Gorbachev is the first president of the USSR. First and last: how Gorbachev became president of the ussrplot

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich (b. 1931), General Secretary of the CPSU(March 1985 - August 1991), President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(March 1990 - December 1991).

Born on March 2, 1931 in the village of Privolnoye, Krasnogvardeisky District, Stavropol Territory, into a peasant family. In 1942, he was under German occupation for about six months. At the age of 16 (1947) he was awarded for high grain harvesting with his father on a combine. Order of the Red Banner of Labor. In 1950, after graduating from school with a silver medal, due to the high award, he was enrolled in the Faculty of Law without exams. Moscow state university them. M. V. Lomonosov. He actively participated in the activities of the Komsomol organization of the university, in 1952 (at the age of 21) he joined the CPSU. After graduating from university in 1955, he was sent to Stavropol to the regional prosecutor's office. He worked as deputy head of the department of agitation and propaganda of the Stavropol regional committee of the Komsomol, first secretary of the Stavropol city committee of the Komsomol, then second and first secretary of the regional committee of the Komsomol (1955–1962).

In 1962 Gorbachev went to work in party bodies. Khrushchev's reforms were going on in the country at that time. The organs of the party leadership were divided into industrial and rural. New management structures appeared - territorial production departments. The party career of M. S. Gorbachev began with the post of party organizer of the Stavropol Territorial Production Agricultural Administration (three rural districts). In 1967 he graduated in absentia Stavropol Agricultural Institute.

In December 1962, Gorbachev was appointed head of the department of organizational and party work of the Stavropol rural regional committee of the CPSU. Since September 1966, Gorbachev was the first secretary of the Stavropol City Party Committee, in August 1968 he was elected second, and in April 1970 - First Secretary of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the CPSU. In 1971 M. S. Gorbachev became member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

In November 1978 Gorbachev became Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU for the agro-industrial complex, in 1979 - a candidate member, in 1980 - a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In March 1985, under the patronage of A. A. Gromyko, Gorbachev was elected at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

1985 became a milestone in the history of the state and the party. The era of “stagnation” has ended (this is how Yu. V. Andropov defined the “Brezhnev period”). The time has begun for changes, attempts to reform the party-state body. This period in the history of the country was called "Perestroika" and was associated with the idea of ​​"improving socialism". Gorbachev began with a large-scale anti-alcohol campaign. Alcohol prices were raised and its sale was limited, vineyards were mostly destroyed, which gave rise to a whole range of new problems - the consumption of moonshine and all kinds of surrogates increased sharply, the budget suffered significant losses. In May 1985, speaking at a party and economic activist in Leningrad, the Secretary General did not hide the fact that the country's economic growth rates had declined, and put forward the slogan "accelerate social and economic development". Gorbachev received support for his policy statements at XXVII Congress of the CPSU(1986) and at the June (1987) plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

In 1986-1987, hoping to awaken the initiative of the "masses", Gorbachev and his team headed for the development publicity and "democratization" of all aspects of public life. Glasnost in communist party traditionally understood not as freedom of speech, but as freedom of "constructive" (loyal) criticism and self-criticism. However, during the years of Perestroika, the idea of ​​glasnost through the efforts of progressive journalists and radical supporters of reforms, in particular, the secretary and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a friend of Gorbachev, A. N. Yakovleva, was developed precisely in freedom of speech. XIX Party Conference of the CPSU(June 1988) adopted a resolution "About publicity". In March 1990 was adopted "Press Law", achieving a certain level of media independence from party control.

Since 1988, the process of creating initiative groups in support of perestroika, popular fronts, and other non-state and non-party public organizations has been in full swing. As soon as the processes of democratization began, and the control of the party decreased, numerous interethnic contradictions that had been hidden before were exposed, interethnic clashes took place in some regions of the USSR.

In March 1989, the first free events in the history of the USSR took place. elections people's deputies , the results of which caused a shock in the party apparatus. In many regions, secretaries of party committees failed in the elections. Many scientists came to the deputy corps (like Sakharov, Sobchak, Starovoitova), who critically assessed the role of the CPSU in society. The Congress of People's Deputies in May of the same year demonstrated a tough confrontation between various trends both in society and in the parliamentary environment. At this congress, Gorbachev was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR(previously was chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces).

Gorbachev's actions caused a wave of growing criticism. Some criticized him for slowness and inconsistency in the implementation of reforms, others for haste; everyone noted the inconsistency of his policy. So, laws were adopted on the development of cooperation and almost immediately - on the fight against "speculation"; laws on the democratization of enterprise management and, at the same time, on the strengthening of central planning; laws on the reform of the political system and free elections, and immediately on “strengthening the role of the party”, etc.

Attempts to reform were resisted by the party-Soviet system itself - the Leninist-Stalinist model of socialism. The power of the general secretary was not absolute and largely depended on the alignment of forces in the Politburo of the Central Committee. Least of all, Gorbachev's power was limited in international affairs. Supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs E. A. Shevardnadze and A. N. Yakovlev, Gorbachev acted assertively and effectively. Starting from 1985 (after a 6 and a half year break due to the introduction of Soviet troops to Afghanistan) annually held meetings of the head of the USSR with the presidents of the United States R. Reagan, and then G. Bush, presidents and prime ministers of other countries. In exchange for loans and humanitarian aid, the USSR made huge concessions in foreign policy, which in the West was perceived as a weakness. In 1989, at the initiative of Gorbachev, withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, happened fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. The signing by Gorbachev, after the rejection of the socialist path by the heads of states of Eastern Europe, in 1990 in Paris, together with the heads of state and government of other European countries, as well as the United States and Canada, of the "Charter for a New Europe" marked the end of the period " cold war late 1940s - late 1980s. However, in early 1992 B. N. Yeltsin and George W. Bush (senior) reiterated the end of the Cold War.

In domestic politics especially in the economy, the signs of a serious crisis were becoming more and more clear. After the law "About cooperation", which ensured the outflow of finance to cooperatives, there was an acute shortage of food and consumer goods, for the first time since 1946, card system. Since 1989, the process of disintegration of the political system of the Soviet Union has been in full swing. Inconsistent attempts to stop this process with the help of force (in Tbilisi, Baku, Vilnius, Riga) led to directly opposite results, strengthening centrifugal tendencies. Democratic leaders Interregional Deputy Group(B. N. Yeltsin, A. D. Sakharov and others) gathered thousands of rallies in their support. By the end of 1990, almost all union republics declared their state sovereignty (RSFSR - June 12, 1990), giving them economic independence and the priority of republican laws over union ones.

In the summer of 1991, several options were prepared for signing new union treaty(Union of Sovereign Republics - SSG). Only agreed to sign it. 9 out of 15 union republics. In August 1991, there was an attempted coup by removing Gorbachev "for health reasons" and declaring a state of emergency in the USSR, nicknamed in the press as "August Coup". Union government members included in USSR State Emergency Committee thwarted the signing of an agreement that turned a single country into a confederation of sovereign republics. However, the conspirators did not show decisiveness and then surrendered to Gorbachev, who was resting in Foros. The failure of the State Emergency Committee gave a powerful impetus to the disintegration of the state that had begun. A number of states recognized the independence of some republics from the USSR, including other union republics. In September 1991 took place V Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR who announced "transition period" and dissolved itself, transferring power to a new body - State Council of the USSR, consisting of the heads of the eleven union republics, headed by the President of the USSR Gorbachev.

On September 6, the State Council of the USSR recognized the independence of the Baltic republics: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which were already recognized by the UN on September 17.

On November 14, 1991, in Novoogarevo, participants in a meeting of the USSR State Council agreed on the text of the latest version of the Union Treaty, which provided for state structure Union of Sovereign States as a confederation and made a statement on television that there should be a Union. However, the day before the scheduled signing, on December 8, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Belarus), a meeting was held between the leaders of the three union republics - the founders of the USSR: the RSFSR (Russian Federation), Ukraine (Ukrainian SSR) and Belarus (BSSR), during which a document was signed on the demise of the USSR and creating an organization instead of a confederation: Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). December 25, 1991 Gorbachev made a televised address on the resignation of the President of the USSR "for reasons of principle" and handed over control of nuclear weapons to RSFSR President Yeltsin.

From 1992 to the present, M. S. Gorbachev has been President of the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Science Research ( Gorbachev Foundation). Lives in Germany.

In 2011 celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp at the London Concert Hall albert hall. President of Russia D. A. Medvedev awarded Gorbachev with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Events during Gorbachev's rule:

• 1985, March - at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected general secretary (Viktor Grishin was considered the main rival for this post, but the choice was made in favor of the younger Gorbachev).
• 1985 - publication of the "semi-dry" law, vodka on coupons.
• 1985, July-August - XII World Festival of Youth and Students
• 1986 - an accident at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Evacuation of the population from the "exclusion zone". Construction of the sarcophagus over the destroyed block.
• 1986 - Andrei Sakharov returns to Moscow.
• 1987, January - the announcement of "Perestroika".
• 1988 - celebration of the millennium of the baptism of Russia.
• 1988 - the law "On cooperation" in the USSR, which marked the beginning of modern entrepreneurship.
• November 9, 1989 - the Berlin Wall, which personified the "Iron Curtain", was destroyed.
• 1989, February - the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is completed.
• May 25, 1989 - The First Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR began.
• 1990 - the accession of the GDR (including East Berlin) and West Berlin to the FRG - the first advance of NATO to the east.
• 1990, March - the introduction of the post of President of the USSR, who was to be elected in elections for five years. As an exception, the first president of the USSR was elected by the third Congress of People's Deputies, he was the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR MS Gorbachev.
• 1990, June 12 - adoption of the declaration on the sovereignty of the RSFSR.
• 1991, August 19 - August putsch - an attempt by members of the State Emergency Committee to remove Mikhail Gorbachev "for health reasons" and thus preserve the USSR.
• 1991, August 22 - the failure of the putschists. Prohibition of republican communist parties by the majority of union republics.
• 1991, September - the new supreme body of power, the State Council of the USSR, headed by the President of the USSR Gorbachev, recognizes the independence of the Baltic Union Republics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia).
• 1991, December - the heads of the three union republics: the RSFSR (Russian Federation), Ukraine (Ukrainian SSR) and the Republic of Belarus (BSSR) in Belovezhskaya Pushcha sign the "Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States", which declares the termination of the existence of the USSR. On December 12, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR ratifies the agreement and denounces the treaty on the formation of the USSR in 1922.
• 1991 - December 25, M. S. Gorbachev resigns from the presidency of the USSR, by decree of the President of the RSFSR B. N. Yeltsin, the state of the RSFSR changed its name to " the Russian Federation". However, it was enshrined in the constitution only in May 1992.
• 1991 - December 26, the upper house of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR legally liquidates the USSR.

Image copyright AP

On March 15, 1990, the Third Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR elected Mikhail Gorbachev as President of the country. He happened to work out only a third of the established five-year term.

The congress opened on March 12. In addition to establishing the post of president, he made another historic change to the constitution: he abolished Article 6 on the leading and guiding role of the CPSU.

17 deputies took part in the debate. Opinions ranged from "We see in the presidential power an important guarantee of the unity of our federation" (Nursultan Nazarbayev) and "Our country has raised a world-class leader, the author of new political thinking, a leader who advocates disarmament, for peace" (Fyodor Grigoriev) to "Perestroika will bog down presidency" (Nikolai Dzhiba).

Let's not play hide and seek, today we are talking about the election of a specific leader as the president of the country - Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev Alexander Yakovlev

"An attempt to hastily, here, at the congress, introduce the post of president is the grossest, gravest political mistake, which will greatly aggravate our difficulties, anxieties and fears," said Yuri Afanasiev, co-chairman of the Interregional Deputy Group. Academician Vitaly Gol'danskii objected: "We cannot wait, we need resuscitation, not sanatorium treatment."

The proposal to ban the combination of the post of president and leader of a political party, supported by both radical democrats and orthodox communists, who dreamed of seeing Alexander Yakovlev and Yegor Ligachev or Ivan Polozkov in the role of general secretary, respectively, received 1,303 votes and would have passed if it had not been for a constitutional amendment which required a two-thirds majority.

On March 14, a plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU was held, which nominated Gorbachev as a presidential candidate. A number of congress deputies nominated Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov and Interior Minister Vadim Bakatin, but they refused, and the elections turned out to be uncontested.

We were in a hurry to elect the President. But, perhaps, having elected, it was not worth immediately here, on the stage of the Kremlin Palace, to raise him to this post. It was necessary to postpone it for one day, announcing that the solemn action would take place, for example, in the Georgievsky Hall of the Kremlin. In the presence of deputies, the government, representatives of the working people of the capital, soldiers, diplomatic corps, and the press, the Pravda newspaper

Of the 2,245 deputies (five seats were vacant at that time), exactly two thousand participated in the congress. 1329 votes were cast for Gorbachev (59.2% of the total number of deputies). 495 voted against, 54 ballots were spoiled. 122 people did not vote.

At the suggestion of Anatoly Lukyanov, who replaced Gorbachev as chairman of the Supreme Council, the elected president immediately took the oath - going to the podium and putting his hand on the text of the constitution, he uttered a single phrase: "I solemnly swear to faithfully serve the peoples of our country, strictly follow the Constitution of the USSR, guarantee the rights and freedoms citizens, conscientiously fulfill the high duties of the President of the USSR entrusted to me.

Foreign reaction was purely optimistic.

"The Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union made the greatest revolutionary transformations in the life of Soviet society, which have not been equaled in Russia since the 1917 revolution," Japanese television pointed out. "The decisions of the Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR consolidated, perhaps, the most important changes in political and economic system USSR since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917," echoed the Washington Post.

At the pace of the military operation

Who owned the idea of ​​introducing the post of president is unknown.

The topic has been discussed in the media since December 1989, but in the order of hypotheses and discussions.

Gorbachev's assistant Anatoly Chernyaev wrote in his memoirs that in January 1990 the "architect of perestroika" and secretary of the Central Committee Alexander Yakovlev under a terrible secret he told him: once Gorbachev came into his office, upset, preoccupied, lonely. Like, what to do? Azerbaijan, Lithuania, economy, orthodoxies, radicals, people on the edge. Yakovlev said: "We must act. The most important obstacle to perestroika and your entire policy is the Politburo. It is necessary to convene a congress of people's deputies in the near future, let the congress elect you president." And Gorbachev agreed.

The decision on the presidency matured so urgently that they decided to go to the convocation of an extraordinary congress. I did not understand such urgency, since after the Second Congress of People's Deputies, where this issue was not even discussed, only two and a half months had passed Nikolai Ryzhkov

Be that as it may, on February 14, unexpectedly for everyone, Gorbachev voiced the idea at a session of the Supreme Council, and on February 27, the parliament decided to convene an extraordinary congress. There was not enough time for preparation and public discussion, to be honest.

The haste caused criticism from both the left and the right, who suspected some kind of trick and persistently, but unsuccessfully, tried to get a clear explanation from Gorbachev why he needed it.

The official version set out in the draft law on the establishment of the post of president and the introduction of appropriate additions to the constitution: "In order to ensure the further development of the deep political and economic transformations being carried out in the country, strengthen the constitutional order, the rights, freedoms and security of citizens, improve interaction supreme bodies state power and administration of the USSR" did not satisfy anyone. One might think that Gorbachev had not had enough power before!

According to historians, the leading reason lay on the surface: the leader wanted, while remaining the Secretary General of the CPSU, to weaken his dependence on the Central Committee, which could at any moment convene a non-plenum and deal with him, as he once did with Khrushchev.

After Gorbachev was elected president and Article 6 was abolished, he no longer needed the party for his own legitimacy, but the party in him.

Using the powers of the General Secretary, Gorbachev just strengthens the power of the Communist Party. Including her power over the Secretary General himself. The two ideas - the abolition of Article 6 and the introduction of the presidency - are closely related. Only having received the fullness of state, and not party power, Gorbachev can carry out the abolition of the party monopoly. Otherwise, he will simply lose power Anatoly Sobchak

Since the CPSU had lost official authority, the vacuum needed to be filled.

After the events in Tbilisi and Baku, it turned out to be difficult to find out who made the decisions to use the army, and talks about the need for "a person who is responsible for everything" intensified. However, the presidency did not prevent Gorbachev from avoiding responsibility for the Vilnius drama.

There was another practical consideration.

According to the tradition laid down by Leonid Brezhnev, the Secretary General simultaneously headed the highest representative body. But, starting from the spring of 1989, the Supreme Council moved to work in continuous mode. Gorbachev, who presided over it, had to spend a lot of time at meetings. Other members of the leadership did the same, always copying the behavior of the first person.

I call for voting for the presidency and I believe that under this condition there will be social justice, national security, including the Russian people Deputy Ivan Polozkov, an orthodox communist

Naturally, this made it difficult to govern the country. And in society, the question arose: who is doing business while the debate is going on?

Meanwhile, the opinion was expressed that Gorbachev, by his nature, was more suitable for the role of the speaker than the head of state. He knew how to manipulate a large heterogeneous audience and achieve the voting results he needed.

Anatoly Sobchak in his book "Journey to Power" noted that in personal communication, the magic of Gorbachev's influence was irresistible. "Succumb to this charm, and you will begin to act as if under hypnosis," he wrote.

Main riddle

The main question that researchers still puzzle over is why Gorbachev did not go to the national elections? Moreover, this was provided for by the law on the introduction of the post of president, and only for the first case did they make a special reservation.

Many consider this a fatal mistake. As Boris Yeltsin later proved, it is very difficult to legally remove a popularly elected president from power.

Image copyright RIA Novosti Image caption According to a number of historians, Gorbachev did not want to directly measure his popularity with Yeltsin.

Election not by citizens, but by deputies made Gorbachev's status insufficiently convincing, since the legitimacy of the congress itself was tarnished. He was elected under the 6th article, in the absence of an organized opposition everywhere, except for Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk and the Baltic states, a third of the deputies were representatives of public organizations.

Some historians suggest that Gorbachev, even with an objective advantage, experienced a mystical fear of Yeltsin, who somehow succeeded. Others say that he followed the lead of the nomenclature environment, which in principle did not like direct democracy and was afraid that the election campaign would give the reformers an additional opportunity to propagate their views.

In conditions of political and economic instability, once again tempting fate and going to popular elections is a risk, and Anatoly Sobchak

In public speeches, Mikhail Sergeevich mainly stressed that the situation was complicated, and the country would not get along without a president for an extra day.

"They [deputies-inter-regionals] also spoke in favor of the presidency, but they conditioned it with such reservations and such approaches that it is possible to slow down for a long time, if not to bury this process. In the current situation, it is impossible to postpone serious decisions. The introduction of the institute of presidency today is necessary for the country," he said at a session of the Supreme Council on February 27.

Position of the Democrats

Considering in principle the institution of the presidency to be progressive in comparison with the current form of government, the question of the President of the USSR and the procedure for his election cannot be resolved hastily, without the participation of the new Supreme Soviets of the republics, without a developed multi-party system in the country, without a free press, without strengthening the current Supreme Soviet . This question must be linked with the constitutions of the republics, with the new Union Treaty. Without these indispensable conditions, the adoption of a decision on the presidency will undoubtedly lead to a new aggravation of relations between the Center and the republics, to limiting the independence of local Soviets and self-government, to the threat of restoring a dictatorial regime in the country From a statement by the Interregional Deputy Group

Supporters of perestroika and renewal split on the issue of Gorbachev's presidency.

Some continued to see him as the only chance and believed that Gorbachev should be supported in everything, because he knows what he is doing, and because otherwise it will be even worse. The point of view of these people was expressed in a remark from a place at the congress by a deputy who did not introduce himself: “Is it really that we have no food?

Some were simply impressed by the word "president": here, we will have it, as in civilized countries!

Others pointed out that this term is associated not only with America and France, but also with Latin American and Asian dictators, and most importantly, they demanded popular alternative elections.

"I believe that only the people can make an appropriate decision," Alexander Shchelkanov, a member of the Interregional Group, said in a debate at the congress.

On the opening day of the congress, Shuvalov, a resident of Zelenograd, went on a hunger strike on Theater Square "in protest against the election of the president only by deputies."

Anatoly Sobchak was a supporter of Gorbachev's presidency on the terms put forward by him, and Yuri Afanasiev and Yuri Chernichenko were opponents. The latter, in particular, was afraid that "we will again let ourselves be fooled; if the deputies cannot really control the actions of the chairman of the Supreme Council, then it will be even more impossible to keep track of the president."

Image copyright RIA Novosti Image caption One of the main opponents of Gorbachev at the congress was deputy Yuri Afanasiev

Boris Yeltsin, as far as is known, did not speak publicly on this issue.

Sobchak wrote in his memoirs that shortly before the death of Andrei Sakharov, he tried to discuss with him the prospects for Gorbachev's presidency, but the academician showed no interest in the topic, considering the issue insignificant compared to the development of a new constitution.

Not a new idea

We need to cast aside fears and despondency, gain faith in our strengths and capabilities. And they are huge. The Russian people and all the peoples who have united with them in a great multinational state will be able to revive their common homeland. And they will certainly achieve this on the paths of perestroika and socialist renewal From Mikhail Gorbachev's speech at the congress after his election

The idea of ​​establishing the post of a popularly elected president in the USSR was seriously discussed in the past: during the preparation of the "Stalinist" constitution of 1936, in the last years of Nikita Khrushchev's rule, and at the dawn of perestroika.

Why Stalin rejected it is not entirely clear. Already, 99.99% of the votes were guaranteed to him, and the nationwide expression of support for the "beloved leader" could be turned into a powerful educational and propaganda event.

Khrushchev, according to researchers, simply did not have enough time, and his successors were guided by their deep conservatism and dislike for innovation.

According to the testimonies of people who knew him, Leonid Brezhnev liked the address "Mr. President" during his foreign visits, but he did not legitimize the title.

Third try

In 1985, the "architect of perestroika" Alexander Yakovlev suggested that Gorbachev begin political reform with the party and put forward a detailed plan: to arrange an all-party discussion, following its results, divide the CPSU into two parties - the reformist people's democratic and the conservative socialist - to hold elections to the Supreme Soviet and instruct the winners government formation.

Now, as I observe, Gorbachev presses on the gas and at the same time presses on the brake. The motor roars to the whole world - this is our publicity. And the car stands still Olzhas Suleimenov, deputy, Kazakh poet

According to Yakovlev's plan, both parties were to declare their adherence to the basic values ​​of socialism, join an alliance called the Union of Communists, delegate an equal number of members to its Central Council, and nominate the chairman of the council as a joint candidate for the presidency of the USSR.

A political construction in which two parties competing with each other in the elections simultaneously enter into a certain coalition with a single leader would show the world another "Russian miracle." At the same time, some researchers believe that the implementation of the "Yakovlev plan" would allow a smooth transition to multi-party democracy and avoid the collapse of the USSR.

Then Gorbachev did not support the idea. Five years later, it was too late.

Pyrrhic victory

Gorbachev rushed about in search of alternatives, compromises, the optimal combination of old and new methods of leadership. There were mistakes, miscalculations, delays, simply absurdities. But they are not the reason for the beginning of the disintegration of society and the state. It was inevitable by the very nature of the transition of a society, unique in world history, notorious and corrupted by a long dictatorship, to freedom Anatoly Chernyaev, Gorbachev's assistant

Historians consider the First Congress of People's Deputies in May 1989 to be the peak of Gorbachev's political career, and his election as president was the beginning of its end. Soon, the leader's rating rapidly and irreversibly went down.

That was the last credit of trust issued by society.

The conservatives hoped that Gorbachev needed presidential powers to "restore order", the democrats - for bold reformist steps. When neither one nor the other happened, although he got everything he wanted, the disappointment turned out to be universal and deadly.

The prediction made at the congress by deputy Teimuraz Avaliani came true: "You will rush back and forth, and at that time what we have now will happen."

After 660 days, Gorbachev resigned (more precisely, was forced to resign).

Name: Mikhail Gorbachev

Age: 87 years old

Growth: 175

Activity: Russian statesman and public figure, ex-president of the USSR, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Family status: widower

Mikhail Gorbachev: biography

Mikhail Gorbachev is a statesman and public figure of Russia of the XX century, who entered the political world in Soviet time. Gorbachev became the first and only president of the USSR whose results were included in Russian history, and also became important factors in the politics of the rest of the world. The share of the politician is perestroika, which led to a change in life in the Russian Federation and the political situation in the world. The assessment of Gorbachev's role in the fate of the country in society is ambiguous - some believe that the politician brought the people more good than harm, while others are sure that the politician caused all the troubles of modern Russia after the collapse of the USSR.

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich was born on March 2, 1931 in the Stavropol village of Privolnoye. The parents of the future president, Sergei Andreevich and Maria Panteleevna, were peasants, so the childhood of the future president of the USSR passed without wealth and luxury. In his early years, young Mikhail Sergeevich had to endure the German occupation of Stavropol, which left an imprint on the character and political position of the young man in the future.

At the age of 13, Gorbachev began to combine his studies at school with work on a collective farm: at first, Mikhail worked at a mechanical and tractor station, and later became an assistant combine operator, whose duties were extremely difficult for a teenager. For this work, Mikhail Sergeevich was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1949, which he received for overfulfilling the grain harvesting plan.

On the next year Gorbachev graduated from a local school with a silver medal and without any problems entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow State University. At the university, the future politician headed the Komsomol organization of students, where he was charged with the spirit of freethinking, which influenced the worldview of the future politician. In 1952, Gorbachev was accepted as a member of the CPSU, and three years later, after successfully graduating from the university, Gorbachev received the post of first secretary of the city committee of the Komsomol of Stavropol.

Politics

Having got his first Komsomol job, Mikhail Sergeevich decided to connect his own life with politics, and not with jurisprudence, rejecting the offer of a position in the Stavropol regional prosecutor's office. Later, in 1967, the future Soviet leader graduated from the Stavropol Agricultural Institute in absentia, having received a diploma in economics and agronomy.

The political career of Mikhail Gorbachev developed rapidly. In 1962, Gorbachev was appointed to the post of party organizer of the Stavropol Territorial Production Agricultural Administration, in which Gorbachev, during the reforms of the then current Soviet head, earned himself a reputation as a promising politician. Gorbachev did not have special charisma or memorable external data (the politician has an average height of 175 cm), so he made his way only with skills and working qualities.

Against the backdrop of good harvests in Stavropol, Mikhail Sergeyevich established himself as a leading expert in the field of agriculture, which subsequently allowed Gorbachev to become the ideologist of the CPSU on the development of this area.

In 1974, Gorbachev was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, where he headed the commission on youth problems. In 1978, the politician was transferred to Moscow and appointed secretary of the Central Committee, which initiated former leader USSR, which considered Mikhail Sergeyevich an unusually well-educated and experienced specialist.

In 1980, the politician became a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Under the leadership of Gorbachev came numerous reforms in the field of market economy and in political system. In 1984, at a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the politician read out the report "The Living Creativity of the People", which became the so-called "prelude" of the country's restructuring. The report was received with optimism by Gorbachev's colleagues and the Soviet people.

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU

Having won support and created for himself the image of a global reformer, Mikhail Sergeevich was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1985, after which a global process of democratization of society began in the USSR, later called perestroika.

Having become the leader of the second most powerful power in the world, Mikhail Gorbachev began to pull out the country that had fallen into stagnation. Without a clearly defined plan, the politician made a number of changes in the foreign and domestic policy of the Soviet Union, which later led to the collapse of the state.

On account of Gorbachev's "dry law", the exchange of money, the introduction of self-support, the end of the war in Afghanistan, the end of the long-term "cold war" with the West and the weakening of the nuclear threat. Also, the hands of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, who then had complete power over the country, liberalized society and weakened censorship in the USSR, which allowed Gorbachev to gain popularity among the population, with whom the politician for the first time in the history of the Soviet state communicated in free, and not in the "reigning" style.

First President

But the main mistake in Gorbachev's policy was the inconsistency in the implementation of economic reforms in the USSR, which led to a sharp deepening of the crisis in the country, as well as to a decrease in the standard of living of citizens. In the same period, the Baltic republics took a course towards estrangement from the Union, which did not prevent the Soviet leader from becoming the first and only president of the USSR, whom Gorbachev was elected in 1990, according to the country's amended legislation.

However, the weakening of control over society led to dual power in the Soviet Union, a wave of strikes swept the country, and the economic crisis led to total shortages and empty shelves on store shelves. At that time, the 10th part of the country's gold reserves was "eaten", the situation in the USSR was close to a critical point, but Mikhail Sergeevich could not prevent the collapse of the Union and his own resignation from the presidency.

In August 1991, Gorbachev's allies, which included a number of Soviet ministers, announced the creation of the GKChP (State Committee for the State of Emergency) and demanded that Mikhail Sergeevich resign. Gorbachev did not accept these demands, provoking an armed coup d'état in the country, known as the August coup. Then the GKChP was resisted by the political leaders of the RSFSR, which included the then president of the republic, and Ivan Silaev.

In December 1991, 11 union republics signed the Belovezhskaya agreement on the creation of the CIS, which became a document on the termination of the existence of the USSR, despite the objections of Mikhail Sergeevich. After that, Gorbachev resigned and withdrew from politics, immersing himself in public work. By the last decree of the President of the USSR, Gorbachev created the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Research, and in 1992 became the president of this foundation. At the head of the Gorbachev Foundation, the politician explores the history of the perestroika process in the Union, and also studies current world problems. The Gorbachev Foundation is financed from the personal funds of the former Soviet leader, as well as grants and donations from citizens and international organizations.

The reign of the former "owner" of the Kremlin is still widely discussed in society today. Many consider Gorbachev to be responsible for the collapse of the USSR, as a result of which Russia almost lost its sovereignty. But the former Soviet leader sees such criticism as unfounded. Gorbachev positively assesses the policy of the current president of Russia, supporting his position on Crimea and Ukraine.

Mikhail Sergeevich welcomes the reunification of the Crimean peninsula with the Russian Federation, calling the will of the people a correction of a historical mistake. At the same time, he does not exclude that the situation in Ukraine may lead to an aggravation of relations between the Russian Federation and the EU, as a result of which there are risks of a major conflict and even a nuclear war.

Personal life

Mikhail Gorbachev's personal life was as "single-episode" as his political career. He met his future wife in his student years, at the House of Culture at the dance. The girl bewitched the future Soviet leader with her modesty and inner attractiveness, so he decided to marry his chosen one without fail. To earn money for the wedding, a student of Moscow State University actively worked part-time on the Stavropol collective farm, and already in 1953 he was able to collect for a modest celebration on the occasion of the marriage.

The Gorbachevs lived a long and happy life, but in 1999 Mikhail Sergeevich became a widower - his wife Raisa Gorbacheva died of leukemia, which was a huge blow for the former president of the USSR. The First Lady of the USSR gave her husband her only daughter, Irina, who today lives in Moscow. Irina today has two adult children, Gorbachev's granddaughters have already married.

In 2015, it became known that Mikhail Gorbachev's health also began to decline. He suffers from a severe form of diabetes, his condition cannot be called stable, since very often the politician has crises, as a result of which he has to be urgently hospitalized in a clinic to stabilize his general health.

At the same time, he actively continues to conduct his creative activity, releasing new scientific works and publishing memoirs. In 2014 saw the light A new book Mikhail Gorbachev "Life after the Kremlin", and in front of her he released a book of memoirs about the love of his life - "Alone with myself."

Gorbachev's financial position also shook. The former president lives in a Moscow apartment and a dacha near Moscow. A house in Germany, in Oberach, near Lake Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps, Gorbachev is selling, but he has not come to the country itself since 2014.

Mikhail Gorbachev now

In 2016, the politician own responsibility for the collapse of the Soviet Union. This happened at a meeting with students at the Moscow School of Economics of Moscow State University.

In 2016, Mikhail Gorbachev was banned from entering Ukraine. The politician told the press that he had not traveled to this country for years and did not plan to visit it in the near future.

In September 2017, Mikhail Gorbachev presented a new autobiographical book, “I Remain an Optimist,” in which, along with plots from the politician’s biography, harsh criticism of modern Russia, the political and social situation in the country was voiced.

Awards

• 1988 - Prize of the International Organization "World without War"
• 1988 - Name Peace Prize
• 1989 - commemorative medal "Personality of the Year" of the International Jury "Personality of the Year"
• 1989 - Golden Dove for Peace Award for contribution to peace and disarmament
• 1990 - Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his leading role in the peace process, which characterizes an important constituent part life of the international community
• 1990 - Peace Prize for the contribution to the struggle for peace and understanding between peoples
• 1990 - honorary title"Humanist of the Century" and Albert Schweitzer Medal of Honor
• 1990 - Fiuggi International Prize as a person whose activities in the political and public fields can serve as an exceptional example of the struggle for the assertion of human rights
• 1991 - International Peace Prize named "For a World Without Violence" for an outstanding role in the struggle for world peace and human rights
• 1992 - Benjamin M. Cardoso Prize for Democracy
• 1993 Sir's Award in recognition of contributions to peace in the Middle East
• 1997 - award
• 1998 - National Freedom Award for the fight against oppression
• 2005 - Patriarch Athenagoras Prize in the field of human rights
• 2010 - Dresden Prize for Nuclear Disarmament

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich - politician, statesman, first and the only President THE USSR.

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for building relationships with foreign countries including ending the Cold War with the United States.

During his activity, the most significant events took place that had big influence for the further development of the country.

Childhood and youth

On March 2, 1931, Mikhail Gorbachev was born in the Stavropol Territory, in the village of Privolnoye. His parents were ordinary peasants.

Father - Sergey Andreevich Gorbachev was a foreman, and his father was the chairman of the local collective farm. Mom Gopkalo Maria Panteleevna was Ukrainian.

Childhood of the future statesman coincided with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Father immediately went to the front, and Misha and his mother ended up in a village occupied by the Nazis.

Michael with his parents in childhood

Under the yoke of German soldiers, they lived for 5 months. After the release, the family received news from the front about the death of their father.

Mikhail had to combine his studies at school with work on a collective farm. At the age of 15, he already held the position of assistant combine operator.

For conscientious work and overfulfillment of the plan in 1948, Mikhail was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Despite the difficulties and work, Mikhail graduated from school with a "silver" medal.

This allowed him to enter the Faculty of Law at Moscow State University without entrance exams, where he became the head of the Komsomol organization.

Occupying a public position, he had rather free-thinking fellow students in his environment.

His circle of friends included Zdenek Mlynář, who would become one of the leaders of the Prague Spring in the future.

In 1952, he joined the CPSU party. After 3 years, he received a law degree and was assigned to work in the prosecutor's office in Stavropol.

In 1967 he received a second higher education agronomist.

The beginning of a career in politics

He worked at the prosecutor's office for only a week. He was immediately accepted into the regional committee of the Komsomol in the department of agitation and propaganda. He worked there for 7 years, from 1955 - 1962.

During this time, he served as the first secretary of the city Komsomol committee, then the post of 2nd and 1st secretary of the regional committee of the Komsomol.

After, having the support of F.D. Kulakov, Mikhail Gorbachev's career quickly began to grow upwards.

By 1970, he was the first secretary in the regional committee of the CPSU. In addition, Mikhail has gained a good reputation in the field of agriculture.

Then he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU. He served in this service for 12 years. He rose to the position of Chairman.

Presidency years and removal from office

In March 1985, a plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU was held, at which Mikhail Gorbachev officially assumed the post of general secretary of the central committee.

He became the political leader of one of the world's superpowers - the USSR. Subsequently, his career growth began to grow rapidly.

In 1989, he was a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR as its chairman.

A year later, he becomes President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

He initiated a number of major reforms, called "perestroika", which lasted 6 years in the country (1985-1991).

As head of state, he conducted an anti-alcohol campaign, which was recognized as a big mistake.

His decisions in the international arena led to the end of the Cold War, the reduction of the threat of the use of nuclear weapons, and the unification of Germany.

Mikhail Gorbachev sought to reduce tensions between countries.

However, discontent was growing inside the country, and against its background, external achievements did not look advantageous.

On June 12, 1990, a decree was signed declaring the independence of the RSFSR. As a result, other republics began to follow this example.

In 1991, the August Putsch took place, which became the culmination of internal tensions, and its failure only completed the collapse of the allied power.

After such events, Mikhail Gorbachev was accused of treason and a criminal case was opened.

Some time later, it was closed, and M. Gorbachev himself resigned from the post of head of state.

This happened on December 25, 1991. He led the country for only 1 year.

After he became the head of an international foundation that was engaged in socio-economic and political research.

The people called it the "Gorbachev Fund". After 2 years, he led the international environmental organization "Green Cross".

Activities after retirement

In 1996, Mikhail re-participated in the election of the President of the Russian Federation. However, his candidacy was able to gain only 0.51% of the total number of votes.

In 2000, he took over as head of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which a year later merged with the SDPR (Social Democratic Party).

For the next 3 years he was the leader of this party. In 2007, by a court decision, the SDPR was liquidated.

In the same year, Mikhail Gorbachev creates social movement"Union of Social Democrats" and heads it.

In 2008 he was invited to the transfer to Vladimir Pozner. In an interview, he admitted his mistakes that led to the collapse of the USSR.

By the 80th anniversary of March 2, 2011, the current President signed a decree on awarding M. Gorbachev the Order. Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

In 2014, he went to Germany, where he opens an exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the barrier wall separating the eastern and western parts of Berlin.

On the last day of February, the ex-president of the USSR presented a book about himself, Gorbachev in Life, in his fund.

In the spring of 2016, a meeting was held with future economists at the Moscow School of Moscow State University.

At it, he publicly acknowledged responsibility for his state decisions.

Personal life

Mikhail Gorbachev was married once. Titarenko Raisa Maksimovna became his first, faithful and only legitimate companion.

They met in their student years at one of the parties organized by Raisa's friend.

Raisa was an exemplary student, she spent all her time in the library. And at first she did not like Michael.

However, the case changed everything. Raisa had serious health problems, and the only person who was around all the time was Mikhail.

With wife Raisa

On September 25, 1953, the young couple registered their relationship. Parents were simply put before the fact.

Family life almost immediately began to test the feelings of a young family for strength.

In the first year, Raisa became pregnant, but the doctors forbade her to give birth because of heart problems.

The couple had to make a difficult decision - to agree to an abortion. Then, on the recommendation of the doctor, Mikhail and his wife decide to change the climate.

They move to Stavropol, to a small village. There begins new life, and Raisa in 1957 safely gives birth to a girl - Irina.

At first, Raisa helps Mikhail in every possible way in his career. However, she also does not sit at home.

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (1985-1991), President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (March 1990 - December 1991).
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (March 11, 1985 - August 23, 1991), the first and last President of the USSR (March 15, 1990 - December 25, 1991).

Head of the Gorbachev Foundation. Since 1993, co-founder of CJSC Novaya Daily Newspaper (from the Moscow register).

Biography of Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in the village. Privolnoye, Krasnogvardeisky district, Stavropol Territory. Father: Sergei Andreevich Gorbachev. Mother: Maria Panteleevna Gopkalo.

In 1945, M. Gorbachev began working as an assistant combine operator, together with by his father. In 1947, 16-year-old combine harvester Mikhail Gorbachev received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for high grain production.

In 1950 M. Gorbachev graduated from high school with a silver medal. Immediately went to Moscow and entered the Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov at the Faculty of Law.
In 1952 M. Gorbachev joined the CPSU.

In 1953 Gorbachev married Raisa Maksimovna Titarenko, a student of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.

In 1955 he graduated from the university, he was given a referral to the regional prosecutor's office of Stavropol.

In Stavropol, Mikhail Gorbachev first became deputy head of the department of agitation and propaganda of the Stavropol regional committee of the Komsomol, after the 1st secretary of the Stavropol city committee of the Komsomol and finally the 2nd and 1st secretary of the regional committee of the Komsomol.

Mikhail Gorbachev - party work

In 1962, Mikhail Sergeevich finally switched to party work. He received the post of party organizer of the Stavropol Territorial Production Agricultural Administration. Due to the fact that N. Khrushchev's reforms are underway in the USSR, great attention is paid to agriculture. M. Gorbachev entered the correspondence department of the Stavropol Agricultural Institute.

In the same year, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was appointed head of the department of organizational and party work of the Stavropol rural regional committee of the CPSU.
In 1966 he was elected First Secretary of the Stavropol City Party Committee.

In 1967 he received a diploma from the Stavropol Agricultural Institute.

The years 1968-1970 were marked by the successive election of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, first as the 2nd and then as the 1st secretary of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the CPSU.

In 1971, Gorbachev was admitted to the Central Committee of the CPSU.

In 1978, he received the post of Secretary of the CPSU for the agro-industrial complex.

In 1980, Mikhail Sergeevich became a member of the Politburo of the CPSU.

In 1985, Gorbachev took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU, that is, he became the head of state.

In the same year, the annual meetings of the leader of the USSR with the President of the United States and leaders of foreign countries resumed.

Gorbachev's perestroika

The period of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev's rule is usually associated with the end of the era of the so-called Brezhnev's "stagnation" and with the beginning of "perestroika" - a concept familiar to the whole world.

The first event of the General Secretary was a large-scale anti-alcohol campaign (officially launched on May 17, 1985). Alcohol in the country rose sharply in price, its sale was limited. Vineyards were cut down. All this led to the fact that the people began to poison themselves with moonshine and all kinds of alcohol surrogates, and the economy suffered more losses. In response, Gorbachev puts forward the slogan "accelerate socio-economic development."

The main events of Gorbachev's reign were as follows:
On April 8, 1986, at a speech in Tolyatti at the Volga Automobile Plant, Gorbachev first uttered the word "perestroika", it became the slogan of the beginning of a new era in the USSR.
On May 15, 1986, a campaign began to intensify the fight against unearned income (the fight against tutors, flower sellers, drivers).
The anti-alcohol campaign, which began on May 17, 1985, led to a sharp increase in prices for alcoholic beverages, cutting down vineyards, the disappearance of sugar in stores and the introduction of cards for sugar, and an increase in life expectancy among the population.
The main slogan was - acceleration associated with promises to dramatically increase the industry and the welfare of the people in a short time.
Power reform, the introduction of elections to the Supreme Council and local councils on an alternative basis.
Glasnost, the actual removal of party censorship of the media.
Suppression of local ethnic conflicts, in which the authorities took tough measures (dispersal of demonstrations in Georgia, forceful dispersal of a youth rally in Alma-Ata, entry of troops into Azerbaijan, development of a long-term conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, suppression of the separatist aspirations of the Baltic republics).
During the Gorbachev period of government, there was a sharp decrease in the reproduction of the population of the USSR.
Disappearance of products from stores, hidden inflation, the introduction of a rationing system for many types of food in 1989. As a result of pumping the Soviet economy with non-cash rubles, hyperinflation occurred.
Under M.S. Gorbachev external debt The USSR reached a record high. Debts were taken by Gorbachev at high interest rates from different countries. With debts, Russia was able to pay off only 15 years after his removal from power. The gold reserves of the USSR decreased tenfold: from over 2,000 tons to 200.

Gorbachev's politics

Reform of the CPSU, the abolition of the one-party system and removal from the CPSU constitutional status of "leading and organizing force".
Rehabilitation of victims of Stalinist repressions who were not rehabilitated under.
Weakening of control over the socialist camp (Sinatra Doctrine). It led to a change of power in most socialist countries, the unification of Germany in 1990. The end of the Cold War in the United States is regarded as a victory for the American bloc.
Cessation of the war in Afghanistan and withdrawal of Soviet troops, 1988-1989
The introduction of Soviet troops against the Popular Front of Azerbaijan in Baku, January 1990, the result is more than 130 dead, including women and children.
Concealment from the public of the facts of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986

In 1987, open criticism of Mikhail Gorbachev's actions began from outside.

In 1988, at the XIX Party Conference of the CPSU, the resolution "On Glasnost" was officially adopted.

In March 1989, for the first time in the history of the USSR, free elections of people's deputies were held, as a result of which not party proteges were admitted to power, but representatives of various trends in society.

In May 1989 Gorbachev was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In the same year, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began. In October, through the efforts of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, the Berlin Wall was destroyed and Germany was reunited.

In December, in Malta, as a result of a meeting between Gorbachev and George W. Bush, the heads of state announced that their countries were no longer adversaries.

Behind successes and breakthroughs in foreign policy lies a serious crisis within the USSR itself. By 1990, food shortages had increased. Local performances began in the republics (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia).

Gorbachev President of the USSR

In 1990, M. Gorbachev was elected President of the USSR at the III Congress of People's Deputies. In the same year, in Paris, the USSR, as well as the countries of Europe, the USA and Canada, signed the "Charter for a New Europe", which actually marked the end of the "cold war" that had lasted fifty years.

In the same year, most of the republics of the USSR declared their state sovereignty.

In July 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev ceded his post as chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to Boris Yeltsin.

November 7, 1990 there was an unsuccessful attempt on M. Gorbachev.
The same year brought him the Nobel Peace Prize.

In August 1991, an attempted coup d'état (the so-called GKChP) was made in the country. The state began to rapidly disintegrate.

On December 8, 1991, a meeting of the presidents of the USSR, Belarus and Ukraine was held in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Belarus). They signed a document on the liquidation of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In 1992 M.S. Gorbachev became the head of the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Research (the "Gorbachev Foundation").

1993 brought a new post - President of the international environmental organization "Green Cross".

In 1996, Gorbachev decided to take part in the presidential elections, the social and political movement "Civil Forum" was created. In the 1st round of voting, he is eliminated from the elections with less than 1% of the vote.

She died of cancer in 1999.

In 2000, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev became the leader of the Russian United Social Democratic Party, chairman of the NTV Public Supervisory Board.

In 2001, Gorbachev began filming documentary about the politicians of the 20th century, whom he personally interviewed.

In the same year, his Russian United Social Democratic Party merged with the Russian Party of Social Democracy (RPSD) K. Titov, the Social Democratic Party of Russia was formed.

In March 2003, M. Gorbachev's book "The Facets of Globalization" was published, written by several authors under his leadership.
Gorbachev was married 1 time. Wife: Raisa Maksimovna, nee Titarenko. Children: Irina Gorbacheva (Virganskaya). Granddaughters - Ksenia and Anastasia. Great-granddaughter - Alexandra.

Years of Gorbachev's rule - results

The activities of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev as head of the CPSU and the USSR are associated with a large-scale attempt to reform in the USSR - perestroika, which ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as the end of the Cold War. The period of M. Gorbachev's reign is estimated by researchers and contemporaries ambiguously.
Conservative politicians criticize him for the economic ruin, the collapse of the Union and other consequences of the perestroika he invented.

Radical politicians blamed him for the inconsistency of the reforms and the attempt to preserve the old administrative-command system and socialism.
Many Soviet, post-Soviet and foreign politicians and journalists positively evaluated Gorbachev's reforms, democracy and glasnost, the end of the Cold War, and the unification of Germany. The evaluation of M. Gorbachev's activities abroad of the former Soviet Union is more positive and less controversial than in the post-Soviet space.

List of works written by M. Gorbachev:
"A Time for Peace" (1985)
"The Coming Century of Peace" (1986)
Peace Has No Alternative (1986)
Moratorium (1986)
"Selected Speeches and Articles" (vols. 1-7, 1986-1990)
"Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and for the World" (1987)
"August coup. Causes and Effects (1991)
“December-91. My position "(1992)
"Years difficult decisions» (1993)
"Life and Reforms" (2 volumes, 1995)
"Reformers are never happy" (dialogue with Zdeněk Mlynář, in Czech, 1995)
"I want to warn ..." (1996)
"Moral Lessons of the 20th Century" in 2 volumes (dialogue with D. Ikeda, in Japanese, German, French, 1996)
"Reflections on the October Revolution" (1997)
“New thinking. Politics in the Age of Globalization” (co-authored with V. Zagladin and A. Chernyaev, in German, 1997)
"Reflections on the Past and Future" (1998)
"Understanding Perestroika... Why It Matters Now" (2006)

During his reign, Gorbachev received the nicknames "Bear", "Hunchbacked", "Tagged Bear", "Mineral Secretary", "Lemonade Joe", "Gorby".
Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev played himself in Wim Wenders' feature film So Far, So Close! (1993) and participated in a number of other documentaries.

In 2004, he received a Grammy Award for voicing Sergei Prokofiev's musical fairy tale "Peter and the Wolf" with Sophia Loren and Bill Clinton.

Mikhail Gorbachev has received many prestigious foreign awards and prizes:
Prize to them. Indira Gandhi for 1987
Golden Dove for Peace Award for contributions to peace and disarmament, Rome, November 1989.
Peace Prize. Albert Einstein for his great contribution to the struggle for peace and understanding among peoples (Washington, June 1990)
Honorary Prize "Historical figure" of an influential religious organization in the United States - "Conscience Appeal Foundation" (Washington, June 1990)
International Peace Prize Martin Luther King Jr. For a World Without Violence 1991
Benjamin M. Cardoso Prize for Democracy (New York, USA, 1992)
International Prize "Golden Pegasus" (Tuscany, Italy, 1994)
King David Prize (USA, 1997) and many others.
Awarded with the following orders and medals: Order of the Red Banner of Labor, 3 Orders of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, Order of the Badge of Honor, Gold Commemorative Medal of Belgrade (Yugoslavia, March 1988), Silver Medal of the Seimas of the People's Republic of Poland for outstanding contribution to the development and strengthening of international cooperation, friendship and interaction between Poland and the USSR (Poland, July 1988), Commemorative medal of the Sorbonne, Rome, Vatican, USA, "Star of the Hero" (Israel, 1992), Gold medal of Thessaloniki (Greece, 1993), Gold Badge of the University of Oviedo ( Spain, 1994), Republic of Korea, Order of the Association of Latin American Unity in Korea "Grand Cross of Simon Bolivar for Unity and Freedom" (Republic of Korea, 1994).

Gorbachev is a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Agatha (San Marino, 1994) and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (Portugal, 1995).

Speaking at various universities around the world, with lectures in the form of stories about the USSR, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev also has honorary titles and honorary degrees, mainly as a good herald and peacemaker.

He is also an Honorary Citizen of many foreign cities, including Berlin, Florence, Dublin, etc.