Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the now disintegrated Gargantuan state of the Soviet Union, breathed his last on August 30, 2022. While he is celebrated by many as the man who could bring the Cold War to an end, saving the world from another global war, there are others who despise him as the man responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even though he was in power for less than seven years, he sparked an astounding chain of numerous events that led to the Soviet Union’s demise, the liberation of countries in Eastern Europe from Russian rule, and the end of years of East-West nuclear hostilities.
Here Are A Few Lesser-Known Facts About The Late Soviet Leader-
1) Gorbachev ascended the Soviet political hierarchy and became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985. He served as the premier of the union till its dissolution in December of 1992.
2) The late leader was also a recipient of the prestigious Nobel Peace prize in 1990 for his efforts and stellar role in ending the Cold War by bringing in reforms and adopting a more liberal, democratic, and conciliatory approach to dealing with issues. The multitude of reforms he introduced included a political dimension- steps like freeing political prisoners, allowing multi-candidate elections, debates in the public sphere, reduction in religious oppression, etc. These reforms also had an economic dimension- opening up different sectors of the economy, allowing freedom for citizens to travel, etc. His reforms are usually briefly condensed into two popular Russian phrases- “Perestroika”, meaning “Restructuring” (of the economy, political system, etc.) and “Glasnost”, meaning “Openness” (w.r.t to governance, political system, etc.).
3) In 1997, he also acted in a TV advertisement for the popular brand- Pizza Hut to earn money for a charitable foundation he had opened up. The advert subtly plays on one of the significant reforms Gorbachev brought in, and that was the opening up of the Soviet economy to foreign companies.
4) He offered assistance to Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s top independent newspaper, which was founded in 1993. He donated a portion of his Nobel Prize money to help it purchase its first computers as a supporter of free speech.
5) The Soviet leader has a birthmark on his forehead called a “Port Wine Stain”. Named for its red-wine colour, this skin blemish usually is present from birth, most often affecting the face or arms. It is caused by a malformation of blood vessels and appears either as a flat or pebbly patch of purplish-red skin.
6) Gorbachev wasn’t done with politics after the disastrous collapse of the Soviet Union and attempted to come back but failed miserably. He polled less than 1% of the national vote in the 1996 Russian Presidential elections and since then quit politics for all time.