Mikhail

Gorbachev Biography
Mikhail Gorbachev, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is one of the
notable leaders of former Soviet Union. Read this brief
biography to find more on his life.
Quick Facts
Famous as

Former President of the former USSR

Nationality

Soviet Russian

Political
ideology

Independent Democratic Party of Russia (2008

present), Union of Social Democrats (2007
present)

Born on

02 March 1931 AD

Zodiac Sign

Pisces

Born in

Stavropol

Father

Sergey Andreyevich Gorbachev

Mother

Maria Panteleyevna Gorbacheva

Spouse:

Raisa Gorbachova (m. 19531999)

Children

Irina Mihailovna Virganskaya

Education

Moscow State University

Founder/CoFounder

Gorbachev Foundation, Green Cross

International

Works &
Nobel Peace Prize (1990) & Known For His
Achievements Outstanding Work in Peace process

Im age Source :
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/08/gorbachev-newcold-war-ukraine-soviet-union-us-russia
A great statesman and an outstanding leader, Mikhail
Gorbachev played a quintessential role in terminating the Cold
War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of the East
and West Germany. Right from a young age, he displayed
immense dedication and organizational skills and had a bent
towards politics. With the increasing age, his inclination for
political pursuits also increased and he became a prominent
member of the Communist party. In 1970, he became one of the
youngest provincial party chiefs and in 1979 became the
youngest member of Politburo. Same year, he was made the
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union,
which he served until 1991. Gorbachev became the first and the
last President of the Soviet Union. Under his presidency, he
sought to reform the party and the state economy by introducing
the concepts of openness, restructuring, democratization and
accelerated economic development. Furthermore, he brought
about various technological advancements that secured
increased productivity and reduced wastage. His efforts to
democratize countrys political system and decentralize its
economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of
the Soviet Union in 1991. To know in details about his life,
childhood and works, read on.
Childhood & Early Life
Mikhail Gorbachev was born to Sergey Andreyevich

Gorbachev and Maria Panteleyevna Gorbacheva. While

his father was a combine harvester and World War II
veteran, his mother was employed as a kolkhoz worker.
Since a young age, he had an aptitude for learning and
trained himself very well at operating machines. He
started contributing to the house income and by 1948,
became the youngest ever to win the Order of the Red
Banner of Labor for his active role in bringing in that
year s bumper crop.
He graduated from high school with a silver medal. In
1950, he enrolled at the Moscow University and graduated
from the same in 1955 with a degree in law.
In 1967, he secured a correspondence master s degree
from the Stavropol Institute of Agriculture, after which he
became a qualified agricultural economist.
Care e r
He was involved in politics since young, being a
Communist party member while still in high school.
However, he was officially recognized and granted full
membership only in 1952.
His reputation as a hardworking and dedicated activist
worked for him as he was soon promoted up the ranks,
becoming Head of the Department of Party Organs in the
Stavropol Agricultural Kraikom in 1963.
By 1970, he became First Party Secretary of the Stavropol
Kraikom, thus becoming the youngest provincial party
chiefs in the nation. Working in this capacity, he improved
the basic living standard of the workers and helped them
reorganize collective farms. He even assisted them in
expanding private plots.
Once simply a member of the Communist Party Central
Committee, he rose up the ranks to become the Central
Committee's Secretary for Agriculture in 1978. A year later,
he was appointed to the Politburo and received full
membership in 1980.

During Yuri Andropovs term as the General Secretary, his

visibility increased by miles as he was counted as one of
the most active members. His travels abroad shaped his
political and social view.
With the death of Andropov and his successor, Konstantin
Chernenko, the need for a younger leadership became
evident. As such, in 1985, Gorbachev was elected as the
General Secretary by the Politburo.
He aimed at bringing forth a change and reform in the
party and the state economy by introducing concepts of
openness, restructuring, democratization and accelerated
economic development.
With an attempt to increase the efficiency of the Soviet
bureaucracy, he brought about various technological
advancements to enhance productivity and reduce waste.
He established a market economy that was more socially
oriented and raised an anti-alcohol campaign.
Apart from domestic issues, he built on a rapport with the
then US president Ronald Reagan to improve Soviet
relations with the leaders of Western nations. It was due
to the budding relationship of the two that the Cold War
came to a close.
In 1987, he signed a treaty with Reagan according to
which both the countries had to destroy the existing stock
of intermediate range nuclear tipped missiles. From 198889, he oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet troops from
Afghanistan after their nine-year occupation of that
country.
In an effort to restructure the governments legislative and
release them from the grip of CPSU, he introduced a
bicameral parliament called the U.S.S.R. Congress of
Peoples Deputies and organized elections that required
Communist Party members to contest in multi-candidate
elections.
In 1989, he was elected as the Chairman of the Presidium
of the Supreme Soviet. In contrast to his predecessors, he

had gained greater influence and was a real standing

parliament with substantial legislative powers due to the
reformative policy.
On March 15, 1990, the Congress of Peoples Duties
elected him as the first president of the Soviet Union with
about 59% of the Deputies vote. Later in May, the
Congress met to elect representatives who would be
elected as the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
During his term as the President, he stressed on peaceful
international relations. Not only did he play a pivotal role
to end the Cold War, but was instrumental in encouraging
the fall of the wall of Berlin and the reunification of
Germany.
He also diligently dealt with domestic matters and
economic reforms. T he pressing issue then was the
emergence of different ethnic groups which had waged a
war against each other. Furthermore, Ukrainians and
Lithuanians demanded independence for themselves.
Amidst dealing with the issues of the country, he faced
strong competition from opposition leader Boris Yeltsin, a
former Communist Party member, who emphasized on
bringing about a radical change in the economy.
Yeltsin was elected as the Chairman of the Presidium of
the Supreme Soviet and no sooner was elected as the
President of the Russian Federation by 57.3% of the vote.
In 1991, he was captured in a coup to seize power.
Despite being an opposition leader, Yeltsin intervened and
personally manned a resistance against the coup, which
finally released Gorbachev.
Upon returning, the increasing distrust towards him and
steeping support for Yeltsin led to his stepping down as
the President of the Soviet Union and handing of power to
Yeltsin. His resignation was followed by the dissolution of
Soviet Union.
Post presidency, he established a Social Democratic Party
of Russia from which he resigned in 2004. T hree years

henceforth, he formed a new political party Union of

Social Democrats.
Political career aside, he has also appeared in popular
media. Not only did he star in films and television
commercials, he also recorded album of old Russian
ballads.
Aw ards & Achie v e m e nts
For his outstanding leadership skills and remarkable
contributions to the overall betterment of world
development, he was conferred with the prestigious Nobel
Peace Prize on October 15, 1990.
In his lifetime, he has received various national and
foreign decorations including Russias highest state
decoration Order of St. Andrew, Order of the Badge of
Honour, Order of Lenin, Order of Honour, Order of
October Revolution, and so on.
Various universities across the globe have felicitated him
with honorary doctorate degree. Furthermore, he also
received the Indira Gandhi Prize (India) and Ronald
Reagan Freedom Award (US).
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
He tied the nuptial knot in 1953 with fellow student Raisa
Titarenko, whom he met at Moscow State University. Four
years later, the couple was blessed with a daughter.
Triv ia
T his Nobel Peace Prize laureate was the first president of
the Soviet Union, serving from 1990 to 1991. He has a
prominent port wine stain on his forehead.