* Dave Stewart said Mikhail Gorbachev told him that the 1980s soap opera Dallas 'had more effect' in bringing about Soviet collapse than anything else
* Gorbachev said the show opened people's eyes to Western life, Mr Stewart said
* The programme portrayed the millionaire lifestyles of the oil tycoon Ewing family
TV show Dallas was the main reason behind the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, it has been claimed.
Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart said that former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev told him that the 1980s soap opera 'had more effect' in ending the Cold War than anything else.
Mr Stewart, 68, said the Gorbachev admitted an illicit broadcast of the US show in Russia had opened his people's eyes to Western life, and the Texas-based show 'brought down' the communist superpower.
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WNU Editor: I smiled when I read the above Daily Mail post. On numerous times in this blog I have talked about the impact that the TV show Dallas has had on Russia, and especially on China. This is what I wrote eight years ago ....
.... I lived in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province in the summer of 1988. Met some great business contacts, new friends, got to understand the Chinese .... in particular their culture. But one thing that always struck me when I was there was that each night everyone in the city would go out for a walk/stroll/shop/eat/etc. .... every night that is with the exception of Wednesday evening between 7:00PM to 8:00PM. After a few weeks I then asked my hosts (we were guests of the Central Government) on why was this the case .... including the fact that our own hosts also did not want to be with us during this time period. It was explained to me "sheepishly" that since they were in the range of Taiwan's TV programs, everyone enjoyed watching their programming .... in particular American programming .... in particular one American show. I found out later that the show that everyone in China was addicted to was J.R. Ewing and Dallas. In their minds .... J.R. Ewing and Dallas was what America was .... and what was worse .... the Chinese dream was to be like them. (Is The West Pursuing A Cultural War Against China? January 3, 2012).
I can say the same about Russia. When Russians watched Dallas they were focused on their homes, clothes, cars, and lifestyle. The plot was secondary. In many minds the perception was that this is how Americans lived, and everyone wanted to live like that.
On a personal note. A small confession. I have watched every episode of Dallas. And when I was in China is when the episode of "Who Shot JR" was played. I already knew who shot JR, but my Chinese hosts did not. Did I ever milk that intel to my advantage. I would treat it as a big secret (and it was), and only tell certain Chinese officials on who shot JR, and to keep it in confidence. I developed friendships that still exist today because of that one show.
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