Mikhail Gorbachev

Introduction

The full name of Mikhail Gorbachev is Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, he was born on 2nd March 1931 in Russia. He became the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1985-91) and the president of the Soviet Union in the year 1990-91. In 19ucation:91, the Soviet Union collapsed and communism was destroyed due to his initiatives to democratise the political system and deregulate his nation's economy. For this, Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize in the year of 1990.

Early Life and Education

Gorbachev was raised by Russian peasants in the Kray of Stavropol, situated in southwest Russia. In 1946, he enrolled in the Komsomol, and then he used to have a job working as a combine harvester driver on farmland in Stavropol. He revealed his talents as a Komsomol participant. Later, in 1952, he enrolled in the law department at Moscow State University and joined the Communist Party. After receiving his law degree in 1955, he held some positions in Stavropol's Komsomol. In 1970, he became the first secretary of the regional party committee.

Early career in CPSU and General Secretary of CPSU

In 1971, Gorbachev became one of the members of the Central Committee, governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Then in 1978, he was selected as an agricultural secretary of the party. He became a complete member of the Politburo in 1980. After the death of Konstantin Chernenko on 10th March 1985, Gorbachev became the general secretary of CPSU. As the general secretary of CPSU, he signed a treaty with Ronald Reagan, the president of the U.S. So both countries destroyed the existing nuclear missiles. After that, in the year of 1988, he was elected as the chairman of the Supreme Soviet. He was trying to reconstruct the laws of government to make them free from the CPSU.

Unravelling of the USSR

By changing some rules and regulations of the constitution, a new parliament was established in 1988, named as U.S.S.R. In 1989, Gorbachev was nominated as the chairman of the Supreme Soviet. Gorbachev consented to the gradual removal of Soviet forces from some of those nations as non-communist governments assumed power in Poland, East Germany, and Hungary in late 1989 and early 1990. Gorbachev was rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his great contribution to world affairs. In the year 1989-1990, Gorbachev employed military action to suppress violent interethnic conflicts in various Central Asian republics while legal mechanisms for a republic's legitimate secession from the USS were developed. He was selected by the Congress of People's Deputies to fill the position of the president of the USSR, which came with broad administrative authority.

Gorbachev left the Communist Party, abolished its Central Committee, and formed an unavoidable partnership with Yeltsin. Gorbachev announced his resignation as president of the Soviet Union on 25th December 1991.

Post-USSR Life

In 1996, Gorbachev decided to see himself as president of Russia, but he only secured 1% of the vote. In 2006, he partnered with wealthy and former politician Aleksandr Lebedev to purchase the newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. That was very renowned because of its willingness to oppose the policies of the Kremlin. Despite his frequent criticism towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, Gorbachev welcomed the acquisition of Crimea (2014) during the Ukraine conflict.

Achievements

Gorbachev was the introducer of the politics named “perestroika” and “glasnost”. The communist people of Eastern Europe became united and protested against the government. Gorbachev didn’t interfere in this matter. For this political ideology, he is different from other Soviet leaders. This helped people to deliver a speech freely and also expanded the economy.

Personal Life

He was born into a very poor family in Russia. His father was an operator of a combine harvester and his mother was a farmer on a collective farm. Before his schooling, he lived with his grandparents. Joseph Stalin, a member of the Communist party, ruled Russia during his childhood days. But Gorbachev also enlisted himself in the Communist Party at a young age, at a period when the Communist Party dominated the Soviet Union.

During his education at Moscow State University, he tied the knot with Raisa Titarenko in the year of 1953.

Cause and Date of Death

He was suffering from severe illness for a long time. On the date of 30th August 2023, he met his demise at Central Clinical Hospital.

Conclusion

He was an official in the Soviet Union and the country's final president (1990–91). He became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union general secretary (1985–91). Party leaders criticized Gorbachev's ground-breaking reform programmes, perestroika, and glasnost. Gorbachev changed the Soviet constitution to allow for several candidates in elections and eliminated the party's monopolistic power in 1990 to lessen their dominance. In 1990, he was given the Nobel Peace Prize. The Soviet Union formally confirmed Gorbachev's departure as president in 1991, and the next day it fell apart.

FAQs

Q1. For what reason, Gorbachev dissolved the Soviet Union?

Ans. To end a history of political paralysis and economic decline, Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to reform the system of politics and economy. The Soviet Union had already been weakened by internal instability and ethnic conflict.

Q2. What events caused the Soviet Union to collapse?

Ans. A deteriorating economy of post-World War II, a depleted military, several compulsory political forms like glasnost and perestroika and other factors contributed significantly to the demise of the Soviet Union.

Q3. What major decision did Mikhail Gorbachev take?

Ans. Gorbachev was committed to safeguarding the Soviet Union and Marxist-Leninist doctrines, but he also realized that for the Soviet Union to be successful, it requires substantial transformation. To eliminate nuclear weapons and resolve the Cold War, he started holding sessions with US President Ronald Reagan. He also withdrew troops from the Soviet-Afghan war.