Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian political leader who served as the last head of state of the Soviet Union. Born into a peasant family in Privolnoye, Stavropol Krai, he joined the Communist Party in 1952 and rose through regional party work before rising to national prominence.

In 1985, Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Communist Party, the de facto leader of the Soviet Union. He introduced reforms commonly described as glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) aimed at liberalizing society and reforming the economy, while pursuing democratization within the political system. His approach reduced the party’s monopoly on power and allowed greater public discussion, media freedom, and political pluralism, albeit amidst substantial resistance from hardliners and economic difficulties.

Gorbachev also sought to ease Cold War tensions through arms control and diplomacy. He oversaw the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987 and pursued negotiations that led to significant reductions in nuclear arsenals. His foreign policy and domestic reforms contributed to a loosening of Moscow’s control over Eastern Europe, accelerating the revolutions of 1989 and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union.

After a failed coup in August 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved later that year. Gorbachev resigned as president on 25 December 1991. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War. His legacy remains debated: he is credited with opening Soviet society and reducing nuclear threat, while the dissolution of the Soviet Union ended a political system he hoped to reform.