People Who Left the Pages of History in 2022 Alongside the 'Football Emperor' Pele

Elizabeth II, Jiang Zemin, and Other Historic Leaders Pass Away

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The death of Brazil's 'Football Emperor' Pel?, the only player in history to have won the World Cup three times, on the eve of 2023 has sparked a global wave of mourning. Alongside him, several national leaders who significantly shaped history also left a lasting legacy and passed away this year.

◆ Football Emperor Pel? (Died December 29, 2022)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Pel?, hailed as the greatest player in football history, was born into a poor family in the small town of Tr?s Cora??es in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1940. His legend began in 1956 at the age of 15 when he passed the entrance test for the prestigious Santos FC and became a professional footballer.

Soon after, he was selected for the Brazilian national team and became the youngest player to score in an A-match for Brazil at 16 years and 259 days?a record that still stands. At 17, he participated in the 1958 Sweden World Cup, leading Brazil to its first-ever World Cup victory and rising to global stardom. He went on to win the World Cup again in 1962 in Chile and in 1970 in Mexico, making him the only player to have won the World Cup three times as a player.

Just days before the kickoff of the Qatar World Cup last month on November 14, Pel? posted on social media, "While I wore the Brazilian national team jersey, I placed three stars above the shield (the football association emblem)." He added, "Now there are five stars on the jersey, and I want to see it with six stars soon."

In September last year, a cancerous tumor was found in his right colon, and he underwent surgery to remove it. He then received chemotherapy while frequently visiting the hospital. On November 29, he was re-admitted due to heart failure, systemic edema, and delirium symptoms. Until his death, he continued treatment at Albert Einstein Hospital in S?o Paulo, and it was reported that his condition worsened recently due to cancer progression.

◆ Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin (Died November 30, 2022)

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Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese president who died at the age of 96, was a leader of China's third generation and directed the country's economic development. During his tenure, China recorded an average annual economic growth rate of 8% and transitioned to a socialist market economy. He established diplomatic relations with several countries, including South Korea, and led China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Following Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up policies, he focused on expanding trade with the world. This is why his major achievement is regarded as elevating China to the ranks of the largest developing countries.

Jiang served as China's president from 1993 to 2003. During his time as Shanghai Party Secretary in 1989, he gained Deng Xiaoping's trust by suppressing the Tiananmen Square protests demanding democracy. He founded the 'Shanghai Faction,' one of the three major political factions within the Chinese Communist Party, and remained influential in Chinese politics as a senior member of this faction after retirement. However, with Xi Jinping's rise to power, an anti-corruption campaign targeted the Shanghai Faction, shaking Jiang's political base. His death is seen as accelerating the decline of the Shanghai Faction while solidifying Xi's one-man rule.

Foreign media noted the timing of Jiang's death amid nationwide anti-government protests triggered by China's COVID-19 lockdowns and worsening economic conditions. In response to the high-intensity anti-pandemic protests, known as the 'blank paper protests,' the Chinese government significantly eased restrictions earlier this month. This led to a rapid spread of infections, raising global concerns about a resurgence. Due to the harsh lockdowns, China set its economic growth target at 5.5% for this year, but institutions like the World Bank predict actual growth will be in the 2% range.

◆ Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (Died September 8, 2022)

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Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, passing away at age 96 after 70 years on the throne. She ascended to the throne at the young age of 25 and witnessed turbulent historical periods including World War II, the independence of British colonies, the Cold War, and Brexit (the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union). During her reign, 15 British prime ministers served, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss.

The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, held 57 years after Churchill's death, was attended by over 2,000 people, including heads of state and royalty from major countries worldwide. Her death sparked a wave of mourning not only across the UK but globally. Millions gathered in London to witness the funeral procession.

The throne was succeeded by her son, Charles III. At his coronation on September 10, two days after the Queen's passing, he declared, "I feel the duty and heavy responsibility of the monarch" and pledged lifelong service. Setting the record as the oldest monarch to ascend the British throne, his official coronation is scheduled for May 6 next year.

Charles III inherits the challenge of maintaining the existing Commonwealth order amid growing republican sentiments. Doubts remain about whether he can fulfill the central role in the Commonwealth that Queen Elizabeth II held. Movements to leave the Commonwealth have emerged, especially among Caribbean nations like Barbados, and discussions about transitioning to republics are ongoing in Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica, making his response critical.

Unlike Queen Elizabeth II, who showed 'quiet leadership' and was cautious about expressing opinions on political and social issues, Charles III has been more direct and proactive. In his first Christmas message after ascending the throne, he directly addressed social issues such as rising living costs and the dedication of healthcare workers.

◆ Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (Died August 30, 2022)

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Former President Mikhail Gorbachev was a leader at the center of the historic turning point marking the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. His life gained renewed attention amid the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the emergence of a new Cold War dynamic involving China, Russia, and the United States.

Before his rise to power, Gorbachev was known as a capable bureaucrat who rapidly climbed the ranks. He joined the Communist Party in 1952 shortly after entering the prestigious Moscow State University Law Faculty and was recognized as an outstanding central bureaucrat. At age 49 in 1980, he became the youngest member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the Soviet Communist Party, and five years later, he became the General Secretary, the top leader of the Soviet Union.

After taking power, he actively engaged in diplomacy with Western countries to end the Afghan War and the systemic competition with the United States, which were major causes of economic difficulties. In February 1989, he ended the Afghan War, and in November of the same year, he accepted the fall of the Berlin Wall, leading to the reunification of East and West Germany. In 1990, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in arms reduction agreements with the United States.

However, he failed to prevent the deepening economic crisis during his tenure. According to the British BBC, the Soviet economy shrank by more than 40% during his rule, with the main cause being the collapse of international oil prices, which supported the Soviet budget and economy. Oil prices plummeted nearly 70% from November 1985 to March 1986, shortly after he took office.

The reforms (Perestroika) and openness (Glasnost) policies implemented without fundamental reform of the resource-dependent Russian economy worsened the situation. State-owned enterprises transitioning from a planned economy under communism to a capitalist system raised prices of essential goods and products, which had been suppressed by the Communist Party, under the pretext of price normalization. The Soviet authorities also increased the money supply massively due to fiscal pressure, leading to a vicious economic cycle.

Ultimately, in August 1991, during the Soviet Union's dissolution, Gorbachev lost his power base due to a conservative coup and resigned from the presidency four months later. He attempted a political comeback in the 1996 presidential election but received only 0.5% of the vote and subsequently withdrew from politics.

He later founded the prominent Russian progressive media outlet Novaya Gazeta and acquired the former Soviet social science research institute, renaming it the Gorbachev Foundation, where he served as chairman.

◆ Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Died July 8, 2022)

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Shinzo Abe, who died at the age of 67, was Japan's longest-serving prime minister and a symbolic figure of Japanese right-wing politics. On July 8, while campaigning for the House of Councillors election in Nara Prefecture, he was shot with a homemade shotgun and died. His death shocked the nation, ending his record 8 years and 9 months in office.

Abe led the largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, known as the 'Abe faction,' and pursued constitutional revision and strengthening of defense capabilities as his lifelong missions. During his tenure, he implemented 'Abenomics,' a large-scale monetary easing and ultra-low interest rate policy aimed at overcoming Japan's long-term economic stagnation known as the 'Lost Two Decades.' He resigned in 2020 due to worsening health but continued to lead the party as a power broker.

However, his long tenure also drew criticism for Japan's rapid rightward shift. Particularly, Japan-South Korea relations cooled sharply under Abe. He visited Yasukuni Shrine and sent offerings, causing conflicts with South Korea, and imposed export restrictions in retaliation for South Korea's Supreme Court ruling on compensation for forced labor during Japan's colonial rule.

The aftermath of his death is still unfolding. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's approval ratings began to waver after deciding whether to hold Abe's funeral as a state funeral.

The 'Unification Church risk' also emerged. Tetsuya Yamagami, who assassinated Abe, told police that his mother became a Unification Church member and donated large sums, leading to family bankruptcy, which motivated his crime. This sparked controversy over figures like Economy Minister Koya Akiba, who had supported organizations related to the Unification Church, causing approval ratings to plummet to historic lows. Ultimately, on the 27th, Prime Minister Kishida replaced Minister Akiba in the cabinet.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.