Mikhail Gorbachev Early Life Mikhial Gorbachev was born

Mikhail Gorbachev

Early Life • Mikhial Gorbachev was born to a peasant family on march 2, 1931 in Privolnoye, Russia. • Mikhial’s father Sergei operated a combine harvester, and was drafted by the USSR army to fight against the Nazis. • Sergei taught everything he knew about combine harvesters to young Mikhial, who was a quick learner and visibly enjoyed mechanics from a young age. • As a teenager, Mikhial contributed to the family income by driving tractors for a local macine station. • His tremendous work ethic began to come into the light when, in 1948, at the age of only 17, he won the Order of the Red Banner of Labour for his effort in bringing in that years bumper crop.

Education • As a child, Gorbachev was passionate about learning. • He graduated high school with a silver medal, and his father convinced him to go to university. • He was accepted into Moscow university, the best in the country at the time, without having to take the entrance exam. • He studied Law and graduated in 1955.

Political involvement • When he was still in high school, Gorbachev was a candidate member of the communist party. • He wouldn’t become a full member until he was in university. • After he returned home from university, Gorbachev got a job at the Stavropol territorial persecutor's office, where he ran into some old friends.

The communist Youth League • Gorbachev’s old friends remembered his work ethic and dedication to the communist cause. • They offered him a position as the assistant propagandist for the local communist youth league. • Gorbachev accepted the offer and quit his job at the persecutor's office after only ten days at the job. Workers of all countries unite! All Union Lenin. Communist Youth League

Agriculture • Gorbachev steadily climbed the communist ladder. In 1961, he was appointed as a delegate to the party congress. • Throughout the 1960’s, he continued to study agriculture and economics, while still advancing his political position. • Gorbachev eventually became the regional agricultural administrator and party leader.

1984/5 • The period of 1984 -1985 were some of the most important years in Gorbachev’s political career. • In 1984, Yuri Andropov, Gorbachev’s mentor at the Kremlin died and was replaced by Konstantin Chernenko. • 1984 was also the year in which Gorbachev first met British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a relationship that would prove vital later on in Gorbachev’s career. • In 1985 Chernenko died and Gorbachev was voted as the General Secretary of the Communist party. • Gorbachev’s youthfull energy and enthusiasm provided a glimmer of hope in the Cold War Soviet Union.

Secretary Gorbachev • During his term as General Secretary, Gorbachev was engaged in a race with US president Ronald Reagan to amass nuclear weapons in space, something which cost the government lots of money. • Gorbachev worked hard to increase the standard of living in the USSR during his term. • He strove towards “glasnost” and “perestroika, ” openness and restructure.

International Relations • Gorbachev always strove to improve relations between the USSR and the other superpowers. • As previously mentioned, he already had a good relationship with Margaret Thatcher before he became General Secretary. • She is known to have said "I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together. ” • Ronald Reagan first met Gorbachev at the Geneva arms summit in November 1985. • Reagan was surprised to find that “there was warmth in (Gorbachev’s) face and style” • Over the next three years, Reagan and Gorbachev met at an additional four summits, where they worked hard to bring the cold war to a close.

The Chernobyl Disaster • The Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986. • The Soviet Union did not release an official statement until two weeks after the incident. • Because of Gorbachev’s openness policy, this seemed suspicious and dealt a major blow to USA – USSR relations.

Democracy • One of Gorbachev’s political reforms was a more democratic election system, which came into effect in 1989. • The Communist party’s special status was removed from the constitution and State power was handed over to the Soviet Union’s first parliament, the Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR. • On March 15, 1990, The Congress of People’s Deputies elected Gorbachev as the first President of the USSR.

The Peaceful President • Gorbachev always trying to make the world a more peaceful place. • He ordered soviet troops out of Afghanistan. • Through his negotiations with Ronald Reagan and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Gorbachev was a vital component to the end of the cold war. • He is also acknowledged for his instrumental role in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. • Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1990 for all of these achievements.

Inner Conflict in the USSR • Different ethnic groups within the USSR began to fight against one another. • Other groups, such as the Lithuanians and Ukrainians wanted to split from the USSR and become independent countries. • Amidst all of this conflict, a rival leader came on to the political scene, Boris Yeltsin. • Yeltsin was a former communist who worked toward radical changes to the economy. • In the summer of 1991, Yeltsin was voted President of the Russian republic.

The August Coup • On the 19 th of August, 1991 while Gorbachev was on vacation in the Crimea, a military coup was conducted in Moscow. • Among conservatives who conducted the coup was Prime Minister Pavlov, whom Gorbachev had appointed in an effort to balance the power between himself and Boris Yeltsin. • Yeltsin was able to put down the coup, gaining him enormous popularity with the Russian people. • Although the coup was unsuccessful, it showed that Gorbachev’s grip on the USSR was slipping.

The End of and Empire • On Christmas Day, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev stepped down as the President of the USSR and handed complete power over to Boris Yeltsin. • The Soviet Union was dismantled by Yeltsin and his administration, and renamed Russia, as it had been before Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks.

Bibliography • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 l. Pj. Mh 1 zp. Eo • https: //www. biography. com/people/mikhail-sergeyevich-gorbachev 9315721 • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=0 k 3 wn. XBE 5 S 0