, and at the same time at the meeting of the Central Presidium in Moscow, they waited for Khrushchev for some time, and did not see anyone else. So he directly started the theme of this meeting, but at the beginning, Blizhnev, who was pulled up by Khrushchev, criticized Khrushchev's mistakes in front of everyone at the meeting.
Khrushchev
At the end of the meeting, after receiving the support of the majority of the people at the meeting, Blizhnev directly announced that he would withdraw from politics on the grounds of Khrushchev's advanced age.
After Khrushchev arrived in Russia, he immediately drove to the Kremlin to attend the meeting. When he arrived at the scene, he was furious when he learned that he was no longer the leader of the Soviet Union.
Khrushchev
In front of all the high-ranking officials, he scolded loudly, and waited until he finished scolding. Mikoyan, who was Khrushchev, pulled him aside and, after talking with him for some time. On the second day of the meeting, Khrushchev voluntarily submitted his resignation.
Khrushchev
When Khrushchev first learned about his retirement benefits, he was quite satisfied. Bliznev gave him 500 rubles a month, which at that time had the same value as the dollar. Khrushchev was also given a set of high-end villas and a luxury car.
But this good life did not last long, and those villa limousines were all taken back by Bliznev. At that time, Khrushchev could only live in an ordinary small bungalow, but he didn't say much, and every day he read the newspaper and listened to the radio.
Khrushchev
After a long time, Khrushchev began to think about writing a memoir, so he officially began to write it in 1966. Not long after Khrushchev wrote it, the matter of the memoirs was learned by Blizhnev, who was afraid that Khrushchev would write something unfavorable to himself on it. He then directly threatened Khrushchev not to write his memoirs, and was still sending agents to monitor his every move.
But Khrushchev did not stop his pen, he knew that even if he finished writing this memoir, it would not be kept. Therefore, Khrushchev, after being warned again and again, finally completed his creation.
Memoirs of Khrushchev
But what he didn't expect was that Bliznev sent someone directly to the door to seize his memoirs, and Khrushchev was sure that he would not give up his creation, so he handed over his memoirs to a British journalist.
By 1970, his memoirs were published abroad, which shocked the Soviet Union at the time. Then they demanded that Khrushchev disclose the memoirs to the outside world, and Khrushchev refused their request.
The year after the incident, Khrushchev died of illness at the age of 77, and his funeral was so sloppy that not even a single Soviet official attended. In his later years, Khrushchev lived under the surveillance of Blizhnev, and his life's honor was ruined.
Compared to Gorbachev's retirement, Khrushchev was really miserable
02
Gorbachev
Gorbachev
As the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union was completely ill at his hands.
In 1991, when Gorbachev, who was also on vacation, suddenly learned that he was no longer the leader of the Soviet Union, he responded by asking Yeltsin first what his retirement benefits were.
Gorbachev and Yeltsin
Because at that time, Gorbachev was not until he had been hollowed out by Yeltsin, and if he tried to resist, it was better to accept it gladly. When Gorbachev announced his resignation as leader, he announced the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After that, Yeltsin gave him a pension of 4,000 rubles a month, plus a car and a villa.
After Gorbachev left the Kremlin, Yeltsin didn't care about him at that time, so his life was very nourishing. He even founded his own foundation and was elected president of the International Green Cross Congress.
Gorbachev
Gorbachev may feel that he has done it again, and instead of publicly blaming the then Russian President Yeltsin, he angered Yeltsin and directly withdrew all the previous retirement conditions.
Without a villa, the Gorbachev family had to move to an 80-square-meter building. But soon after, Yeltsin introduced shock therapy in the United States, and the Russian economy fell to the bottom for a time, and prices soared.
Yeltsin
Gorbachev's pension of 4,000 rubles per month also made it difficult for him to maintain his normal life, so he had to look for a job to make ends meet.
During this period, Gorbachev seemed to have grasped the business code, relying on his previous fame to shoot many commercials. Among them were Pizza Hut, Louis Vuitton, who earned a lot of money, and then went on to become an actor, and the most famous role he played was himself.
Gorbachev with his granddaughter
In addition to being an actor, he also published his own memoirs. Compared to Khrushchev's time, Gorbachev wrote as much as he wanted.
In 2012, Gorbachev also held a book signing for his deceased wife, "Lonely Companions".
Throughout the retirement life of these two leaders, Gorbachev was a comfortable man who had dominated the political arena, while Khrushchev was affected by the political environment and historical background of that era, as well as his personal values, and went to a dark place.
Memoirs of Gorbachev
Let's take a look at what is special about the retirement life of the outgoing presidents of the United States.
03
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
He was once recognized as the "stupidest president" in the United States, and he lived through 911, Hurricane Katrina, being shoveled by reporters, and more. When he was about to leave the presidency of the United States, his approval rating fell directly to the bottom, and he was the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush.
After Obama took office, George W. Bush left the White House, where he had lived for eight years, and chose to take his wife, Laura, back to his hometown of Midland, Casas.
George W. Bush's retirement home
Although the retirement residence is not as luxurious as the White House, it is still very gorgeous compared to ordinary civilians. George W. Bush's house covers a total area of 5,000 square meters, of which the yard reaches 4,000 square meters.
Bush Jr.'s pension is even higher, $200,000 a year, which makes his daily life a hearty one. He would occasionally give speeches, earning $150,000 per session, and then Bush would write books in his later years, writing about his daily life, marriage, and work, which made him make a lot of money again.
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was also very fond of sports, including cycling and golf, which led him to join a club and organize a charity golf tournament.
George W. Bush
It can be said that Bush Jr. spent most of his later years tossing, but the most stable of them was his feelings for his wife Laura. Laura once said that almost all the dishwashing and housework in the family were contracted by George W. Bush. The two have been together for more than 40 years, and it can't be said that their love is as deep as the sea, but it can be regarded as a mutual affection.
04
Clinton
Clinton
During Clinton's tenure, his political strategy can be described as unremarkable, but his scandals are endless. This made him lose his image as the president of a country for a moment, and later spent a lot of money on the campaign. By the time he finally left office, he still owed a lot of debts.
In order to repay the money, Clinton also began to give speeches in various places, a speech is about more than 200,000 US dollars, and he usually writes his memoirs when he was president.
In 2021, Clinton and his wife, Hillary, were vacationing by the sea, and the two looked very different. Clinton has long lost the posture of the past, and Hillary Clinton can be said to be a little inadequate in body management.
When the two were still in the political arena, they belonged to the most beautiful couple. Judging from the photos, the two began to gradually let go of themselves in their later years, with ordinary taste in dressing, without the domineering demeanor of the year, the two are indeed like a pair of ordinary old men and old ladies.
05
Obama
Obama
As the first black president in the history of the United States, during his tenure, he was recognized by many American citizens. When Obama officially retired in 2017, he once said that what makes people happy should only be felt after retirement.
After his retirement, Obama moved out of the White House and bought a luxury estate in the United States, which was very large, covering about 110,000 square meters, including a separate beach.
Obama with his wife Michelle
This is a photo of Obama and his wife Michelle vacationing in Hawaii, and it can be seen that even though they are older, their physical fitness is still very tough.
The two rowed on the beach and cooperated very tacitly. Hawaii is very hot all year round, but it is a great place to spend a vacation.
In addition to going on vacation, Obama and his wife also have two daughters, and they usually watch dramas when they have nothing to do at home. In 2020, Obama also launched ten of his favorite film and television works, and it seems that Obama spent a lot of time chasing dramas in his later years.
Of course, it is also indispensable for the president to make money after retirement, and Obama once earned about $15 million by writing books. So after retiring, he began writing his own memoirs, earning more than $60 million.
After that, he made money by giving speeches and doing interviews, and he could earn more than $200,000 per game on average, and the highest one could reach more than $800,000, which also made his worth several times after retirement.
Six years after Obama left his job, he returned to his native Kenya, where the local government was very happy to learn the news, and Obama's relatives thought that Obama would prepare a table of meals for him when he arrived.
But in the end, Obama did not have time to see his family because of his official visit, but the local government set up a banquet for them and invited many villagers.
For Obama, Kenya has only pure family affection for him, which has a special meaning, and also allows Obama to find the meaning of life. #文章首发挑战赛#
Sources:
[1] China News Network - He witnessed the "last days" of the Soviet Union, when 91-year-old Gorbachev died
[2] Social Sciences Academic Press - Memoirs of Khrushchev
[3] Harbin Publishing House - The Bush Family
[4] CITIC Press, "The Time of Choice: The Autobiography of George W. Bush"
[5] Fortune Chinese - Obama's Happy Life After Retirement - Fortune Chinese Network
[6] Huanqiu.com - Obama's colorful retirement life is more energetic