Mikhail Gorbachev also known as The Marked One Essays - Politics

Mikhail Gorbachev also known as The Marked One', is known to be the leader of the Soviet Union born in March 2, 1931. He was the last leader to command the Soviet Union before it dissolved in 1991. He brought many reforms to the Soviet Union including new freedoms which led to many countries breaking away from the Soviet Union claiming independence. One of his most notable actions would be creating a good relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher helped in ending the Cold War period. Mikhail Gorbachev was born in Stavropol, Russia in the year 1931. Both his parents had occupations in relation to agricultural jobs, which he also worked in while attending school. Gorbachev's upbringing was not easy, nor was it pleasant. In 1933 a famine plagued Russia, at which during this event both Gorbachev's sisters passed away. In 1937 his grandfather was arrested for following Leon Trotsky and later on in 1942 his hometown was occupied by Germans in World War II. Through all of those hardships, Gorbachev attended the Moscow University in 1950 and was given a degree in Law, also the place where he met his wife. After that he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). He started his involvement in Communism by joining the Communist Youth Organization and became the leader in the Stavropol division. Over the next several years Gorbachev became a leader in the Communist party and later moved to Moscow in 1971. He became a force in Moscow gaining influence with powerful leaders such as Yuri Andropov allowing him to be selected as a member in the Politburo, the strongest group in the Communist Party. With immense influence that he gives in the Politburo group, after the leader of the group passed away in 1984 and 1985 the communist party is looking forward to a new leader. And later on in March 11th 1995 Mikhail Gorbachev became and was appointed to become the General Secretary of the Soviet Union. When Gorbachev took the position the Soviet Union was struggling and he wanted to reform the economy and also the governmental system. Gorbachev had 2 main ideas for the reformation, something he called Glasnost' and Perestroika'. Glasnost demands for increased openness in the government, and also the loosening rules that oppressed freedom of speech with less censorship of the media. Perestroika was the restructuring of the economy and the industry. Enabling people to open private businesses and economic reform to try and improve the Soviet economy. Gorbachev also has made attempts to try and resolve problems in the west and stop the cold war. He met with President Ronald Reagan and signed the INF treaty regarding nuclear weapons. He also removed Soviet troops from Afghanistan, ending the Soviet Afghanistan War. The Berlin Wall was also torn down during his reign, indicating that the Soviet Union would not temper with other countries in Eastern Europe. Enabling countries like Poland to remove their communist governments. Even though Gorbachev's reforms and changes allowed freedom, many states under his control used that chance to retaliate and eventually gain independence. By the end of 1991 Gorbachev resigned as the leader of the Soviet Union and it separated into 15 countries. Based on my own opinion, what Gorbachev did was great and awful at the same time. All the reforms that he did alongside all the changes he made to improve the Soviet economy is absolutely great. That improved the living conditions and lives of the people living under his rule. However, what he did is also terrible because that freedom he allowed induces retaliations by his people and ended up splitting the union.