Moscow: Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet union and the end of the Cold War, died on Tuesday. He was ill for a long time. He breathed his last at the age of 91. Russian news agency Sputnik quoted a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital as saying that he died after a prolonged illness. Apart from this, no other information has been given. Russian President Putin has expressed grief over his death. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Putin expressed grief over Gorbachev’s death on Wednesday morning. He will also send condolence messages to his family.
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the United union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He wanted to reform the communist regime on the lines of democratic principles by giving freedom to the citizens. In 1989, when pro-democracy protests in the Soviet union in communist Eastern Europe intensified, Gorbachev refrained from using force. He recognized the policy of Glasnost. Gorbachev also started a program of economic reform called Perestroika. Cultural freedom was given to the press and the artistic community during his time.
He introduced radical reforms to reduce the party’s control over the government machinery. Thousands of political prisoners and dissidents were released. He is also known for the success of the nuclear disarmament agreement with the United States. After leaving the presidency, Gorbachev received many awards and honors around the world. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
According to The New York Times, Gorbachev’s first five years in power were filled with significant achievements. He presided over an arms deal with the US that for the first time eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons and began the withdrawal of most Soviet strategic nuclear weapons from Eastern Europe. According to US media outlets, he had withdrawn Soviet forces from Afghanistan. His doing so was a tacit acknowledgment that the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan and the nine-year occupation had failed.
Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in a poor family. He grew up and grew up under Stalin’s rule. He had studied law. He was the last President of the Soviet union (1990–91). Prior to this he was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet union from 1985 to 1991. From 1988 to 1989 he was chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. From 1988 to 1991, he was the state country chief. From 1989 to 1990 he served as chairman of the Supreme Soviet.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev had to resign from the presidency. Although he said many times that he did not want the Soviet union to disintegrate at all. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev again contested in Russia, but he suffered a tremendous defeat, he finished seventh in the presidential election. He later became a fierce critic of Putin.