Breaking News

Mikhail Gorbachev Fast Facts

CNN Library

Updated 1937 GMT (0337 HKT) March 6, 2019

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Mikhail Gorbachev at a conference in Moscow in 2001. Gorbachev led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its fall in 1991. He changed the world's expectations of the Soviet Union by striving to make a more efficient and democratic state that participated in global politics.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – Mikhail Gorbachev at a conference in Moscow in 2001. Gorbachev led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its fall in 1991. He changed the world's expectations of the Soviet Union by striving to make a more efficient and democratic state that participated in global politics.
Hide Caption
1 of 29
A 4-year-old Gorbachev in Privolnoe, Ukraine, circa 1935.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – A 4-year-old Gorbachev in Privolnoe, Ukraine, circa 1935.
Hide Caption
2 of 29
Gorbachev attends a celebration of the anniversary of the October Revolution in Moscow in 1984.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – Gorbachev attends a celebration of the anniversary of the October Revolution in Moscow in 1984.
Hide Caption
3 of 29
Gorbachev and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in England in 1984.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – Gorbachev and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in England in 1984.
Hide Caption
4 of 29
French President Francois Mitterrand with Gorbachev in Moscow in 1985.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – French President Francois Mitterrand with Gorbachev in Moscow in 1985.
Hide Caption
5 of 29
President Ronald Reagan talks with Gorbachev during a two-day summit between the United States and the Soviet Union in Geneva in 1985.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – President Ronald Reagan talks with Gorbachev during a two-day summit between the United States and the Soviet Union in Geneva in 1985.
Hide Caption
6 of 29
Gorbachev at a news conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – Gorbachev at a news conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986.
Hide Caption
7 of 29
Gorbachev greets well-wishers during a visit to Prague in 1987.
Photos: Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader
Gorbachev: The USSR's final leader – Gorbachev greets well-wishers during a visit to Prague in 1987.
Hide Caption
8 of 29