Mikhail Gorbachev, last Soviet Leader passes away

Context

Mikhail Gorbachev -- the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 -- has died at the age of 91.

About

About Mikhail Gorbachev:

Born in Privolnoye (Russia), he was general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991.
He became president of the Soviet Union in 1990 - 91.

Contribution of Mikhail Gorbachev:

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022) played a key role in
- 1989: ending the Cold War and triggering the demise of the Soviet Union
- allowed Eastern Europe to free itself from Soviet rule
- taking down the long-standing Iron Curtain separating Eastern communist states and Western non-communist states
- cultivating friendlier relations with non-communist states, including and especially the United States
Gorbachev worked with U.S. President Ronald Reagan to lessen the political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In 1990 Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize for his “leading role in the peace process” in Europe.

Early Life of Gorbachev:

He was the son of Russian peasants in South-western Russia of Stavropol territory (Kray).
He joined the Komsomol (Young Communist League) in 1946 and drove a combine harvester at a state farm in Stavropol for the next four years.
He proved a promising Komsomol member in 1952.
He entered the law school of Moscow State University and became a member of the Communist Party.
He graduated with a degree in law in 1955.
He hold several posts in the Komsomol and become the first secretary of the regional party committee in 1970.