When one hears the name Sinatra crooning past their aural lobe, a cascading stream of shimmering vocals comes to mind, or rather, for the less poetic/pretentious-minded, that dude who sang all those jazzy tunes that my grandmama still listens to. But, did you know that he was also the creator of a significant piece of Russian history? Of course you did not, for that previous statement was indubitably false.
Yet this in turn begs the question of why there is a Soviet doctrine named after lil' Frankie (as we referred to Sinatra back at school). Well, I feel I should let wikipedia explain:
"Sinatra Doctrine" was the name that the Soviet government of Mikhail Gorbachev used jokingly to describe its policy of allowing neighboring Warsaw Pact nations to determine their own internal affairs. The name alluded to the Frank Sinatra song "My Way"—the Soviet Union was allowing these nations to go their own way.
Ye gods, was this significant! The Sinatra Doctrine basically thumbed its nose (in the most Russian way possible) at the Brezhnev Doctrine and all it stood for - i.e. Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe. My friends, this was the beginning of the end - no! - in fact, my friends, this was the end of the end, or maybe even the penultimate chapter of the end, for the Soviet Union. The year was 1989, Milli Vanilli was at the top of its game, Gorbachev was relatively hairless, and freedom was in the air (it smells a bit like fish and takes a while to get used to). Yes, soon after the proclamation of the Sinatra Doctrine, the majority of the Autumn Revolutions took place, and Eastern Europe never had any more problems.
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