Mikhail Gorbachev PNG Images Transparent Background

Mikhail Gorbachev is a renowned politician and the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union. He was born on March 2, 1931, in Privolnoye, Russia. Gorbachev served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Gorbachev’s childhood was marked by tragedy. He lost his father at the age of thirteen during the Nazi occupation of Russia. Despite this, he continued his studies and graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in law. He joined the Communist Party in 1952 and rose through the ranks, becoming the youngest member of the Politburo in 1980.

Gorbachev is best known for his policies of glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost, which means “openness” in Russian, was a policy to increase transparency and freedom of speech, which had been suppressed in the Soviet Union. Perestroika, meaning “restructuring,” aimed to modernize the Soviet economy by introducing some elements of the market economy and reducing the control of the Communist Party on the economy.

However, Gorbachev faced criticism from both the left and the right for his reforms. The conservatives in the Communist Party accused him of betraying the socialist cause, while the reformers felt that he was not moving fast enough. At the same time, nationalist movements were gaining momentum in the Soviet republics, and Gorbachev struggled to keep them under control.

Gorbachev’s tenure as Soviet leader was marked by a dramatic change in relations with the West. He initiated arms control talks with the United States and met with President Ronald Reagan to discuss disarmament. Gorbachev’s efforts to end the Cold War earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

Despite his efforts to save the Soviet Union, it collapsed in 1991, and Gorbachev resigned as its President. He continues to be active in public life and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament and human rights.

In conclusion, Mikhail Gorbachev was a visionary leader who tried to reform the Soviet Union and improve the lives of its people. His policies of glasnost and perestroika were groundbreaking, but he faced fierce opposition from both the left and the right. He will always be remembered as a man who tried to change the course of history and played a critical role in ending the Cold War.