Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–), the last leader of the Soviet Union, tried to save the USSR by reforming its moribund economy, militaristic foreign policy, and repressive civil society. Instead, the changes Gorbachev unleashed overwhelmed the Communist superpower, which collapsed in chaos and formally dissolved on Christmas Day of 1991.
Gorbachev was born in southwestern Russia, worked on collective farms during his youth, and became a member of the Communist Party in 1952. He held a number of administrative positions before joining the ruling Politburo in 1980.
The death of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) set off a period of instability and drift in Soviet politics. The next two premiers, Yuri Andropov (1914–1984) and Konstantin Chernenko (1911–1985), both died after less than two years in office. Seeking more-youthful leadership, party leaders selected Gorbachev in 1985.
Gorbachev encountered enormous problems, both foreign and domestic, upon taking office. The Soviet army was bogged down in a war in Afghanistan, the economy was in shambles, and growing independence movements in the Eastern bloc countries threatened Soviet hegemony. The United States, under president Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), was pursuing a more aggressive policy to counter Soviet power.
In response, Gorbachev announced two reform programs, perestroika (“restructuring”) and glasnost (“openness”). By liberalizing the economy, legalizing free enterprise, and easing restrictions on political speech, Gorbachev hoped to modernize the Soviet Union. He also withdrew troops from Afghanistan and pursued arms control agreements with Reagan. When revolution swept Eastern European countries in 1989, Gorbachev did not try to stop the tide.
Within the Soviet Union, however, perestroika and glasnost were creating food shortages, separatist violence, and widespread unrest. Gorbachev was briefly deposed in a 1991 coup, and he found his powers greatly reduced when he returned to power. Sensing the inevitable, Gorbachev lowered the hammer-and-sickle flag over the Kremlin for the last time on December 25, 1991.
Gorbachev remained active in Russian politics and ran for president in 1996. Since then, he has toured the world as a global statesman, celebrity endorser for Pizza Hut, and founder of a foundation devoted to political reform.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- Gorbachev, affectionately nicknamed Gorby in the United States, is famous for the birthmark on his forehead. The port-wine-colored blotch is the result of a relatively common medical condition.
- In 2003, Gorbachev won a Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for a version of Peter and the Wolf, by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953).
- Gorbachev met his wife, Raisa Maximovna Titarenko (1932–1999), while studying at Moscow State University. They married in 1953.
