Ben Whedon, Just the News: Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev dies at 91
The Soviet Union's final leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has died at the age of 91, roughly 30 years after the collapse of the communist superpower he once led.
“Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev died this evening after a severe and prolonged illness,” according to a statement from the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital, per CNN.
Gorbachev served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985-1991 and held the office of president from 1990 to 1991 until his fall from power, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
During his tenure, he worked to de-escalate tensions between the communist bloc and the Western powers while also pushing the Soviet Union toward democratic reforms, in a policy he termed glaznost or "openness." Many historians and analysts have pointed to this policy as a reason for the country's ultimate collapse.
He also pursued perestroika, or “restructuring,” which included programs to introduce more free market elements to the Soviet economy, though this was met with intense resistance from entrenched communist bureaucrats.
Read the rest here.
Comments