"Gorbachev" redirects here. For other uses see Gorbachev (disambiguation). This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Sergeyevich and the family name is Gorbachev. Mikhail Gorbachev Gorbachev in May 2010. Head of state of the Soviet Union (President of the Soviet Union from 15 March 1990) In office 1 October 1988  25 December 1991 Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov Valentin Pavlov Ivan Silayev Vice President Gennady Yanayev Preceded by Andrei Gromyko Succeeded by Office abolished 6th General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union In office 11 March 1985  24 August 1991 Deputy Vladimir Ivashko Preceded by Konstantin Chernenko Succeeded by Vladimir Ivashko (Acting) Born Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev 2 March 1931 (1931-03-02) (age 80) Privolnoye Stavropol Krai Russian SFSR USSR Political party Communist Party of the Soviet Union (19501991) Social Democratic Party of Russia (20012004) Union of Social Democrats (2007present) Independent Democratic Party of Russia (2008present) Spouse(s) Raisa Gorbachova (d. 1999) Alma mater Moscow State University Profession Lawyer Religion See religious affiliation Signature Website The Gorbachev Foundation

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: tr. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov IPA: mxil srejvt rbtof ( listen); born 2 March 1931) is a former Soviet statesman having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 and as the last head of state of the USSR having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991. He was the only general secretary in the history of the Soviet Union to have been born during the Communist rule.

Gorbachev was born in Stavropol Krai into a peasant Ukrainian-Russian family and in his teens operated combine harvesters on collective farms. He graduated from Moscow State University in 1955 with a degree in law. While he was at the university he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and soon became very active within it. In 1970 he was appointed the First Party Secretary of the Stavropol Kraikom First Secretary to the Supreme Soviet in 1974 and appointed a member of the Politburo in 1979. Within three years of the deaths of Soviet Leaders Leonid Brezhnev Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko Gorbachev was elected General Secretary by the Politburo in 1985. Already before he reached the post he had occasionally been mentioned in western newspapers as a likely next leader and a man of the younger generation at the top level.

Gorbachev's attempts at reform as well as summit conferences with United States President Ronald Reagan and his reorientation of Soviet strategic aims contributed to the end of the Cold War ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

In September 2008 Gorbachev and billionaire Alexander Lebedev announced they would form the Independent Democratic Party of Russia1 and in May 2009 Gorbachev announced that the launch was imminent.2 This was Gorbachev's third attempt to establish a political party after having started the Social Democratic Party of Russia in 2001 and the Union of Social-Democrats in 2007.3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Marriage and family 3 Rise in the Communist Party 4 General Secretary of the CPSU 4.1 Domestic reforms 4.1.1 Perestroika 4.1.2 Glasnost 4.2 Presidency of the USSR 4.2.1 Foreign engagements 4.2.2 Dissolution of the Soviet Union 4.2.2.1 Crisis of the Union: 19901991 4.2.2.2 The August 1991 coup 4.2.2.3 Aftermath of the coup and the final collapse 5 Post-Presidency 6 Call for global restructuring 7 Honours and accolades 8 Religious affiliation 9 Naevus flammeus 10 See also 11 References 12 External links Early life This section requires expansion.

Gorbachev was born on 2 March 1931 in Stavropol Russian SFSR Soviet Union into a mixed Russian-Ukrainian family of migrants from Voronezh and Chernigov Governorates. His father was a combine harvester operator and the World War II veteran Sergey Andreyevich Gorbachev. His mother Maria Panteleyevna Gorbacheva (ne Gopkalo) was a kolkhoz worker.4 In his teens he operated combine harvesters on collective farms. He graduated from Moscow State University in 1955 with a degree in law. In 1967 he qualified as an agricultural economist via correspondence masters degree at the Stavropol Institute of Agriculture. While at university he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and soon became very active within it. Marriage and family

Gorbachev met his future wife Raisa Titarenko at Moscow State University. They married in September 1953 and moved to Stavropol upon graduation. She gave birth to their only child daughter Irina Mikhailovna Virganskaya ( ) in 1957. Raisa Gorbachova died of leukemia in 1999.5 Rise in the Communist Party Gorbachev visiting a pig farm in East Germany 10 June 1966

Gorbachev attended the important twenty-second Party Congress in October 1961 where Nikita Khrushchev announced a plan to surpass the U.S. in per capita production within twenty years. At this point in his life Gorbachev would rise in the Communist League hierarchy and worked his way up through territorial leagues of the party. He was promoted to Head of the Department of Party Organs in the Stavropol Agricultural Kraikom in 1963.6

In 1970 he was appointed First Party Secretary of the Stavropol Kraikom a body of the CPSU becoming one of the youngest provincial party chiefs in the nation.6 In this position he helped reorganise the collective farms improve workers' living conditions expand the size of their private plots and gave them a greater voice in planning.6

He was soon made a member of the Communist Party Central Committee in 1971. Three years later in 1974 he was made a Deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Standing Commission on Youth Affairs. He was subsequently appointed to the Central Committee's Secretariat for Agriculture in 1978 replacing Fyodor Kulakov who had supported Gorbachev's appointment after Kulakov died of a heart attack.67 In 1979 Gorbachev was promoted to the Politburo the highest authority in the country and received full membership in 1980. Gorbachev owed his steady rise to power to the patronage of Mikhail Suslov the powerful chief ideologist of the CPSU.8 During Yuri Andropov's tenure as General Secretary (19821984) Gorbachev became one of the Politburo's most visible and active members.8 With responsibility over personnel working together with Andropov 20 percent of the top echelon of government ministers and regional governors were replaced often with younger men. During this time Grigory Romanov Nikolai Ryzhkov and Yegor Ligachev were elevated the latter two working closely with Gorbachev Ryzhkov on economics Ligachev on personnel.9page needed Gorbachev's positions within the CPSU created more opportunities to travel abroad and this would profoundly affect his political and social views in the future as leader of the country. In 1972 he headed a Soviet delegation to Belgium6 and three years later he led a delegation to West Germany; in 1983 he headed a delegation to Canada to meet with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and members of the Commons and Senate. In 1984 he travelled to the United Kingdom where he met British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Upon Andropov's death in 1984 the aged Konstantin Chernenko took power; after his death the following year it became clear to the party hierarchy that younger leadership was needed.10 Gorbachev was elected General Secretary by the Politburo on 11 March 1985 only three hours after Chernenko's death. Upon his accession at age 54 he was the youngest member of the Politburo.8 General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev was the Party's first leader to have been born after the Revolution. As de facto ruler of the USSR he tried to reform the stagnating Party and the state economy by introducing glasnost ("openness") perestroika ("restructuring") demokratizatsiya ("democratization") and uskoreniye ("acceleration" of economic development) which were launched at the 27th Congress of the CPSU in February 1986. Domestic reforms Gorbachev's primary goal as General Secretary was to revive the Soviet economy after the stagnant Brezhnev years.8 In 1985 he announced that the Soviet economy was stalled and that reorganization was needed. Gorbachev proposed a "vague programme of reform" which was adopted at the April Plenum of the Central Committee.7 He called for fast-paced technological modernization and increased industrial and agricultural productivity and he attempted to reform the Soviet bureaucracy to be more efficient and prosperous.8 Gorbachev soon realized that fixing the Soviet economy would be nearly impossible without reforming the political and social structure of the Communist nation.11 Gorbachev also initiated the concept of gospriyomka (state acceptance of production) during his time as leader12 which represented state approval of goods in an effort to maintain quality control and combat inferior manufacturing.13 He made a speech in May 1985 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) advocating widespread reforms. The reforms began in personnel changes; the most notable change was the replacement of Andrei Gromyko as Minister of Foreign Affairs with Eduard Shevardnadze. Gromyko disparaged as "Mr Nyet" in the West had served for 28 years as Minister of Foreign Affairs and was considered an 'old thinker'. Robert D. English notes that despite Shevardnadze's diplomatic inexperience Gorbachev "shared with him an outlook" and experience in managing an agricultural region of the Soviet Union (Georgia) which meant that both had weak links to the powerful military-industrial complex.14 A number of reformist ideas were discussed by Politburo members. One of the first reforms Gorbachev introduced was the anti-alcohol campaign begun in May 1985 which was designed to fight widespread alcoholism in the Soviet Union. Prices of vodka wine and beer were raised and their sales were restricted. It was pursued vigorously and cut both alcohol sales and government revenue.15 It was a serious blow to the state budgeta loss of approximately 100 billion rubles according to Alexander Yakovlevafter alcohol production migrated to the black market economy. The program proved to be a useful symbol for change in the country however.15 The purpose of reform however was to prop up the centrally-planned economy not transition to market socialism. Speaking in late summer 1985 to the secretaries for economic affairs of the central committees of the East European communist parties Gorbachev said: "Many of you see the solution to your problems in resorting to market mechanisms in place of direct planning. Some of you look at the market as a lifesaver for your economies. But comrades you should not think about lifesavers but about the ship and the ship is socialism."16 Perestroika Main article: Perestroika Gorbachev at the Brandenburg Gate in 1986 during a visit to East Germany Gorbachev initiated his new policy of perestroika and its attendant radical reforms in 1986; they were sketched but not fully spelled out at the XXVIIth Party Congress in FebruaryMarch 1986. The new policy of "reconstruction" was introduced in an attempt to overcome the economic stagnation by creating a dependable and effective mechanism for accelerating economic and social progress.17 According to Gorbachev perestroika was the "conference of development of democracy socialist self-government encouragement of initiative and creative endeavor improved order and discipleverification needed more glasnost criticism and self-criticism in all spheres of our society. It is utmost respect for the individual and consideration for personal dignity."17 Domestic changes continued apace. In a bombshell speech during Armenian SSR's Central Committee Plenum of the Communist Party the young First Secretary of Armenia's Hrazdan Regional Communist Party Hayk Kotanjian criticised rampant corruption in the Armenian Communist Party's highest echelons implicating Armenian SSR Communist Party First Secretary Karen Demirchyan and calling for his resignation. Symbolically intellectual Andrei Sakharov was invited to return to Moscow by Gorbachev in December 1986 after six years of internal exile in Gorky. During the same month however signs of the nationalities problem that would haunt the later years of the Soviet Union surfaced as riots named Jeltoqsan occurred in Kazakhstan after Dinmukhamed Kunayev was replaced as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. The Central Committee Plenum in January 1987 would see the crystallisation of Gorbachev's political reforms including proposals for multi-candidate elections and the appointment of non-Party members to government positions. He also first raised the idea of expanding co-operatives at the plenum. Economic reforms took up much of the rest of 1987 as a new law giving enterprises more independence was passed in June and Gorbachev released a book Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World in November elucidating his main ideas for reform. In 1987 he rehabilitated many opponents of Joseph Stalin another part of the De-Stalinization which began in 1956 when Lenin's Testament was published. Glasnost Main article: Glasnost Gorbachev with Erich Honecker GDR. 1988 would see Gorbachev's introduction of glasnost which gave new freedoms to the Soviet people including greater freedom of speech. This was a radical change as control of speech and suppression of government criticism had previously been a central part of the Soviet system.citation needed The press became far less controlled and thousands of political prisoners and many dissidents were released. Gorbachev's goal in undertaking glasnost was to pressure conservatives within the CPSU who opposed his policies of economic restructuring and he also hoped that through different ranges of openness debate and participation the Soviet people would support his reform initiatives. At the same time he opened himself and his reforms up for more public criticism evident in Nina Andreyeva's critical letter in a March edition of Sovetskaya Rossiya.7 Gorbachev acknowledged that his liberalising policies of glasnost and perestroika owed a great deal to Alexander Dubek's "Socialism with a human face". The Law on Cooperatives enacted in May 1988 was perhaps the most radical of the economic reforms during the early part of the Gorbachev era. For the first time since Vladimir Lenin's New Economic Policy the law permitted private ownership of businesses in the service manufacturing and foreign-trade sectors. The law initially imposed high taxes and employment restrictions although these were ignored by some SSRs. Later the restrictions were revised to avoid discouraging private-sector activity. Under the provision for private ownership cooperative restaurants shops and manufacturers became part of the Soviet scene. Under the new law the restructuring of large 'All-Union' industrial organisations also began. Aeroflot was split up eventually becoming several independent airlines. These newly autonomous business organisations were encouraged to seek foreign investment. In June 1988 at the CPSU's Party Conference Gorbachev launched radical reforms meant to reduce party control of the government apparatus. He proposed a new executive in the form of a presidential system as well as a new legislative element to be called the Congress of People's Deputies.7 Elections to the Congress of People's Deputies were held throughout the Soviet Union in March and April 1989. This was the first free election in the Soviet Union since 1917. Gorbachev became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (or head of state) on 25 May 1989. Presidency of the USSR On 15 March 1990 Gorbachev was elected as the first executive President of the Soviet Union7 with 59% of the Deputies' votes being an unopposed candidate. The Congress met for the first time on 25 May in order to elect representatives from Congress to sit on the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Nonetheless the Congress posed problems for Gorbachev; its sessions were televised airing more criticism and encouraging people to expect ever more rapid reform. In the elections many Party candidates were defeated. Furthermore Boris Yeltsin was elected in Moscow and returned to political prominence to become an increasingly vocal critic of Gorbachev.7 Foreign engagements Gorbachev meets Romanian leader Nicolae Ceauescu 1985 In contrast to his controversial domestic reforms Gorbachev was largely hailed in the West for his 'New Thinking' in foreign affairs. During his tenure he sought to improve relations and trade with the West by reducing Cold War tensions. He established close relationships with several Western leaders such as West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl U.S. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcherwho famously remarked: "I like Mr. Gorbachev; we can do business together."18 Gorbachev understood the link between achieving international dtente and domestic reform and thus began extending 'New Thinking' abroad immediately. On 8 April 1985 he announced the suspension of the deployment of SS-20s in Europe as a move towards resolving intermediate-range nuclear weapons (INF) issues. Later that year in September Gorbachev proposed that the Soviets and Americans both cut their nuclear arsenals in half. He went to France on his first trip abroad as Soviet leader in October. November saw the Geneva Summit between Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. Though no concrete agreement was made Gorbachev and Reagan struck a personal relationship and decided to hold further meetings.7 January 1986 would see Gorbachev make his boldest international move so far when he announced his proposal for the elimination of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe and his strategy for eliminating all nuclear weapons by the year 2000 (often referred to as the 'January Proposal'). He also began the process of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and Mongolia on 28 July.7 Nonetheless many observers such as Jack F. Matlock Jr. (despite generally praising Gorbachev as well as Reagan) have criticized Gorbachev for taking too long to achieve withdrawal from the Afghanistan War citing it as an example of lingering elements of 'old thinking' in Gorbachev.19 On 11 October 1986 Gorbachev and Reagan met in Reykjavk Iceland at Hfi to discuss reducing intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe. To the immense surprise of both men's advisers the two agreed in principle to removing INF systems from Europe and to equal global limits of 100 INF missile warheads. They also essentially agreed in principle to eliminate all nuclear weapons in 10 years (by 1996) instead of by the year 2000 as in Gorbachev's original outline.19 Continuing trust issues particularly over reciprocity and Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) meant that the summit is often regarded as a failure for not producing a concrete agreement immediately or for leading to a staged elimination of nuclear weapons. In the long term nevertheless this would culminate in the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1987 after Gorbachev had proposed this elimination on 22 July 1987 (and it was subsequently agreed on in Geneva on 24 November).7 In February 1988 Gorbachev announced the full withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan. The withdrawal was completed the following year although the civil war continued as the Mujahedin pushed to overthrow the pro-Soviet Najibullah government. An estimated 28000 Soviets were killed between 1979 and 1989 as a result of the Afghanistan War. Gorbachev in one-on-one discussions with Reagan Also during 1988 Gorbachev announced that the Soviet Union would abandon the Brezhnev Doctrine and allow the Eastern bloc nations to freely determine their own internal affairs. Jokingly dubbed the "Sinatra Doctrine" by Gorbachev's Foreign Ministry spokesman Gennadi Gerasimov this policy of non-intervention in the affairs of the other Warsaw Pact states proved to be the most momentous of Gorbachev's foreign policy reforms. In his 6 July 1989 speech arguing for a "common European home" before the Council of Europe in Strasbourg France Gorbachev declared: "The social and political order in some countries changed in the past and it can change in the future too but this is entirely a matter for each people to decide. Any interference in the internal affairs or any attempt to limit the sovereignty of another state friend ally or another would be inadmissible." A month earlier on 4 June 1989 elections had taken place in Poland and the communist government had already been deposed. Moscow's abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine allowed the rise of popular upheavals in Eastern Europe throughout 1989 in which Communism was overthrown. By the end of 1989 revolts had spread from one Eastern European capital to another ousting the regimes built in Eastern Europe after World War II. With the exception of Romania the popular upheavals against the pro-Soviet Communist regimes were all peaceful ones (see Revolutions of 1989). The loosening of Soviet hegemony over Eastern Europe effectively ended the Cold War and for this Gorbachev was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold in 1989 and the Nobel Peace Prize on 15 October 1990. The rest of 1989 was taken up by the increasingly problematic nationalities question and the dramatic fragmentation of the Eastern Bloc. Despite international dtente reaching unprecedented levels with the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan completed in January and U.S.-Soviet talks continuing between Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush domestic reforms were suffering from increasing divergence between reformists who criticised the pace of change and conservatives who criticized the extent of change. Gorbachev states that he tried to find the middle ground between both groups but this would draw more criticism towards him.7 The story from this point on moves away from reforms and becomes one of the nationalities question and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union. On 9 November people in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany/GDR) were suddenly allowed to cross through the Berlin Wall into West Berlin following a peaceful protest against the country's dictatorial administration including a demonstration by some one million people in East Berlin on 4 November. Unlike earlier riots which were ended by military force with the help of USSR Gorbachev who came to be lovingly called "Gorby" in West Germany now decided not to interfere with the process in Germany.20 He stated that German reunification was an internal German matter. Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush 1990 Coit D. Blacker wrote in 1990 that the Soviet leadership "appeared to have believed that whatever loss of authority the Soviet Union might suffer in Eastern Europe would be more than offset by a net increase in its influence in Western Europe."21 Nevertheless it is unlikely that Gorbachev ever intended for the complete dismantling of Communism in the Warsaw Pact countries. Rather he assumed that the Communist parties of Eastern Europe could be reformed in a similar way to the reforms he hoped to achieve in the CPSU. Just as perestroika was aimed at making the USSR more efficient economically and politically Gorbachev believed that the Comecon and Warsaw Pact could be reformed into more effective entities. Alexander Yakovlev a close advisor to Gorbachev would later state that it would have been "absurd to keep the system" in Eastern Europe. In contrast to Gorbachev Yakovlev had come to the conclusion that the Soviet-dominated Comecon was inherently unworkable and that the Warsaw Pact had "no relevance to real life."22 Dissolution of the Soviet Union Main article: Dissolution of the Soviet Union While Gorbachev's political initiatives were positive for freedom and democracy in the Soviet Union and its Eastern bloc allies the economic policy of his government gradually brought the country close to disaster. By the end of the 1980s severe shortages of basic food supplies (meat sugar) led to the reintroduction of the war-time system of distribution using food cards that limited each citizen to a certain amount of product per month. Compared to 1985 the state deficit grew from 0 to 109 billion rubles; gold funds decreased from 2000 to 200 tons; and external debt grew from 0 to 120 billion dollars. Furthermore the democratisation of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe had irreparably undermined the power of the CPSU and Gorbachev himself. The relaxation of censorship and attempts to create more political openness had the unintended effect of re-awakening long-suppressed nationalist and anti-Russian feelings in the Soviet republics. Calls for greater independence from Moscow's rule grew louder especially in the Baltic republics of Lithuania Latvia and Estonia which had been annexed into the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin in 1940. Nationalist feeling also took hold in Georgia Ukraine Armenia and Azerbaijan. In December 1986 the first signs of the nationalities problem that would haunt the later years of the Soviet Union's existence surfaced as riots named Jeltoqsan occurred in Alma Ata and other areas of Kazakhstan after Dinmukhamed Kunayev was replaced as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. Nationalism would then surface in Russia in May 1987 as 600 members of Pamyat a nascent Russian nationalist group demonstrated in Moscow and were becoming increasingly linked to Boris Yeltsin who received their representatives at a meeting.7 Glasnost hastened awareness of the national sovereignty problem. The free flow of information had been so completely suppressed for so long in the Soviet Union that many of the ruling class had all but forgotten that the Soviet Union was an empire conquered through military force and consolidated by the persecution of millions of people and not a union voluntarily entered into by local populations. Thus the extremity of local desire for independent control of their own affairs took these leaders by surprise and the leaders were unprepared for the depth of the long pent-up feelings that were released. Violence erupted in Nagorno-Karabakhan Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijanbetween February and April when Armenians living in the area began a new wave of demands to transfer of NKAO from Azerbaijan to Armenia which eventually led to full scale Nagorno-Karabakh War.23 Gorbachev imposed a temporary solution but it did not last as fresh trouble arose in Nagorno-Karabakh between June and July. Turmoil would once again return in late 1988 this time in Armenia itself when the Leninakan Earthquake hit the region on 7 December. Poor local infrastructure magnified the hazard and some 25000 people died.7 Gorbachev was forced to break off his trip to the U.S. and cancel planned travels to Cuba and Britain.7 In March and April 1989 elections to the Congress of People's Deputies took place throughout the Soviet Union. This returned many pro-independence republicans as many CPSU candidates were rejected. The televised Congress debates allowed the dissemination of pro-independence propositions. Indeed 1989 would see numerous nationalistic protests. Initiated by the Baltic republics in January laws were passed in most non-Russian republics giving precedence for the republican language over Russian. 9 April would see the crackdown of nationalist demonstrations by Soviet troops in Tbilisi. There would be further bloody protests in Uzbekistan in June where Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks clashed in Fergana. Apart from this violence three major events that altered the face of the nationalities issue occurred in 1989. Estonia had declared its sovereignty on November 16 1988 to be followed by Lithuania in May 1989 and by Latvia in July (the Communist Party of Lithuania would also declare its independence from the CPSU in December). This brought the Union and the republics into clear confrontation and would form a precedent for other republics. Following this in July on the eve of the anniversary of the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact it was formally revealed that the treaty did indeed include a plan for the annexation of the Baltic countries into the USSR (as happened in 1940) and the division of Poland between the two countries. The unsavory past was exposed and gave impetus to the peoples of the Baltic countries who could now even more legitimately claim that they were subject to oppression. Finally the Eastern bloc fragmented in the autumn of 1989 raising hopes that Gorbachev would extend his non-interventionist doctrine to the internal workings of the USSR.7 Crisis of the Union: 19901991 Gorbachev in 1990 1990 began with nationalist turmoil in January. Azerbaijanis rioted and troops were sent in to restore order; many Moldavians demonstrated in favour of unification with the post-Communist Romania; and Lithuanian demonstrations continued. The same month in a hugely significant move Armenia asserted its right to veto laws coming from the All-Union level thus intensifying the 'war of laws' between republics and Moscow.7 Soon after the CPSU which had already lost much of its control began to lose even more power as Gorbachev deepened political reform. The February Central Committee Plenum advocated multi-party elections; local elections held between February and March returned a large number of pro-independence candidates. The Congress of People's Deputies then amended the Soviet Constitution in March removing Article 6 which guaranteed the monopoly of the CPSU. The process of political reform was therefore coming from above and below and was gaining a momentum that would augment republican nationalism. Soon after the constitutional amendment Lithuania declared independence and elected Vytautas Landsbergis as Chairman of the Supreme Council (head of state).7 On 15 March Gorbachev himself was elected as the only President of the Soviet Union by the Congress of People's Deputies and chose a Presidential Council of 15 politicians. Gorbachev was essentially creating his own political support base independent of CPSU conservatives and radical reformers. The new Executive was designed to be a powerful position to guide the spiraling reform process and the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and Congress of People's Deputies had already given Gorbachev increasingly presidential powers in February. This would be again a source of criticism from reformers. Despite the apparent increase in Gorbachev's power he was unable to stop the process of nationalistic assertion. Further embarrassing facts about Soviet history were revealed in April when the government admitted that the NKVD had carried out the infamous Katyn Massacre of Polish army officers during World War II; previously the USSR had blamed Nazi Germany. More significantly for Gorbachev's position Boris Yeltsin was reaching a new level of prominence as he was elected Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR in May effectively making him the de jure leader of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Problems for Gorbachev would once more come from the Russian parliament in June when it declared the precedence of Russian laws over All-Union level legislation.7 Gorbachev's personal position continued changing. At 28th CPSU Congress in July Gorbachev was re-elected General Secretary but this position was now completely independent of Soviet government and the Politburo had no say in the ruling of the country. Gorbachev further reduced Party power in the same month when he issued a decree abolishing Party control of all areas of the media and broadcasting. At the same time Gorbachev was working to consolidate his Presidential position culminating in the Supreme Soviet granting him special powers to rule by decree in September in order to pass a much-needed plan for transition to a market economy. However the Supreme Soviet could not agree on which program to adopt. Gorbachev pressed on with political reform his proposal for setting up a new Soviet government with a Soviet of the Federation consisting of representatives from all 15 republics was passed through the Supreme Soviet in November. In December Gorbachev was once more granted increased executive power by the Supreme Soviet arguing that such moves were necessary to counter "the dark forces of nationalism". Such moves led to Eduard Shevardnadze's resignation; Gorbachev's former ally warned of an impending dictatorship. This move was a serious blow to Gorbachev personally and to his efforts for reform.7 Meanwhile Gorbachev was losing further ground to nationalists. October 1990 saw the founding of DemoRossiya the Russian pro-reform coalition; a few days later both Ukraine and Russia declared their laws completely sovereign over Soviet level laws. The 'war of laws' had become an open battle with the Supreme Soviet refusing to recognise the actions of the two republics. Gorbachev would publish the draft of a new union treaty in November which envisioned a continued union called the Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics but going into 1991 the actions of Gorbachev were steadily being overtaken by the centrifugal secessionist forces.7 January and February would see a new level of turmoil in the Baltic republics. On 10 January 1991 Gorbachev issued an ultimatum-like request24 addressing the Lithuanian Supreme Council demanding the restoration of the validity of the constitution of the Soviet Union in Lithuania and the revoking of all anti-constitutional laws. In his Memoirs Gorbachev asserts that on 12 January he convened the Council of the Federation and political measures to prevent bloodshed were agreed including sending representatives of the Council of the Federation on a "fact-finding mission" to Vilnius. However before the delegation arrived the local branches of the KGB and armed forces had worked together to seize the TV tower in Vilnius; Gorbachev asked the heads of the KGB and military if they had approved such action and there is no evidence that they or Gorbachev ever approved this move. Gorbachev cites documents found in the RSFSR Prokuratura after the August coup which only mentioned that "some 'authorities'" had sanctioned the actions.7 A book called Alpha  the KGB's Top Secret Unit also suggests that a "KGB operation co-ordinated with the military" was undertaken by the KGB Alpha Group.25 Archie Brown in The Gorbachev Factor uses the memoirs of many people around Gorbachev and in the upper echelons of the Soviet political landscape to implicate General Valentin Varennikov a member of the August coup plotters and General Viktor Achalov another August coup conspirator. These persons were characterised as individuals "who were prepared to remove Gorbachev from his presidential office unconstitutionally" and "were more than capable of using unauthorised violence against nationalist separatists some months earlier". Brown criticises Gorbachev for "a conscious tilt in the direction of the conservative forces he was trying to keep within an increasingly fragile coalition" who would later betray him; he also criticises Gorbachev "for his tougher line and heightened rhetoric against the Lithuanians in the days preceding the attack and for his slowness in condemning the killings" but notes that Gorbachev did not approve any action and was seeking political solutions.26 As a result of continued violence at least 14 civilians were killed and more than 600 injured from 1113 January 1991 in Vilnius Lithuania. The strong Western reaction and the actions of Russian democratic forces put the president and government of the Soviet Union into an awkward situation as news of support for Lithuanians from Western democracies started to appear. Further problems surfaced in Riga Latvia on 20 and 21 January where OMON (special Ministry of the Interior) troops killed 4 people. Archie Brown suggests that Gorbachev's response this time was better condemning the rogue action sending his condolences and suggesting that secession could take place if it went through the procedures outlined in the Soviet constitution. According to Gorbachev's aide Shakhnazarov (quoted by Archie Brown) Gorbachev was finally beginning to accept the inevitability of "losing" the Baltic republics although he would try all political means to preserve the Union. Brown believes that this put him in "imminent danger" of being overthrown by hard-liners against the secession.26 Gorbachev thus continued to draw up a new treaty of union which would have created a truly voluntary federation in an increasingly democratised Soviet Union. The new treaty was strongly supported by the Central Asian republics who needed the economic power and markets of the Soviet Union to prosper. However the more radical reformists such as Russian SFSR President Boris Yeltsin were increasingly convinced that a rapid transition to a market economy was required and were more than happy to contemplate the disintegration of the Soviet Union if that was required to achieve their aims. Nevertheless a referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held in March (with a referendum in Russia on the creation of a presidency) which returned an average of 76.4% in the nine republics where it was taken with a turn-out of 80% of the adult population.26 Estonia Latvia Lithuania Armenia Georgia and Moldova did not participate. Following this an April meeting at Novo-Ogarevo between Gorbachev and the heads of the nine republics issued a statement on speeding up the creation of a new Union treaty. In May a hardline newspaper published Architect amidst the Ruins an open letter criticizing Yakovlev (often referred to as the Architect of Perestroika) which was signed by Gennady Zyuganov. Many also saw this publication as the start of a campaign to oust Gorbachev. Meanwhile on 12 June 1991 Boris Yeltsin was elected President of the Russian Federation by 57.3% of the vote (with a turnout of 74%).7 The August 1991 coup Main article: Soviet coup attempt of 1991 In contrast to the reformers' moderate approach to the new treaty the hard-line apparatchiks still strong within the CPSU and military establishment were completely opposed to anything which might lead to the break-up of the Soviet Union. On the eve of the treaty's signing the hardliners struck. Hardliners in the Soviet leadership calling themselves the 'State Emergency Committee' launched the August coup in 1991 in an attempt to remove Gorbachev from power and prevent the signing of the new union treaty. During this time Gorbachev spent three days (19 20 and 21 August) under house arrest at a dacha in the Crimea before being freed and restored to power. However upon his return Gorbachev found that neither union nor Russian power structures heeded his commands as support had swung over to Yeltsin whose defiance had led to the coup's collapse. Furthermore Gorbachev was forced to fire large numbers of his Politburo and in several cases arrest them. Those arrested for high treason included the "Gang of Eight" that had led the coup including Kryuchkov Yazov Pavlov and Yanayev. Pugo was found shot; and Akhromeyev who had offered his assistance but was never implicated was found hanging in his Kremlin office. Most of these men had been former allies of Gorbachev's or promoted by him which drew fresh criticism. Aftermath of the coup and the final collapse Between 20 August and 22 September Estonia Latvia Lithuania Ukraine Belarus Moldova Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Tajikistan and Turkmenistan declared their intention to leave the Soviet Union. Simultaneously Boris Yeltsin ordered the CPSU to suspend its activities on the territory of Russia and closed the Central Committee building at Staraya Ploschad. The Russian flag now flew beside the Soviet flag at the Kremlin. In light of these circumstances Gorbachev resigned as General Secretary of the CPSU on 24 August and advised the Central Committee to dissolve. Gorbachev's hopes of a new Union were further hit when the Congress of People's Deputies dissolved itself on 5 September. Though Gorbachev and the representatives of eight republics (excluding Azerbaijan Georgia Moldova Ukraine Lithuania Latvia and Estonia) signed an agreement on forming a new economic community on 18 October events were overtaking Gorbachev.7 With the country in a rapid state of deterioration the final blow to Gorbachev's vision was effectively dealt by a Ukrainian referendum on 1 December where the Ukrainian people voted for independence. The presidents of Russia Ukraine and Belarus met in Belovezh Forest near Brest Belarus on 8 December founding the Commonwealth of Independent States and declaring the end of the Soviet Union in the Belavezha Accords. Gorbachev was presented with a fait accompli and reluctantly agreed with Boris Yeltsin on 17 December to dissolve the Soviet Union. Gorbachev resigned on 25 December and the Soviet Union was formally dissolved the following day on 26 December 1991. Two days after Gorbachev left office on 27 December Yeltsin moved into Gorbachev's old office.7 Gorbachev had aimed to maintain the CPSU as a united party but move it in the direction of social democracy. But when the CPSU was proscribed after the August coup Gorbachev was left with no effective power base beyond the armed forces. Post-Presidency Gorbachev (left) with former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the funeral of Ronald Reagan 11 June 2004 Following his resignation and the dissolution of the Soviet Union Gorbachev remained active in Russian politics. During the early years of the post-Soviet era he expressed criticism at the reforms carried out by Russian president Boris Yeltsin. When Yeltsin called a referendum for 25 April 1993 in an attempt to achieve even greater powers as president Gorbachev did not vote and instead called for new presidential elections.27 Following a failed run for the presidency in 1996 Gorbachev established the Social Democratic Party of Russia a union between several Russian social democratic parties. He resigned as party leader in May 2004 following a disagreement with the party's chairman over the direction taken in the 2003 election campaign. The party was later banned in 2007 by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation due to its failure to establish local offices with at least 500 members in the majority of Russian regions which is required by Russian law for a political organization to be listed as a party.28 Later that year Gorbachev founded a new political party called the Union of Social-Democrats.3 In June 2004 Gorbachev represented Russia at the funeral of Ronald Reagan. Gorbachev has also appeared in numerous media channels since his resignation from office. In 1993 Gorbachev appeared as himself in the Wim Wenders film Faraway So Close! the sequel to Wings of Desire. In 1997 Gorbachev appeared with his granddaughter Anastasia in an internationally screened television commercial for Pizza Hut.29 The U.S. corporation's payment for the 60-second ad went to Gorbachev's not-for-profit Gorbachev Foundation.30 In 2007 French luxury brand Louis Vuitton announced that Gorbachev would be shown in an ad campaign for their signature luggage. Following Boris Yeltsin's death on 23 April 2007 Gorbachev released a eulogy for him stating that Yeltsin was to be commended for assuming the "difficult task of leading the nation into the post-Soviet era" and "on whose shoulders are both great deeds for the country and serious errors."31 On 16 June 2009 Gorbachev announced that he had recorded an album of old Russian romantic ballads entitled Songs for Raisa to raise money for a charity dedicated to his late wife. On the album he sings the songs himself accompanied by Russian musician Andrei Makarevich.32 Since his resignation Gorbachev has remained involved in world affairs. He founded the Gorbachev Foundation in 1992 headquartered in San Francisco. He later founded Green Cross International with which he was one of three major sponsors of the Earth Charter. He also became a member of the Club of Rome and the Club of Madrid. In the decade that followed the Cold War Gorbachev opposed both the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and the U.S.-led Iraq War in 2003. On 27 July 2007 Gorbachev criticized U.S. foreign policy: What has followed are unilateral actions what has followed are wars what has followed is ignoring the UN Security Council ignoring international law and ignoring the will of the people even the American people he said.33 That same year he visited New Orleans a city hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina and promised he would return in 2011 to personally lead a local revolution if the U.S. government had not repaired the levees by that time. He said that revolutionary action should be a last resort.34 Gorbachev (right) being introduced to Barack Obama by Joe Biden 20 March 2009 Concerning the 2008 South Ossetia war in a 12 August 2008 op-ed essay in The Washington Post35 Gorbachev criticized the U.S. support for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and for moving to bring the Caucasus into the sphere of its national interest. He later said the following: Russia did not want this crisis. The Russian leadership is in a strong enough position domestically; it did not need a little victorious war. Russia was dragged into the fray by the recklessness of the Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili.... The decision by the Russian president Dmitri Medvedev to now cease hostilities was the right move by a responsible leader. The Russian president acted calmly confidently and firmly... The planners of this campaign clearly wanted to make sure that whatever the outcome Russia would be blamed for worsening the situation. The West then mounted a propaganda attack against Russia with the American news media leading the way."36 In September 2008 Gorbachev announced he would make a comeback to Russian politics along with a former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev.37 Their party is known as the Independent Democratic Party of Russia. He also is part owner of the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.38 On 20 March 2009 Gorbachev met with United States President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in efforts to "reset" strained relations between Russia and the United States.39 On 27 March 2009 Gorbachev visited Eureka College Illinois which is the alma mater of former president Ronald Reagan. He toured the campus and later traveled to Peoria Illinois as the keynote speaker at the Reagan Day Dinner.40 To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall Gorbachev accompanied former Polish leader Lech Wasa and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a celebration in Berlin on 9 November 2009.41 In recent years Gorbachev has become critical of Putin and Medvedev's regime. His main grievances about the "tandem" are backsliding on democracy corruption and the dominance of security officers. Gorbachev is also dissatisfied by the fact that he has not been allowed to register his social democratic party.42 Gorbachev in May 2010. On 27 October 2010 it was announced that a gala evening is being prepared to celebrate Gorbachevs 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Senior statesmen including Sir John Major and Gerhard Schroeder will be in attendance for the charity event in March 2011. The event's objective is to raise 5 million for cancer charities and the fundraising is supported by stars including Bono Jose Carreras Hugh Grant Elizabeth Hurley and Alan Rickman.43 Call for global restructuring Gorbachev calls for a kind of perestroika or restructuring of societies around the world starting in particular with that of the United States because he is of the view that the economic crisis of 2007present shows that the Washington Consensus economic model is a failure that will sooner or later have to be replaced. According to Gorbachev countries that have rejected the Washington consensus and the International Monetary Fund approach to economic development such as Brazil and China have done far better economically on the whole and achieved far more fair results for the average citizen than countries that have accepted it.44 Honours and accolades Former President of the United States Ronald Reagan awards Gorbachev the first ever Ronald Reagan Freedom Award at the Reagan Library 1992 In 1990 Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "his leading role in the peace process which today characterizes important parts of the international community."45 On 4 May 1992 Gorbachev was awarded the first ever Ronald Reagan Freedom Award at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley California.46 In 1993 Gorbachev was awarded a Legum Doctor honoris causa from Carleton University in Ottawa Canada. He was also given an honorary degree from The University of Calgary in Calgary Alberta Canada. Gorbachev was the 1994 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for improving world order awarded by the University of Louisville Kentucky. In 1995 Gorbachev received an Honorary Doctorate from Durham University County Durham England for his contribution to "the cause of political tolerance and an end to Cold War-style confrontation".47 For his historic role in the evolution of glasnost and for his leadership in the disarmament negotiations with the United States during the Reagan administration Gorbachev was awarded the Courage of Conscience award 20 October 1996.48 In 2002 Gorbachev received an honorary degree of a Doctor in Laws (LL.D.) "in recognition of his political service and contribution to peace" from Trinity College Dublin Ireland.49 Gorbachev together with Bill Clinton and Sophia Loren were awarded the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for their recording of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. In 2005 Gorbachev was awarded the Point Alpha Prize for his role in supporting German reunification. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Mnster.50 Religious affiliation Gorbachev was baptised in the Russian Orthodox Church as a child and later campaigned for establishment of freedom of religion laws in the former Soviet Union. This was largely achieved with the 1990 Freedom of Conscience Act which guaranteed religious liberty.citation needed Remarks by Gorbachev to Ronald Reagan in discussions during their summits made the U.S. President deeply intrigued by the possibility that the leader of the Soviet Union might be a "closet Christian." Reagan seems to have seen this as the most interesting aspect of his meeting with the Soviet leader in Geneva.51 At the end of a November 1996 interview on CSPAN's Booknotes Gorbachev described his plans for future books. He made the following reference to God: "I don't know how many years God will be giving me or what His plans are." In 2005 he said that Pope John Paul II's "devotion to his followers is a remarkable example to all of us" following the pontiff's death. "What can I sayit must have been the will of God. He acted really courageously."52 In a 1989 meeting he had told him "We appreciate your mission on this high pulpit we are convinced that it will leave a great mark on history."53 Gorbachev was the recipient of the Athenagoras Humanitarian Award of the Order of St. Andrew Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on 20 November 2005.54 On 19 March 2008 during a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of Saint Francis in Assisi Italy Gorbachev made an announcement which has been interpreted to the effect that he was a Christian. Gorbachev stated that "St Francis is for me the alter Christus another Christ. His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life." He added "It was through St Francis that I arrived at the Church so it was important that I came to visit his tomb."55 However a few days later he reportedly told the Russian news agency Interfax "Over the last few days some media have been disseminating fantasiesI can't use any other wordabout my secret Catholicism ... To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings let me say that I have been and remain an atheist."56 In response a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox patriarch Alexei II told the Russian media: "In Italy he (Gorbachev) spoke in emotional terms rather than in terms of faith. He is still on his way to Christianity. If he arrives we will welcome him."56 Naevus flammeus Mikhail Gorbachev 12 May 2010 Though some suggested that he might have his prominent port wine birthmark surgically removed Gorbachev opted not to as once he was publicly known to have the mark he believed it would be perceived as his being more concerned with his appearance than other more important issues.57 See also Index of Soviet Union-related articles Black January  Soviet crackdown on Azeri protests in 1990 Earth Charter Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev key Gorbachev advisor and ally Sergei M. Plekhanov other former Gorbachev advisor on the United States and Canada. References Gray Sadie (30 September 2008). "Gorbachev launches political party with Russian billionaire". The Guardian (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/30/russia. Retrieved 1 October 2008.  "Mikhail Gorbachev will found new political party". mosnews.com. 13 May 2009. http://mosnews.com/politics/2009/05/13/gorbiedem/. Retrieved 13 June 2009.  a b "Gorbachev sets up Russia movement". BBC News. 20 October 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7054274.stm. Retrieved 20 October 2007.  "Biography of Mikhail Gorbachev" (in Russian). The Gorbachev Foundation. http://www.gorby.ru/gorbachev/biography/. Retrieved 7 February 2011.  "Raisa Gorbachyova's Biography on the Gorbachyov Foundation website". http://www.gorby.ru/en/rubrs.asprubrid312.  a b c d e Current Biography 1985. New York: The H. W. Wilson Co.. 1985.  a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Gorbachev M. S. Memoirs 1996 (London: Bantam Books) a b c d e "Mikhail Gorbachev". Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/nobelprize/article-9037405. Retrieved 2 April 2009.  Roxburgh Angus (1991). The Second Russian Revolution: The Struggle for Power in the Kremlin. London: BBC Books.  "Mikhail Gorbachev Biography: Glasnost Perestroika and Leadership". American Academy of Achievement. 1 February 2005. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/gor0bio-1. Retrieved 2 April 2009.  " (Mikhail Sergeyevih Gorbahv)". Archontology.org. 27 March 2009. http://www.archontology.org/nations/ussr/ussrstate/gorbachev.php. Retrieved 3 April 2009.  Chiesa Giulietto (1991). Time of change: an insider's view of Russia's transformation. I.B.Tauris. p. 30. http://books.google.com.au/booksidtSSbOxweazoC&pgPA30&lpgPA30&dqGospriyomka+gorbachev&sourcebl&otsnVEFJGcYkZ&sigYJfX2OWKd2OiMKPNV9jGFcaKjG0&hlen&eipga6SoXLJJuQ6APF5bCdAg&saX&oibookresult&ctresult&resnum2#vonepage&qGospriyomka%20gorbachev&ffalse.  Hosking Geoffrey Alan (1991). The awakening of the Soviet Union. Harvard University Press. p. 139. http://books.google.com.au/booksidbFQ6VO1sFGsC&pgPA139&lpgPA139&dqGospriyomka+gorbachev&sourcebl&otsWW4wBdy4fV&sigxaYwfzlVh7PI-MJ4nZnP9J6Sro8&hlen&eipga6SoXLJJuQ6APF5bCdAg&saX&oibookresult&ctresult&resnum1#vonepage&qGospriyomka%20gorbachev&ffalse.  English R. D Russia and the Idea of the West: Gorbachev Intellectuals and the End of the Cold War 2000 (Columbia University Press) a b Hough Jerry F. (1997) pp. 124125 Bialer Seweryn and Joan Afferica. "The Genesis of Gorbachev's World." Foreign Affairs 64 no. 3 (1985): 605644. a b Kishlansky Mark (2001) p. 322 "Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader". BBC News. March 1985. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/11/newsid2538000/2538327.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2006.  a b Matlock J. F. Jr. Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended 2004 "Reuters Moscow could have started WW3 over Berlin Wall: Gorbachev by Guy Faulconbridge". Reuters. 3 November 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5A23TB20091103. Retrieved 11 July 2009.  Coit D. Blacker. "The Collapse of Soviet Power in Europe." Foreign Affairs. 1990. Steele Jonathan. Eternal Russia: Yeltsin Gorbachev and the Mirage of Democracy. Boston: Faber 1994. "CIA  The World Factbook  Armenia". https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/am.html. Retrieved 27 January 2007.  DR Radio reported 12/01 in its news broadcast on P3 at 13:00 hrs that the Ultimatum required a reply within 3 days Boltunov M. Alfa  Sverkhsekretnyi Otryad KGB Alpha  The KGB's Top-Secret Unit 1992 (Moscow: Kedr) a b c Brown A. The Gorbachev Factor 1996 (New York: Oxford University Press). ISBN 0-19-288052-7 Maurizio Giuliano Mssen schnell whlen (interview) Profil nr. 19. 10 May 1993 page 61 Mosnews.com (1 April 2006). "Pizza Hut  Gorbachev". Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watchvC9lvzzH0STw. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  Mikhail Gorbachev appears in Pizza Hut advertising campaign PRNewswire 23 December 1997. Retrieved on 3 August 2007. "Ex-Russian Leader Boris Yeltsin Dies". CBS News. 23 April 2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/23/world/main2716114.shtml.  Odynova Alexandra (19 June 2009). "Former Soviet Leader Gorbachev Records Album". The Saint Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimesrussia.com/index.phpactionid2&storyid29283. Retrieved 20 June 2009.  "Gorbachev says U.S. is sowing world disorder". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19994563/. Retrieved 4 August 2007.  "Gorbachev Vows Revolution If New Orleans Levees Don't Improve". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/09/gorbachev-vows-revolutionn67679.html. Retrieved 14 September 2007.  Gorbachev Mikhail (12 August 2008). "A Path to Peace in the Caucasus". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/11/AR2008081101372.html. Retrieved 12 August 2008.  Russia Never Wanted a War Blomfield Adrian (29 September 2008). "Mikhail Gorbachev returns to Russian politics". The Daily Telegraph (UK). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/3104623/Mikhail-Gorbachev-returns-to-Russian-politics.html. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  " ". grani.ru. 7 June 2006. http://www.grani.ru/Society/Media/m.106813.html.  "". http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090323/plafp/usrussiadiplomacyobamagorbachev20090323215234. Retrieved 24 March 2009. dead link Morss Gina "Gorbachev Visits Eureka College" WEEK News 25 http://www.centralillinoisnewscenter.com/news/local/42019457.html retrieved 24 March 2009  Kulish Nicholas & Dempsey Judy (9 November 2009) "Leaders in Berlin Retrace the Walk West" New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/world/europe/10germany.html    "" " " (). . 15.02.2011 "East And West Unite For Mikhail Gorbachevs 80th Birthday". Blogit.realwire.com. 27 October 2010. http://blogit.realwire.com/East-And-West-Unite-For-Mikhail-Gorbachevs-80th-Birthday. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  Washington Post 7 June 2009 "We Had Our Perestroika. It's High Time for Yours" Op-ed piece by Mikhail Gorbachev "The Nobel Peace Prize 1990". Nobelprize.org. 15 October 1990. http://nobelprize.org/nobelprizes/peace/laureates/1990/press.html. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Librarydead link Honorary Doctorate from Durhamdead link "The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Recipients List". Peaceabbey.org. 20 November 2005. http://www.peaceabbey.org/awards/cocrecipientlist.html. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  "Trinity College Honours Mikhail Gorbachev". Tcd.ie. http://www.tcd.ie/Secretary/Communications/PressReleases/PRArchive/PR0102/PRGorbachev.html. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  "Reunification Politicians Accept Prize". Deutsche Welle. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/02144161948400.html. Retrieved 22 May 2006.  Red Herring: Mikhail Gorbachev's Not-Quite Conversion Christianity Today (Web-only) 4 April 2008 Vol. 52. "Gorbachev: Pope was 'example to all of us'". CNN. 4 April 2005. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/03/pope.gorbachev/. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  "Record of Conversation between M.S. Gorbachev and John Paul II" (PDF). http://www.wilsoncenter.org/cwihp/documentreaders/eotcw/891201a.pdf. Retrieved 3 November 2010.  Athenagoras humanitarian award to Nobel peace prize laureate Mikhail Gorbachev Website of Gorbachev Foundation Moore Malcolm (19 March 2008). "Mikhail Gorbachev admits he is a Christian". The Daily Telegraph (UK). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtmlxml/news/2008/03/19/wgorbachev119.xml. Retrieved 24 March 2008.  a b "Gorbachev a closet Christian". Chicago Tribune. 23 March 2008. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-outtheregorbachevrodriguez23mar2414698255.story. Retrieved 24 March 2008.  den 11. time. Danmarks Radio. DR 2. 24 October 2007. External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mikhail Gorbachev Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mikhail Gorbachev Gorby80 Gorbachev 80th Birthday Gala Celebration at the Royal Albert Hall London The Gorbachev Foundation Green Cross International Column and op-ed archives at Project Syndicate Column archives news and commentary at The Guardian Appearances on C-SPAN Mikhail Gorbachev on Charlie Rose Mikhail Gorbachev collected news and commentary at The New York Times Works by or about Mikhail Gorbachev in libraries (WorldCat catalog) Interviews and articles Public Opinion about Gorbachev The Encyclopaedia of Marxism from which parts of this article have been taken. Out in the Cold Guardian interview 8 March 2005 TIME 100 for 2004: Mikhail Gorbachev CNN Cold War  Profile: Mikhail Gorbachev from the 1998 series September 1997 interview Biography talks tributes and quotes Ubben Lecture at DePauw University Commanding Heights: Mikhail Gorbachev (PBS interview) April 2001. USSR  USA: Summit Documents and Materials Washington 30 May  3 June 1990 Gorbachev on 1989  2009 interview by The Nation Speech by Yegor Gaidar (acting prime minister of Russia minister of economy and first deputy prime minister between 1991 and 1994) explaining the underlying reasons for Gorbachev's politics Gorbachev's Legacy Examined 25 Years After His Rise To Power article by Brian Whitmore Chernobyl 25 years later: Many lessons learned free article by Mikhail Gorbachev published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists March 2011 Party political offices Preceded by Konstantin Chernenko General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 19851991 Succeeded by Vladimir Ivashko (Acting) Political offices Preceded by Andrei Gromyko as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (19881989) Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (19891990) President of the Soviet Union (19901991) 19881991 Succeeded by Office abolished Awards and achievements Preceded by New creation Recipient of The Ronald Reagan Freedom Award 1992 Succeeded by Colin Powell v d eHistory of the Soviet Union (19641982) and the Era of Stagnation Political events 19641982: Collectivity of leadership  Glassboro Summit Conference  Prague Spring  Invasion of Czechoslovakia  Brezhnev Doctrine  Brezhnev assassination attempt  SinoSoviet border conflict  Dtente   Helsinki Accords   1977 Soviet Constitution  Soviet war in Afghanistan  1980 Summer Olympics  Soviet reaction to the Polish crisis  Exercise Zapad  Death and funeral of Leonid Brezhnev  Legacy of Leonid Brezhnev 19821985: RYAN  Korean Air Lines Flight 007  Able Archer 83  1984 Summer Olympics boycott and the Friendship Games Politburo members 1960s  1970s  1980s Aliyev  Andropov  Brezhnev  Chebrikov  Chernenko  Demichev  Dolgikh  Gorbachev  Grechko  Grishin  Gromyko  Kirilenko  Kiselyov  Konayev  Kosygin  Kulakov  Kuznetsov  Masherov  Mazurov  Mikoyan  Mzhavanadze  Pele  Podgorny  Polyansky  Ponomarev  Rashidov  Romanov  Shcherbytsky  Shelepin  Shelest  Shevardnadze  Shvernik  Solomentsev  Suslov  Tikhonov   Ustinov  Voronov  Vorotnikov Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev (Troika: Brezhnev  Kosygin  Podgorny)  Yuri Andropov  Konstantin Chernenko  Collective leadership National Economy Era of Stagnation: 1965 reform  1973 reform  1979 reform  Food Programme  1984 reform Five-Year Plans: 8th Plan  9th Plan  10th Plan  11th Plan Government Cabinets: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th Brezhnev's family Churbanov (son-in-law)  Galina (daughter)  Lyubov (niece)  Viktoria (wife)  Yakov (brother)   Yuri (son) Soviet Union v d eLeaders of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Lenin  Stalin  Khrushchev  Brezhnev  Andropov  Chernenko  Gorbachev  Ivashko (acting) v d eHeads of state of the Soviet Union Heads of state Kalinin (19221946)  Shvernik (19461953)  Voroshilov (19531960)  Brezhnev (19601964)  Mikoyan (19641965)  Podgorny (19651977)  Brezhnev (19771982)  Andropov (19821984)  Chernenko (19841985)  Gromyko (19851988)  Gorbachev (19881991) Vice heads of state Kuznetsov (19771986)  Demichev (19861988)  Lukyanov (19881990)  Yanayev (19901991) Acting heads of state Kuznetsov (198285)  Yanayev (usurper 1991) Presidents of Russian SFSR  Presidents of Russia v d eRevolutions of 1989 Communism  Liberalization and Democratization  Criticism of communism Internal conditions Brezhnev stagnation  Cultural Revolution  Eastern Bloc  Eastern Bloc economies  Eastern Bloc politics  Eastern Bloc information dissemination  Eastern Bloc emigration and defection  KGB  Nomenklatura  Samizdat  Shortage economy  Totalitarianism International relations Active measures  Cold War  List of socialist countries  Predictions of Soviet collapse  Reagan Doctrine  Soviet Empire  Terrorism and the Soviet Union   Vatican opposition Reforms of socialism Socialism with Chinese characteristics  Perestroika  Glasnost  Democratisation  Sinatra Doctrine  Uskoreniye Events by country Eastern Bloc countries: Albania  Bulgaria  Czechoslovakia  East Germany  Hungary  Poland  Romania  Soviet Union  Yugoslavia Former Soviet Republics: Armenia  Azerbaijan  Belarus  Estonia  Georgia  Latvia  Lithuania  Kazakhstan  Kirghistan  Moldova  Russia  Tajikstan  Turkmenistan  Ukraine  Uzbekistan Other countries: Afghanistan  Angola  Benin   Burma  Cambodia  China  People's Republic of the Congo  Ethiopia  Mongolia  Mozambique  Nicaragua  Somalia  South Yemen Communist leaders Ramiz Alia  Heydar Aliyev  Yuri Andropov  Aung San  Siad Barre  Fidel Castro  Nicolae Ceauescu  Konstantin Chernenko  Mikhail Gorbachev  Kroly Grsz  Hua Guofeng  Erich Honecker  Enver Hoxha  Jnos Kdr  Kim Il-sung  Milou Jake  Wojciech Jaruzelski  Mathieu Krkou  Mengistu Haile Mariam  Slobodan Miloevi  Denis Sassou Nguesso  Saparmurat Niyazov  Daniel Ortega  Kaysone Phomvihane  Pol Pot  Tn c Thng  Phoumi Vongvichit  Ne Win  Deng Xiaoping  Todor Zhivkov Democratization leaders Corazon Aquino  Sali Berisha  Vladimir Bukovsky  Violeta Chamorro  Chiang Ching-kuo  Viacheslav Chornovil  Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj  Vclav Havel   Tom Kahn  Lane Kirkland  Helmut Kohl  Vytautas Landsbergis  Pope John Paul II  Zianon Pazniak  Ronald Reagan  Lee Teng-hui  Margaret Thatcher  Lech Wasa  Boris Yeltsin  Zhelyu Zhelev Democracy movements Chinese democracy movement  Civic Forum  Democratic Russia  Sjdis  Rukh  Solidarity  Popular Front of Latvia  Popular Front of Estonia  Public Against Violence  Belarusian Popular Front  National League for Democracy  National Opposition Union  United Nationalist Democratic Organization  National Salvation Front  Union of Democratic Forces Events People Power Revolution  Revolutions of 1989  April 9 tragedy  Black January  Baltic Way  1988 Polish strikes  Tiananmen Square protests of 1989  Removal of Hungary's border fence  Polish Round Table Talks  Hungarian Round Table Talks  Pan-European Picnic  Monday demonstrations in East Germany  Fall of the Berlin Wall  Malta Summit  German reunification  January 1991 events in Lithuania  January 1991 events in Latvia  1991 Soviet coup d'tat attempt  Yemeni unification Post-collapse Colour revolution  Decommunization  Democratization  Economic liberalization  Economic reforms after the collapse of socialism  Neo-Stalinism  North Korean famine  Oslo Accords  Post-Communism  Putinism  Special Period  Yugoslav Wars v d e Cold War Participants and notable figures  ANZUS  NATO  Non-Aligned Movement  SEATO  Warsaw Pact 1940s Yalta Conference  Operation Unthinkable  Potsdam Conference  Gouzenko Affair  War in Vietnam (19451946)  Iran crisis of 1946  Greek Civil War  Corfu Channel Incident  Restatement of Policy on Germany  First Indochina War  Truman Doctrine  Asian Relations Conference  Marshall Plan  Czechoslovak coup d'tat of 1948  TitoStalin split  Berlin Blockade  Western betrayal  Iron Curtain  Eastern Bloc  Chinese Civil War (Second round) 1950s Korean War  1953 Iranian coup d'tat  Uprising of 1953 in East Germany  1954 Guatemalan coup d'tat  Partition of Vietnam  First Taiwan Strait Crisis  Geneva Summit (1955)  Pozna 1956 protests  Hungarian Revolution of 1956  Suez Crisis  Sputnik crisis  Second Taiwan Strait Crisis  Cuban Revolution  Kitchen Debate  AsianAfrican Conference  Bricker Amendment  McCarthyism  Operation Gladio  Hallstein Doctrine 1960s Congo Crisis  SinoSoviet split  1960 U-2 incident  Bay of Pigs Invasion  Berlin Wall  Cuban Missile Crisis  Vietnam War  1964 Brazilian coup d'tat  United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (19651966)  South African Border War  Rhodesian Bush War  Transition to the New Order  Domino theory  ASEAN Declaration  Laotian Civil War  Greek military junta of 19671974  Six-Day War  War of Attrition  Cultural Revolution  Sino-Indian War  Prague Spring  Goulash Communism  SinoSoviet border conflict 1970s Dtente  Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty  Black September in Jordan  Cambodian Civil War  Realpolitik  Ping Pong Diplomacy  Four Power Agreement on Berlin  1972 Nixon visit to China  1973 Chilean coup d'tat  Yom Kippur War  Strategic Arms Limitation Talks  Angolan Civil War  Mozambican Civil War  Ogaden War  Sino-Albanian split  CambodianVietnamese War  Sino-Vietnamese War  Iranian Revolution  Operation Condor  Bangladesh Liberation War   Korean Air Lines Flight 902 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan  IranIraq War   1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics boycotts  Solidarity (Soviet reaction)  Contras  Central American crisis  RYAN  Korean Air Lines Flight 007  Able Archer 83  Star Wars  Invasion of Grenada  People Power Revolution  Tiananmen Square protests of 1989  United States invasion of Panama  Fall of the Berlin Wall  Revolutions of 1989  Glasnost  Perestroika 1990s Democratic Revolution in Mongolia  Breakup of Yugoslavia  Dissolution of the Soviet Union  Dissolution of Czechoslovakia Foreign policy Truman Doctrine  Marshall Plan  Containment  Eisenhower Doctrine  Domino theory  Kennedy Doctrine  Peaceful coexistence  Ostpolitik  Johnson Doctrine  Brezhnev Doctrine  Nixon Doctrine  Ulbricht Doctrine  Carter Doctrine  Reagan Doctrine  Rollback Ideologies Capitalism (Chicago school  Keynesianism  Monetarism  Neoclassical economics  Supply-side economics  Thatcherism  Reaganomics)  Communism (MarxismLeninism  Castroism  Eurocommunism  Guevarism  Juche  Left communism  Maoism  Stalinism  Titoism  Trotskyism)  Liberal democracy  Social democracy Organizations ASEAN  CIA  Comecon  EEC  KGB  MI6  Stasi Propaganda Active measures  Izvestia  Pravda  Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty  Red Scare  TASS  Voice of America  Voice of Russia Races Arms race  Nuclear arms race  Space Race See also Brinkmanship  NATORussia relations  Soviet and Russian espionage in U.S.  Soviet Union  United States relations  USSoviet summits  World War III Category  Portal  Timeline v d e Notable figures of the Cold War Soviet Union Joseph Stalin  Vyacheslav Molotov  Andrei Gromyko  Nikita Khrushchev  Anatoly Dobrynin  Leonid Brezhnev  Alexei Kosygin  Yuri Andropov  Konstantin Chernenko  Mikhail Gorbachev  Nikolai Ryzhkov  Eduard Shevardnadze  Gennady Yanayev  Boris Yeltsin United States Harry S. 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Bush People's Republic of China Mao Zedong  Zhou Enlai  Hua Guofeng  Deng Xiaoping  Zhao Ziyang Japan Hirohito  Shigeru Yoshida  Ichir Hatoyama  Nobusuke Kishi  Eisaku Sat  Kakuei Tanaka  Takeo Miki  Takeo Fukuda  Masayoshi hira  Zenko Suzuki  Yasuhiro Nakasone  Noboru Takeshita  Ssuke Uno  Toshiki Kaifu West Germany Konrad Adenauer  Walter Hallstein  Willy Brandt  Helmut Schmidt  Helmut Kohl United Kingdom Winston Churchill  Clement Attlee  Ernest Bevin  Anthony Eden  Harold Macmillan  Alec Douglas-Home  Harold Wilson  Edward Heath  James Callaghan  Margaret Thatcher Italy Alcide De Gasperi  Palmiro Togliatti  Giulio Andreotti  Aldo Moro  Enrico Berlinguer  Francesco Cossiga  Bettino Craxi France Charles de Gaulle  Alain Poher  Georges Pompidou  Valry Giscard d'Estaing  Franois Mitterrand Finland Urho Kekkonen Spain Francisco Franco  Luis Carrero-Blanco  Juan Carlos I  Adolfo Surez  Felipe Gonzlez People's Republic of Poland Bolesaw Bierut  Wadysaw Gomuka  Edward Gierek  Wojciech Jaruzelski  Pope John Paul II  Lech Wasa Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King  Louis St. Laurent  John Diefenbaker  Lester Pearson  Pierre Trudeau  Joe Clark  John Turner  Brian Mulroney  Kim Campbell Eastern Bloc Enver Hoxha (Albania)  Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia)  Mtys Rkosi  Imre Nagy  Jnos Kdr (Hungary)  Nicolae Ceauescu (Romania)  Alexander Dubek (Czechoslovakia)  Walter Ulbricht  Erich Honecker (East Germany)  Todor Zhivkov (Bulgaria) South and East Asia Chiang Kai-shek  Chiang Ching-kuo (Taiwan)  Syngman Rhee  Park Chung-hee (South Korea)  Kim Il-sung (North Korea)  Ho Chi Minh (North Vietnam)  Ngo Dinh Diem (South Vietnam)  Pol Pot (Cambodia)  U Nu  Ne Win (Burma)  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh)  Indira Gandhi  Jawaharlal Nehru (India)  Sukarno  Suharto  Mohammad Hatta  Adam Malik (Indonesia)  Muhammad Ayub Khan  Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (Pakistan)  Corazon Aquino  Nur Misuari  Jose Maria Sison  Ferdinand Marcos  Imelda Marcos (Philippines)  Latin America Fidel Castro  Che Guevara (Cuba)  Juan Domingo Pern  Jorge Rafael Videla  Leopoldo Galtieri (Argentina)  Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua)  Salvador Allende  Augusto Pinochet (Chile)  Getlio Vargas  Lus Prestes  Leonel Brizola  Joo Goulart  Castelo Branco (Brazil)  Rmulo Betancourt (Venezuela) Middle East Mohammad Reza Pahlavi  Mohammad Mosaddegh  Ayatollah Khomeini (Iran)  Saddam Hussein (Iraq)  Gamal Abdel Nasser  Anwar Sadat (Egypt)  Muammar Gaddafi (Libya)  Menachem Begin (Israel)  Mohammad Najibullah  Ahmad Shah Massoud (Afghanistan) Africa Julius Nyerere (Tanzania)  Patrice Lumumba  Mobutu Sese Seko (Congo/Zaire)  Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana)  Idi Amin (Uganda)  Agostinho Neto  Jos Eduardo dos Santos  Jonas Savimbi (Angola)  Mengistu Haile Mariam (Ethiopia) Category  Portal  Timeline of events v d eTime Persons of the Year Jimmy Carter (1976)  Anwar Sadat (1977)  Deng Xiaoping (1978)  Ayatollah Khomeini (1979)  Ronald Reagan (1980)  Lech Wasa (1981)  The Computer (1982)  Ronald Reagan / Yuri Andropov (1983)  Peter Ueberroth (1984)  Deng Xiaoping (1985)  Corazon Aquino (1986)  Mikhail Gorbachev (1987)  The Endangered Earth (1988)  Mikhail Gorbachev (1989)  George H. W. Bush (1990)  Ted Turner (1991)  Bill Clinton (1992)  The Peacemakers: Yitzhak Rabin / Nelson Mandela / F.W. de Klerk / Yasser Arafat (1993)  Pope John Paul II (1994)  Newt Gingrich (1995)  David Ho (1996)  Andrew Grove (1997)  Bill Clinton / Ken Starr (1998)  Jeffrey P. Bezos (1999)  George W. Bush (2000) Complete roster  19271950  19511975  19762000  2001present v d eLaureates of the Nobel Peace Prize Betty Williams / Mairead Corrigan (1976)  Amnesty International (1977)  Anwar Sadat / Menachem Begin (1978)  Mother Teresa (1979)  Adolfo Prez Esquivel (1980)  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1981)  Alva Myrdal / Alfonso Garca Robles (1982)  Lech Wasa (1983)  Desmond Tutu (1984)  International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (1985)  Elie Wiesel (1986)  scar Arias (1987)  UN Peacekeeping Forces (1988)  Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama) (1989)  Mikhail Gorbachev (1990)  Aung San Suu Kyi (1991)  Rigoberta Mench (1992)  Nelson Mandela / F.W. de Klerk (1993)  Shimon Peres / Yitzhak Rabin / Yasser Arafat (1994)  Pugwash Conferences / Joseph Rotblat (1995)  Carlos Belo / Jos Ramos-Horta (1996)  International Campaign to Ban Landmines / Jody Williams (1997)  John Hume / David Trimble (1998)  Mdecins Sans Frontires (1999)  Kim Dae-jung (2000) Complete roster  19011925  19261950  19511975  19762000  2001present v d ePeople from Russia Leaders & Religious Pre-1168  11681917  19221991  1991present  RSFSR leaders  General secretaries  Soviet premiers (1st deputies)  Soviet heads of state (and their spouses)  Prime ministers (1st deputies)  Foreign ministers  Prosecutors general  Metropolitans and patriarchs  Saints Military & Explorers Field marshals  Soviet marshals  Admirals  Aviators  Cosmonauts Scientists & Inventors Aerospace engineers  Astronomers and astrophysicists  Biologists  Chemists  Earth scientists  Electrical engineers  IT developers  Linguists and philologists  Mathematicians  Naval engineers  Physicians and psychologists  Physicists  Weaponry makers Artists & Writers Architects  Ballet dancers  Composers  Opera singers  Novelists  Philosophers  Playwrights  Poets Sportspeople Chess players Persondata Name Gorbachev Mikhail Alternative names (Russian); Gorbav Mihail Sergeevi (alternate transliteration); Gorbachyov Mikhail Sergeyevich (alternate transliteration) Short description leader of the Soviet Union Date of birth 2 March 1931 Place of birth Privolnoye Russia Date of death living Place of death living