Mikhail Gorbachev: The Last Leader of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, died Tuesday night at the age of 91, according to Russian state news agencies. Gorbachev was credited with introducing key reforms to the USSR and significantly contributing to the end of the Cold War. He had been experiencing declining health for some time.
With his outgoing and charismatic nature, Gorbachev broke the mold for Soviet leaders, who were typically seen as remote and icy figures. From the onset of his leadership, he pursued significant changes to enhance the efficiency and democratic fabric of the system. Key phrases associated with the Gorbachev era include “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring).
Gorbachev had humble beginnings: He was born into a peasant family in Privolnoye on March 2, 1931. Here, he’s with his parents in Privolnoye.Gorbachev with his maternal grandparents, Panteley and Vasilisa Gopkalo, circa 1937.Gorbachev, far right, poses for a photo with his classmates, circa 1947.Gorbachev, wearing the hat, is seen with classmates in the 1940s.Gorbachev, seen here in 1984, became a member of the Communist Party in 1952 and completed a law degree at Moscow University in 1955.Gorbachev and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pose for a picture in London as they meet in December 1984.Gorbachev attends an International Women’s Day Gala in Moscow in March 1985.Gorbachev follows pallbearers carrying the casket of his predecessor as Soviet leader, Konstantin Chernenko, in Moscow’s Red Square in March 1985.Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan hold a historic ‘fireside chat’ in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 1985.Gorbachev and Reagan attend the closing ceremony for the Geneva Summit in November 1985.Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, are welcomed in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in April 1987.Gorbachev visits Bucharest, Romania, in May 1987.Gorbachev waves during a parade in Moscow in November 1987.Gorbachev talks with Reagan at the beginning of a summit in Washington, DC, in December 1987.Gorbachev and Reagan sign an arms control agreement in December 1987 banning the use of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.Gorbachev shakes hands with businessman — and future US President — Donald Trump at the US State Department in December 1987.Gorbachev shows Reagan around Red Square during Reagan’s visit to Moscow in May 1988.Gorbachev, bottom right, and members of the Politburo vote to remove Andrei Gromyko as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in October 1988.Gorbachev visits New York with Reagan and US Vice President George H.W. Bush in December 1988.A Moscow woman and her cat watch Gorbachev’s New Year message in December 1988.Gorbachev and Cuban President Fidel Castro wave during Gorbachev’s visit to Cuba in April 1989.Gorbachev greets East German leader Erich Honecker after arriving in East Berlin in October 1989.Coretta Scott King presents Gorbachev with the Albert Einstein Award for his contribution to peace in June 1990.Gorbachev gives a speech after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in June 1991 for his leading role in the peace process.Gorbachev shakes hands with Bush, then president, in Moscow in July 1991.Gorbachev rubs his eyes while speaking in Moscow in August 1991 amid political turmoil.Gorbachev held a news conference the day after he returned from Crimea in August 1991 while disputing claims made by coup leaders.Gorbachev closes his resignation speech on Soviet television as republics began declaring independence.Gorbachev and Reagan share moments at Reagan’s ranch, both no longer in power.From left, Bush, Gorbachev, and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at a ceremony honoring world leaders in 1999.Gorbechev bows his head at Reagan’s funeral in June 2004.Gorbachev engaged in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin before a news conference in Germany.Gorbachev answering questions alongside CNN founder Ted Turner during a United Nations event in 2005.Gorbachev touring New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward in 2007 with Green Cross International, an organization he founded.Gorbachev with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN’s European headquarters in 2009.Gorbachev on stage during the finale of the Gorby 80 Gala in London in 2011, celebrating his 80th birthday.
