Photo selection: the only president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev. The years of Gorbachev's life: biography of the leader

Mikhail Gorbachev was born into a peasant family in the Stavropol Territory. During his school years, he worked on a collective farm. The work did not prevent him from graduating from school with a silver medal and entering Moscow State University. After graduating with honors from the Faculty of Law, Gorbachev soon received the post of deputy head of the department of agitation and propaganda of the Stavropol regional committee of the Komsomol. A few years later, he advanced to the position of First Secretary of the Komsomol Regional Committee, and later - First Secretary of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the CPSU. In 1978 he was elected secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and 10 years later he took the post of chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Mikhail Gorbachev became the first and last president of the USSR.

This post was introduced on 15 March 1990 and abolished on 25 December 1991. Even before taking office, Gorbachev launched the policy of perestroika. A number of reforms were supposed to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country. Reform plans were developed back in 1983-1984 on behalf of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Yuri Andropov. Gorbachev spoke about the need for reforms in 1985 at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU. “Apparently, comrades, we all need to reorganize. Everyone,” he said then, and two years later he moved on to the implementation of his plans.

The purpose of the reforms was the democratization of the socio-political and economic system that had developed in the USSR. By 2000, it was planned to double the economic potential of the USSR. One of the important elements of perestroika was the introduction of the policy of publicity - now the negative aspects of the life of society were openly covered. Creativity became freer, many previously banned works were published.

However, by 1989 the changes were out of control of the authorities.

Economic growth slowed down, and in 1990 was completely replaced by a fall. The standard of living of the population fell sharply, the USSR was gripped by poverty, unemployment and a shortage of goods. Not knowing what to expect from the future, people went abroad.

By 1991, private property was legalized in the USSR and the currency and stock markets were formed, the philosophy of foreign policy was reduced to unilateral concessions to Western countries. Union and autonomous republics one after another declared their independence. They no longer paid taxes to the union and federal budgets, which further shattered the economy of the USSR. The gold reserves, which in 1985 amounted to 2,500 tons, decreased to 240, the external debt increased from $31 billion to $70 billion (according to other sources, from $25 billion to $104 billion), the ruble against the dollar rose almost 150 times.

A few days earlier, Gorbachev had met with Boris Yeltsin to discuss some aspects of the transfer of power.

On December 25, Mikhail Gorbachev made a televised speech announcing his resignation.

“Dear compatriots, fellow citizens,” he said, pausing between words. - Due to the current situation with the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, I stop my activities as President of the USSR. I am making this decision for reasons of principle... I firmly stood for the independence, independence of the peoples, for the sovereignty of the republics. But at the same time, for the preservation of the union state, the integrity of the country. Events took a different path. The line on the dismemberment of the country and the division of the state prevailed, with which I cannot agree.

I leave my post with anxiety, but also with hope.

With faith in you, in your wisdom and fortitude. I wish you all the very best."

The recording shows how worried Gorbachev is, you can hear how his voice trembles. After saying that, he sits silently for several seconds, now looking at the camera, then turning away. Then he collects the papers laid out on the table in front of him and takes off his glasses.

On the same day, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decided to rename the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic into the Russian Federation.

“Shortly before the start, I came to the office of Mikhail Sergeyevich. He was upset, but at the same time so focused, ”recalled the main director of the Vremya program, Kaleria Kislova.

“I made one mistake. I had to go all the way."

- Gorbachev said later in one of the documentaries about the collapse of the USSR.

The next day, the news of Gorbachev's departure from the presidency made headlines in many newspapers.

Gorbachev is leaving. But the trace left by him in the annals of the world does not disappear, ”wrote Pravda.

Gorbachev is now president of the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Science Research. In 2008, in an interview with TV journalist Vladimir Pozner, he said: “But I will tell you: we all made a mistake three more times. Late with the reform of the party. Second, we are late with the reform of the Union. And the third ... When it became difficult for us, especially after 1989, in 1990 - when the whole country was in queues and we did not have enough goods to satisfy these requests, when we could be broken in line for Italian shoes ... We had to to find $ 10-15 billion. They could be found ... ”Also, in other speeches on television, he insisted that perestroika had won and democratic reforms had begun during his reign.

Mikhail Gorbachev received about 70 different awards, orders and prizes, including the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his "leading role in the peace process, which today characterizes an important part of the life of the international community."

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

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for establishing relations with foreign countries, including for ending the Cold War with the United States.

During his activity, the most significant events took place that had a great influence on 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.

The 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 as an 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 created the social movement "Union of Social Democrats" and headed 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 government 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. A new life begins there, and in 1957 Raisa successfully 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, unfolding of a long-term conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, suppression of 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, the external debt of 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 making a documentary about 20th-century politicians 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

With the activities of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev as head of the CPSU and the USSR, a large-scale attempt to reform in the USSR is connected - 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 assessment 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 of 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 such 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.

Mikhail Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in the village of Privolnoye, Stavropol Territory. The boy grew up in a peasant family. In 1948, together with his father, he worked on a combine and even received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for success in harvesting. In 1950, the young man graduated from school with a silver medal and entered Moscow University at the Faculty of Law. In 1952 Mikhail became a member of the party.

After graduating from Moscow State University in 1955, Gorbachev, as secretary of the Komsomol organization of the faculty, achieved distribution to the USSR prosecutor's office. However, just then, the government adopted a closed decree prohibiting the employment of graduates of law schools in the central bodies of the court and the prosecutor's office.

Returning to the Stavropol Territory, he decided not to get involved with the prosecutor's office and got a job at the Komsomol regional committee as deputy head of the agitation and propaganda department. Komsomolskaya, and then the party career of Mikhail Sergeevich developed very successfully. In 1961, Gorbachev was appointed first secretary of the regional committee of the Komsomol, the following year he transferred to party work, and in 1966 he held the post of first secretary of the Stavropol city committee of the Communist Party. At the same time, he graduated from the local agricultural institute in absentia.

In November 1978, Gorbachev assumed the post of Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In this appointment, the recommendations of the closest associates of Leonid Brezhnev, Konstantin Chernenko, Yuri Andropov played a role. Two years later, Mikhail Sergeevich turned out to be the youngest member of the Political Bureau. In the near future, he dreamed of becoming the first person in the party and the state.

When Andropov died and Konstantin Chernenko came to power for an equally short period, Gorbachev became the second man in the party and the most likely "heir" to the aged general secretary.

Chernenko's death paved the way for Gorbachev to power. At the plenum of the Central Committee on March 11, 1985, he was elected general secretary of the party. At the next April plenum, Mikhail Sergeevich proclaimed a course towards restructuring and accelerating the development of the country. He called publicity one of the conditions for the success of the reforms. This has not yet become full-fledged freedom of speech, but at least the opportunity to talk about the shortcomings of society in the press, though without affecting the members of the Politburo and the foundations of the Soviet system.

Gorbachev hoped that by remaining the leader of a socialist country, he could win respect in the world. The politician sincerely believed that a new political thinking should triumph: recognition of the priority of universal human values ​​over class and national ones, the need to unite all peoples and states to jointly solve global problems facing humanity.

In contrast to the policy of glasnost, when it is enough to order to weaken, and then to actually abolish censorship, his other undertakings were a combination of administrative coercion with propaganda. At the end of his reign, Gorbachev, having become president, no longer tried to rely on the party apparatus, as his predecessors, but on the government and a team of assistants. Mikhail Sergeevich leaned more and more towards the social democratic model.

However, Gorbachev abandoned communist dogmas too slowly, only under the influence of the growth of anti-communist sentiment in society and outbreaks of rallies for Boris Yeltsin. But even during the August 1991 coup, Gorbachev still hoped to retain power and, returning from the Crimean state dacha, declared that he believed in socialist values ​​and would fight for them at the head of the reformed communist party.

In his last speech as President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Sergeevich took credit for the fact that "society has gained freedom, has become liberated politically and spiritually." Indeed, free elections, freedom of the press, religious freedom, and a multi-party system have become real. Human rights are recognized as the highest principle.

The foreign policy of Mikhail Gorbachev, who finally liquidated the Iron Curtain, ensured his respect in the world. In 1990, the President of the USSR was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for activities aimed at developing international cooperation.

At the same time, Gorbachev's indecisiveness, his desire to find a compromise that would suit both conservatives and radicals, led to the fact that the transformations in the country's economy did not begin. The political settlement of interethnic contradictions, which eventually collapsed the “strong, mighty, indestructible” Soviet Union, was not achieved either.

In 2016, the politician admitted his 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 the same year, Mikhail Gorbachev was banned from entering Ukraine. In September 2017, he presented a new autobiographical book “I Remain an Optimist”, in which, along with plots from the biography of a politician, harsh criticism of modern Russia, the political and social situation in the country was voiced.

Mikhail Gorbachev awards

Knight of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (Russian Federation)
Commander of the Order of Honor
Cavalier of the Order of Lenin
Knight of the Order of the October Revolution
Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor
Cavalier of the Order of the Badge of Honor
Medal "For Labor Valor"
Medal "For Strengthening the Combat Commonwealth"
Recipient of the Philadelphia Medal of Freedom
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion
Commander of the French Order of Arts and Letters
Knight of the Order of Christopher Columbus
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Agatha
Knight Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of Liberty
Knight Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany

Literary creativity of Mikhail Gorbachev

"A Time for Peace" (1985). Richardson & Steirman & Black Publishing
"The Coming Century of Peace" (1986)
Peace Has No Alternative (1986)
Moratorium (1986)
"Selected Speeches and Articles" (vols. 1-7, 1986-1990)
"Perestroika and new thinking for our country and for the whole world" (1st ed. - 1987)
"August coup. Causes and Effects (1991)
“December-91. My position "(1992)
"Years of 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)
"How It Was: The Unification of Germany" (1999)
"Understanding Perestroika... Why It Matters Now" (2006)
Gorbachev M. S., Ivanchenko A. V., Lebedev A. E. (ed.) “Legislative regulation of the status of public authorities in the Russian Federation. National Center for Monitoring Democratic Procedures, (2007),
"Mikhail Gorbachev and the German Question" Sat. documents. 1986-1991 / comp. A.A. Galkin, A.S. Chernyaev. - M.: Ves Mir, 2006. - 696 p.
"Alone with myself". - M.: Green Street, 2012. - 816 p.
"After the Kremlin". - M.: Ves Mir, 2014. - 416 p.
"Gorbachev in life" / comp. K.Karagezyan, V.Polyakov. - 2nd ed. - M.: Ves Mir, 2017. - 752 p.
Gorbachev M.S., “I remain an optimist”, (2017).

Family of Mikhail Gorbachev

Wife - Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva (nee Titarenko), died at the age of 67, in 1999, from leukemia. She has lived and worked in Moscow for over 30 years.

Daughter - Irina Mikhailovna Virganskaya (born January 6, 1957), works in Moscow, first husband Anatoly Olegovich Virgansky (born July 31, 1957) - vascular surgeon of the Moscow First City Hospital (marriage from April 15, 1978 to 1993), second husband Andrei Mikhailovich Trukhachev is a businessman, engaged in transportation (marriage since September 26, 2006).

Ksenia Anatolyevna Virganskaya-Gorbacheva (born January 21, 1980).
Anastasia Anatolyevna Virganskaya (born March 27, 1987).

One of the most popular Russian politicians in the West during the last decades of the twentieth century is Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev. The years of his reign greatly changed our country, as well as the situation in the world. This is one of the most controversial figures, according to public opinion. Gorbachev's perestroika causes an ambiguous attitude in our country. This politician is called both the gravedigger of the Soviet Union and the great reformer.

Biography of Gorbachev

Gorbachev's story begins in 1931, on March 2. It was then that Mikhail Sergeevich was born. He was born in Stavropol, in the village of Privolnoye. He was born and raised in a peasant family. In 1948, he worked with his father on a combine and received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for success in harvesting. Gorbachev graduated from school with a silver medal in 1950. After that, he entered the law faculty of Moscow University. Gorbachev later admitted that at that time he had a rather vague idea of ​​what law and jurisprudence were. However, he was impressed by the position of the prosecutor or judge.

In his student years, Gorbachev lived in a hostel, at one time received an increased scholarship for Komsomol work and excellent studies, but nevertheless he could barely make ends meet. He became a party member in 1952.

Once in a club Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich met Raisa Titarenko, a student of the Faculty of Philosophy. They got married in 1953, in September. Mikhail Sergeevich graduated from Moscow State University in 1955 and was sent to work in the USSR Prosecutor's Office for distribution. However, it was then that the government adopted a decree according to which it was forbidden to employ graduates of law schools in the central prosecutor's offices and courts. Khrushchev, as well as his associates, considered that one of the reasons for the repression carried out in the 1930s was the dominance of inexperienced young judges and prosecutors in the bodies, ready to obey any instructions from the leadership. So Mikhail Sergeevich, whose two grandfathers suffered from repression, became a victim of the struggle against the cult of personality and its consequences.

At administrative work

Gorbachev returned to Stavropol and decided not to contact the prosecutor's office anymore. He got a job in the department of agitation and propaganda in the regional committee of the Komsomol - he became the deputy head of this department. Komsomol, and then the party career of Mikhail Sergeevich developed very successfully. Gorbachev's political activity bore fruit. He was appointed in 1961 the first secretary of the local regional committee of the Komsomol. Gorbachev began party work the following year, and then, in 1966, became the first secretary of the Stavropol City Party Committee.

This is how the career of this politician gradually developed. Even then, the main shortcoming of this future reformer appeared: Mikhail Sergeevich, accustomed to selflessly working, could not ensure that his orders were conscientiously carried out by his subordinates. This characterization of Gorbachev, according to some, led to the collapse of the USSR.

Moscow

Gorbachev in November 1978 becomes the secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. An important role in this appointment was played by the recommendations of L. I. Brezhnev's closest associates - Andropov, Suslov and Chernenko. Mikhail Sergeevich after 2 years becomes the youngest of all members of the Politburo. He wants to become the first person in the state and in the party in the near future. Even the fact that Gorbachev, in essence, occupied a "penal post" - the secretary responsible for agriculture could not prevent this. After all, this sector of the Soviet economy was the most disadvantaged. Mikhail Sergeevich still remained in this position after Brezhnev's death. But Andropov already then advised him to delve into all matters in order to be ready at any moment to take full responsibility. When Andropov died and Chernenko came to power for a short time, Mikhail Sergeevich became the second person in the party, as well as the most likely "heir" of this general secretary.

In the political circles of the West, Gorbachev was first known for his visit to Canada in 1983, in May. He went there for a week with the personal permission of Andropov, who was General Secretary at that time. Pierre Trudeau, the prime minister of this country, became the first major leader of the West to receive Gorbachev personally and treat him with sympathy. Meeting with other Canadian politicians, Gorbachev gained a reputation in that country as an energetic and ambitious politician who contrasted sharply with his elderly Politburo colleagues. He showed considerable interest in the methods of economic management and the moral values ​​of the West, including democracy.

Gorbachev's perestroika

Chernenko's death opened the way to power for Gorbachev. On March 11, 1985, the Plenum of the Central Committee elected Gorbachev as General Secretary. Mikhail Sergeevich in the same year at the April plenum proclaimed a course towards accelerating the development of the country and perestroika. These terms, which appeared under Andropov, did not immediately become widespread. This happened only after the XXVII Congress of the CPSU, which was held in February 1986. Gorbachev called glasnost one of the main conditions for the success of the upcoming reforms. Gorbachev's time could not yet be called full-fledged freedom of speech. But it was possible, at least, to speak in the press about the shortcomings of society, without touching, however, the foundations of the Soviet system and the members of the Politburo. However, already in 1987, in January, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev declared that there should be no zones closed to criticism in society.

Principles of foreign and domestic policy

The new general secretary did not have a clear reform plan. Only the memory of Khrushchev's "thaw" remained with Gorbachev. In addition, he believed that the calls of the leaders, if they were honest, and these calls themselves were correct, could reach ordinary performers within the framework of the party-state system that existed at that time and thereby change life for the better. Gorbachev was firmly convinced of this. The years of his reign were marked by the fact that for all 6 years he spoke about the need for united and energetic actions, about the need for everyone to act constructively.

He hoped that, being the leader of a socialist state, he could win world prestige, based not on fear, but, above all, on a reasonable policy, unwillingness to justify the country's totalitarian past. Gorbachev, whose years of rule are often referred to as "perestroika", believed that new political thinking should prevail. It should include recognition of the priority of universal human values ​​over national and class values, the need to unite states and peoples to jointly solve the problems facing humanity.

Publicity policy

During the reign of Gorbachev, general democratization began in our country. Political persecution has ceased. The oppression of censorship has weakened. Many prominent people returned from exile and prisons: Marchenko, Sakharov, and others. The policy of glasnost, which was launched by the Soviet leadership, changed the spiritual life of the country's population. Increased interest in television, radio, print media. In 1986 alone, magazines and newspapers acquired more than 14 million new readers. All these, of course, are essential advantages of Gorbachev and his policy.

Mikhail Sergeevich's slogan, under which he carried out all the transformations, was the following: "More democracy, more socialism." However, his understanding of socialism gradually changed. Back in 1985, in April, Gorbachev said at the Politburo that when Khrushchev brought criticism of Stalin's actions to incredible proportions, this only brought great damage to the country. Glasnost soon led to an even greater wave of anti-Stalinist criticism, which during the years of the "thaw" never dreamed of.

Anti-alcohol reform

The idea of ​​this reform was initially very positive. Gorbachev wanted to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed in the country per capita, as well as begin the fight against drunkenness. However, the campaign, as a result of too radical actions, led to unexpected results. The reform itself and the further rejection of the state monopoly led to the fact that the bulk of the income in this area went to the shadow sector. A lot of start-up capital in the 90s was knocked together on "drunk" money by private traders. The treasury quickly emptied. As a result of this reform, many valuable vineyards were cut down, which led to the disappearance of entire sectors of industry in some republics (in particular, in Georgia). The anti-alcohol reform also contributed to the growth of moonshine, substance abuse and drug addiction, and multibillion-dollar losses formed in the budget.

Gorbachev's reforms in foreign policy

In November 1985, Gorbachev met with Ronald Reagan, President of the United States. Both sides recognized the need to improve bilateral relations, as well as to improve the entire international situation. Gorbachev's foreign policy led to the conclusion of the START treaties. Mikhail Sergeevich, with a statement dated 01/15/1986, put forward a number of major initiatives devoted to foreign policy issues. Chemical and nuclear weapons were to be completely eliminated by the year 2000, and strict control was to be exercised during their destruction and storage. All these are the most important reforms of Gorbachev.

Reasons for failure

In contrast to the course aimed at publicity, when it was enough just to order the weakening and then actually abolish censorship, his other undertakings (for example, the sensational anti-alcohol campaign) were a combination with propaganda of administrative coercion. Gorbachev, whose years of rule were marked by an increase in freedom in all spheres, at the end of his reign, becoming president, he sought to rely, unlike his predecessors, not on the party apparatus, but on a team of assistants and the government. He leaned more and more towards the social democratic model. S. S. Shatalin said that he managed to turn the general secretary into a convinced Menshevik. But Mikhail Sergeevich abandoned the dogmas of communism too slowly, only under the influence of the growth of anti-communist sentiments in society. Gorbachev, even during the events of 1991 (the August coup), hoped to still retain power and, returning from Foros (Crimea), where he had a state dacha, declared that he believed in the values ​​of socialism and would fight for them, heading the reformed Communist Party. It is obvious that he was never able to rebuild himself. Mikhail Sergeevich in many respects remained a party secretary, who was accustomed not only to privileges, but also to power independent of the people's will.

Merits of M. S. Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeevich, in his last speech as president of the country, took credit for the fact that the population of the state received freedom, spiritually and politically liberated. Freedom of the press, free elections, a multi-party system, representative bodies of power, and religious freedoms have become real. Human rights were recognized as the highest principle. A movement towards a new multi-structural economy began, the equality of forms of ownership was approved. Gorbachev finally ended the Cold War. During his reign, the militarization of the country and the arms race, which disfigured the economy, morality and public consciousness, were stopped.

The foreign policy of Gorbachev, who finally eliminated the "Iron Curtain", ensured respect for Mikhail Sergeyevich all over the world. In 1990, the President of the USSR was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for activities aimed at developing cooperation between countries.

At the same time, some indecision of Mikhail Sergeyevich, his desire to find a compromise that would suit both radicals and conservatives, led to the fact that transformations in the state economy never began. The political settlement of contradictions, interethnic enmity, which eventually ruined the country, was never achieved. History is hardly capable of answering the question of whether, in Gorbachev's place, anyone else could have saved the USSR and the socialist system.

Conclusion

The subject of supreme power, as the ruler of the state, must have full rights. MS Gorbachev, the leader of the party, who concentrated state and party power in his person, without being popularly elected to this post, in this respect was significantly inferior in the eyes of the public to B. Yeltsin. The latter became, in the end, the president of Russia (1991). Gorbachev, as if compensating for this shortcoming during his reign, increased his power, tried to achieve various powers. However, he did not comply with the laws and did not force others to do so. Therefore, the characterization of Gorbachev is so ambiguous. Politics is, first of all, the art of acting wisely.

Among the many accusations against Gorbachev, perhaps the most significant was that he was indecisive. However, if we compare the significant scale of the breakthrough made by him, and the short period of being in power, this can be argued. In addition to all of the above, the Gorbachev era was marked by the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the holding of the first competitive free elections in the history of Russia, the elimination of the party's monopoly on power that existed before him. As a result of Gorbachev's reforms, the world has changed significantly. He will never be the same again. Without political will and courage, it is impossible to do this. One can relate to Gorbachev in different ways, but, of course, this is one of the largest figures in modern history.