Mikhail S. Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) was former USSR president. He graduated from Moscow State University and served as secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and presidium chairman of the Supreme Soviet. Mr. Gorbachev led policies of perestroika (reconstruction) and glasnost (transparency) for democratization. Involved in disarmament, he took the initiative in ending the Cold War through US-USSR summit meetings. He served as the first USSR president in 1990 and resigned in 1991. Mr. Gorbachev headed the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (Gorbachev Fund) and the International Green Cross/Green Crescent.