Mikhail Gorbachev
leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 (1931–2022)
Mikhail Gorbachev and the reform of the Soviet Union
From Stavropol to Moscow
Mikhail Gorbachev studied law in Moscow and advanced through Communist Party posts in his native Stavropol region. He became the region’s first party secretary in 1970, moved to the central leadership as agriculture secretary in 1978 and joined the Politburo in 1980.
Reform at the top
Chosen as the Soviet party leader in 1985, Gorbachev tried to address economic stagnation through perestroika, or restructuring, and glasnost, or greater openness. His reforms widened political debate, while his approach to Eastern Europe and negotiations with the United States changed Cold War relations.
Peace prize and Soviet dissolution
The Nobel Committee awarded him the 1990 Peace Prize for his role in changing East–West relations. A failed hardline coup shook his government in August 1991. As the Soviet Union broke apart, he resigned as its president on 25 December 1991; the reforms had not preserved the state he had sought to renew.