Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022) was the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985 until the union's dissolution in 1991. He introduced the reform policies of glasnost, or political openness, and perestroika, or economic restructuring, aiming to revitalize the Soviet system, but the reforms instead accelerated political liberalization across the Eastern Bloc and within the Soviet Union itself. His tenure saw the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the largely peaceful end of Soviet control over Eastern Europe, developments for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. He survived an attempted coup by hardline officials in August 1991, but the Soviet Union formally dissolved into independent states by the end of that year, ending his time in power.
Facts
RoleSoviet and Russian politician; last leader of the Soviet Union (1985-1991), General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985 and head of state from 1988 1 BirthplacePrivolnoye, North Caucasus Krai 1 Role
Role (category) Role (category) FAQs
Why was Mikhail Gorbachev awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990?
For his leading role in the radical changes in East-West relations that brought the Cold War to a peaceful end.
The Nobel Committee gave him the prize "for the leading role he played in the radical changes in East-West relations." The Nobel Prize organization's account says the Committee gave him the main credit for the end of the Cold War, after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. It points to his policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (change), his search for détente with the United States so that money could move from defense to civil society, and his declaration that he would not support communist regimes in other countries if their peoples were opposed to them.
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In Era
Source Mikhail Gorbachev (Wikipedia)
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Source Wikipedia: Soviet-Afghan War
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Sources
1. Mikhail Gorbachev (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead sentence, full patronymic name
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
lead parenthetical, birth year
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
lead parenthetical, birth date
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
lead parenthetical, death year
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
lead parenthetical, death date
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
lead sentence, offices held
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988.
second paragraph, birthplace
Born in Privolnoye, North Caucasus Krai, into a peasant family of Russian and Ukrainian heritage, Gorbachev grew up under the rule of Joseph Stalin.
Mikhail Gorbachev: Gender
He introduced the reform policies of glasnost, or political openness, and perestroika, or economic restructuring, aiming to revitalize the Soviet system, but the reforms instead accelerated political liberalization across the Eastern Bloc and within the Soviet Union itself.
In Era: The Contemporary Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 - 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991.
View the Source Wikidata: Mikhail Gorbachev
Wikipedia: Soviet-Afghan War
WikipediaParticipant In: Soviet-Afghan War, LeadQuote, Participant In: Soviet-Afghan War, Lead
By mid-1987, the reformist Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, announced the Soviet military would begin a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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