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Brief biography of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev. Biography of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev briefly Gorbachev's board summary

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Brief biography of Mikhail Gorbachev

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich - Russian-Soviet politician, and the last General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, as well as the first president in the history of the USSR. Born on March 2, 1931 in the village of Privolnoye in the North Caucasus region. The parents of the future politician were ordinary peasants. Both of his grandfathers were subjected to repression during the years of collectivization, and Mikhail’s father took part in the Great Patriotic War and was awarded honorary awards - the Order of the Red Star and the Medal “For Courage”.

Mikhail himself was a promising student at school, and then entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow State University. He completed his studies with honors and was immediately sent to Stavropol to work in the regional prosecutor's office. By 1955, he was already the first secretary of the regional party committee. He always took an active part in social events. In the early 1960s, he was elected head of the department of organizational and party work. From 1966 to 1978, he alternately occupied the place of first and then second secretary of the regional CPSU.

At the same time, he studied as an agronomist-economist, so after 1978 he was appointed Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee for Agriculture. The turning point in his life came in March 1985, when he was elected General Secretary of the same Central Committee. Five years later, the presidential job was added to this position. Mikhail Sergeevich became the first and last president in the history of the USSR. Activities in such a high position were accompanied by many economic and socio-political reforms.

A year later, through a coup, he was removed from power. Around the same period, he was awarded the Nobel Prize. When he returned to his post, he did not serve as president for long, namely until the collapse of the Soviet Union, which occurred in December 1991. After resigning, the politician did not give up active work. To begin with, on the basis of research institutes, he created a foundation for socio-economic and political research of international level. In 1996, he put forward his candidacy for the post of President of the Russian Federation.

In 2000, he headed the newly created Social Democratic Party. During his political and socio-economic career, Gorbachev was awarded over 300 prizes and awards, and also received honorary academic degrees from various universities around the world. The politician's wife was Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva (Titarenko), who was also an active public figure. Their only daughter Irina is a candidate of medical sciences and vice-president of the Gorbachev Foundation.

Soviet party and state, as well as Russian public figure. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (1985-1991), President of the USSR (1990-1991).

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in the village of Medvezhensky district of the North Caucasus region of the RSFSR (now in) in the family of MTS machine operator Sergei Andreevich Gorbachev (1909-1976).

In the village of Privolnoye, M. S. Gorbachev graduated from a seven-year school. In 1946 he joined the Komsomol. During the harvest of 1946, he worked as a helmsman for his father, a combine operator. At the age of 16 (1947) he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for high-threshing grain on a combine harvester. In 1950 he graduated from school No. 1 in the village with a silver medal.

In 1950-1955, M. S. Gorbachev studied at the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov. He actively participated in the activities of the Komsomol organization of the university, and in 1952 he joined the CPSU.

In 1955, M. S. Gorbachev was sent to work at the Stavropol Regional Prosecutor's Office. In 1955-1956, he served as deputy head of the agitation and propaganda department of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the Komsomol, then in 1956-1958 he was the first secretary of the Stavropol City Komsomol Committee, in 1958-1962 - the second and first secretary of the regional committee of the Komsomol.

In 1962, M. S. Gorbachev went to work in party bodies. His party career began with the position of party organizer of the Stavropol Territorial Production Agricultural Administration. In 1967, he graduated in absentia from the Stavropol Agricultural Institute.

In December 1962, M. S. Gorbachev was approved as head of the department of organizational and party work of the Stavropol rural regional committee of the CPSU. From September 1966, he served as first secretary of the Stavropol city party committee, in August 1968 he was elected second, and in April 1970 - first secretary of the Stavropol regional committee of the CPSU. In 1971, M. S. Gorbachev became a member of the CPSU Central Committee. While in these posts, M. S. Gorbachev met and. He developed a close and trusting relationship with the latter.

In November 1978, M. S. Gorbachev became Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee on issues of the agro-industrial complex, in 1979 - a candidate member, in 1980 - a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. After his death in March 1985, M. S. Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

Having headed the Soviet state, M. S. Gorbachev initiated a radical reform of the party-state organism. The political course he proclaimed was called “perestroika,” which involved “improving socialism.” In May 1985, speaking at the party and economic activist meeting, the Secretary General did not hide the fact that the country’s economic growth rate had decreased and put forward the slogan “accelerate socio-economic development.” Gorbachev received support for his policy statements at the XXVII Congress of the CPSU (1986) and at the June (1987) plenum of the CPSU Central Committee.

In 1986-1987, hoping to awaken the initiative of the masses, M. S. Gorbachev and his supporters set a course for the development of glasnost and democratization of all aspects of public life. Since 1988, the process of creating initiative groups in support of perestroika, popular fronts, and other non-state and non-party public organizations has been in full swing. With the beginning of the processes of democratization and the reduction of party control in the Soviet Union, numerous interethnic contradictions came to light, resulting in interethnic clashes in some regions of the country.

In March 1989, elections of people's deputies of the USSR took place. Many intellectuals came to the deputy corps, critically assessing the role of the CPSU in society. The Congress of People's Deputies in May 1989 demonstrated a fierce confrontation between various currents both in society and among the parliamentarians. At this congress, M. S. Gorbachev was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In 1990, power passed from the CPSU to the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR - the first parliament in Soviet history elected on an alternative basis in free democratic elections. On March 15, 1990, the Congress elected M. S. Gorbachev as President of the USSR.

In international relations, M. S. Gorbachev pursued an active policy of détente based on the principles of “new thinking” that he formulated. His activity in this area made him one of the key figures in world politics at the end of the twentieth century. During 1985-1991, there was a radical change in relations between the West and the USSR - a transition from military and ideological confrontation to dialogue and the formation of partnership relations. The activities of M. S. Gorbachev played a decisive role in ending the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. In 1989, on the initiative of M. S. Gorbachev, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany occurred. M. S. Gorbachev's contribution to changing the nature of international development was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (October 15, 1990).

However, in domestic politics, especially in the economy, signs of a serious crisis appeared. The shortage of food and everyday goods has increased. Since 1989, the process of disintegration of the political system of the Soviet Union was in full swing. Attempts to stop this process by force (in Tbilisi, Baku, Vilnius, Riga) led to directly opposite results, strengthening centrifugal tendencies. The leaders of the opposition Interregional Deputy Group (A.D. Sakharov and others) organized rallies of thousands in their support. In the first half of 1990, almost all union republics declared their state sovereignty (RSFSR - June 12, 1990).

In the summer of 1991, a new union treaty was prepared for signing. The attempted coup in August 1991 not only dashed the prospect of its signing, but also gave a powerful impetus to the beginning of the collapse of the state. On December 8, 1991, a meeting of the leaders of Ukraine and Belarus took place in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Belarus), during which a document was signed on the liquidation of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On December 25, 1991, M. S. Gorbachev announced his resignation as President of the USSR.

Since the early 1990s, M. S. Gorbachev has been involved in social activities. From 1992 to the present, he has been president of the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Science Research (Gorbachev Foundation).

One of the most popular Russian politicians in the West during the last decades of the twentieth century is Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev. The years of his reign greatly changed our country, as well as the situation in the world. This is one of the most controversial figures, according to public opinion. Gorbachev's perestroika causes ambiguous attitudes in our country. This politician is called both the gravedigger of the Soviet Union and the great reformer.

Biography of Gorbachev

Gorbachev's story begins in 1931, March 2. It was then that Mikhail Sergeevich was born. He was born in the Stavropol region, in the village of Privolnoye. He was born and raised in a peasant family. In 1948, he worked with his father on a combine harvester and received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for his success in harvesting. Gorbachev graduated from school in 1950 with a silver medal. After this, he entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow University. Gorbachev later admitted that at that time he had a rather vague idea of ​​what law and jurisprudence were. However, he was impressed by the position of a prosecutor or judge.

During his student years, Gorbachev lived in a dormitory, at one time received an increased scholarship for Komsomol work and excellent studies, but nevertheless he barely made ends meet. He became a party member in 1952.

Once at a club, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev met Raisa Titarenko, a student at the Faculty of Philosophy. They got married in 1953, in September. Mikhail Sergeevich graduated from Moscow State University in 1955 and was sent to work in the USSR Prosecutor's Office on assignment. However, it was then that the government adopted a resolution according to which it was prohibited to employ law graduates in the central prosecutor's offices and judicial authorities. Khrushchev, as well as his associates, believed that one of the reasons for the repressions carried out in the 1930s was the dominance of inexperienced young judges and prosecutors in the authorities, ready to obey any instructions from the leadership. Thus, Mikhail Sergeevich, whose two grandfathers suffered from repression, became a victim of the fight against the cult of personality and its consequences.

At administrative work

Gorbachev returned to the Stavropol region and decided not to contact the prosecutor's office anymore. He got a job in the department of agitation and propaganda in the regional Komsomol - he became the deputy head of this department. The Komsomol and then the party career of Mikhail Sergeevich developed very successfully. Gorbachev's political activities bore fruit. He was appointed in 1961 as the first secretary of the local Komsomol regional committee. Gorbachev began party work the following year, and then, in 1966, became the first secretary of the Stavropol City Party Committee.

This is how the career of this politician gradually developed. Even then, the main drawback of this future reformer became apparent: Mikhail Sergeevich, accustomed to working selflessly, could not ensure that his orders were conscientiously carried out by his subordinates. This characteristic of Gorbachev, some believe, led to the collapse of the USSR.

Moscow

Gorbachev became Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in November 1978. The recommendations of L.I. Brezhnev's closest associates - Andropov, Suslov and Chernenko - played a major role in this appointment. After 2 years, Mikhail Sergeevich becomes the youngest of all members of the Politburo. He wants to become the first person in the state and in the party in the near future. This could not even be prevented by the fact that Gorbachev essentially occupied a “penalty post” - the secretary in charge of agriculture. After all, this sector of the Soviet economy was the most disadvantaged. Mikhail Sergeevich still remained in this position after Brezhnev's death. But Andropov even then advised him to delve into all matters in order to be ready at any moment to take full responsibility. When Andropov died and Chernenko came to power for a short period, Mikhail Sergeevich became the second person in the party, as well as the most likely “heir” to this general secretary.

In Western political circles, Gorbachev's fame was first brought to him by his visit to Canada in May 1983. He went there for a week with the personal permission of Andropov, who was the general secretary at that time. Pierre Trudeau, the prime minister of this country, became the first major Western leader to receive Gorbachev personally and treat him with sympathy. Having met other Canadian politicians, Gorbachev gained a reputation in that country as an energetic and ambitious politician who stood in stark contrast to his elderly Politburo colleagues. He developed a significant interest in Western economic management and moral values, including democracy.

Gorbachev's Perestroika

The death of Chernenko opened the way to power for Gorbachev. The Plenum of the Central Committee on March 11, 1985 elected Gorbachev as General Secretary. In the same year, at the April plenum, Mikhail Sergeevich proclaimed a course to accelerate the country’s development and restructuring. These terms, which appeared under Andropov, did not immediately become widespread. This happened only after the XXVII Congress of the CPSU, which took place in February 1986. Gorbachev called glasnost one of the main conditions for the success of the upcoming reforms. The time of Gorbachev could not yet be called full-fledged freedom of speech. But it was possible, at least, to talk in the press about the shortcomings of society, without, however, affecting the foundations of the Soviet system and the members of the Politburo. However, already in 1987, in January, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev stated that there should be no zones closed to criticism in society.

Principles of foreign and domestic policy

The new Secretary General did not have a clear reform plan. Only the memory of Khrushchev's "thaw" remained with Gorbachev. In addition, he believed that the calls of leaders, if they were honest, and these calls themselves were correct, could reach ordinary executors within the framework of the party-state system that existed at that time and thereby change life for the better. Gorbachev was firmly convinced of this. The years of his reign were marked by the fact that throughout all 6 years he spoke about the need for united and energetic actions, about the need for everyone to act constructively.

He hoped that, as the leader of a socialist state, he could gain world authority based not on fear, but, above all, on reasonable policies and unwillingness to justify the country’s totalitarian past. Gorbachev, whose years in power are often referred to as “perestroika,” believed that new political thinking must triumph. It should include recognition of the priority of universal human values ​​over national and class values, the need to unite states and peoples to jointly solve the problems facing humanity.

Publicity policy

During Gorbachev's reign, general democratization began in our country. Political persecution stopped. The pressure of censorship has weakened. Many prominent people returned from exile and prison: Marchenko, Sakharov and others. The policy of glasnost, which was launched by the Soviet leadership, changed the spiritual life of the country's population. Interest in television, radio, and print media has increased. In 1986 alone, magazines and newspapers gained more than 14 million new readers. All of these are, of course, significant advantages of Gorbachev and the policies he pursues.

Mikhail Sergeevich’s slogan, under which he carried out all the reforms, was the following: “More democracy, more socialism.” However, his understanding of socialism gradually changed. Back in 1985, in April, Gorbachev said at the Politburo that when Khrushchev brought criticism of Stalin’s actions to incredible proportions, it only brought great damage to the country. Glasnost soon led to an even greater wave of anti-Stalinist criticism, which was undreamed of during the Thaw.

Anti-alcohol reform

The idea of ​​this reform was initially very positive. Gorbachev wanted to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed in the country per capita, as well as begin the fight against drunkenness. However, the campaign, as a result of overly radical actions, led to unexpected results. The reform itself and the further rejection of the state monopoly led to the fact that the bulk of income in this area went into the shadow sector. A lot of start-up capital in the 90s was made from “drunk” money by private owners. The treasury was rapidly emptying. As a result of this reform, many valuable vineyards were cut down, which led to the disappearance of entire industrial sectors in some republics (in particular, Georgia). The anti-alcohol reform also contributed to the growth of moonshine, substance abuse and drug addiction, and multi-billion dollar losses were incurred in the budget.

Gorbachev's reforms in foreign policy

In November 1985, Gorbachev met with Ronald Reagan, President of the United States. At it, both sides recognized the need to improve bilateral relations, as well as improve the overall international situation. Gorbachev's foreign policy led to the conclusion of the START treaties. Mikhail Sergeevich, with a statement dated January 15, 1986, put forward a number of major initiatives devoted to foreign policy issues. The complete elimination of chemical and nuclear weapons was to be carried out by the year 2000, and strict control was to be exercised during their destruction and storage. All of these are Gorbachev’s most important reforms.

Reasons for failure

In contrast to the course aimed at transparency, when it was enough just to order the weakening and then actually abolish censorship, his other initiatives (for example, the sensational anti-alcohol campaign) were combined with the propaganda of administrative coercion. Gorbachev, whose years of rule were marked by increasing freedom in all spheres, at the end of his reign, having become president, sought to rely, unlike his predecessors, not on the party apparatus, but on a team of assistants and the government. He leaned more and more towards the social democratic model. S.S. Shatalin said that he managed to turn the Secretary General into a convinced Menshevik. But Mikhail Sergeevich abandoned the dogmas of communism too slowly, only under the influence of the growth of anti-communist sentiment in society. Gorbachev, even during the events of 1991 (the August putsch), still expected to retain power and, returning from Foros (Crimea), where he had a state dacha, declared that he believed in the values ​​of socialism and would fight for them, leading the reformed Communist Party. It is obvious that he was never able to rebuild himself. Mikhail Sergeevich in many ways remained a party secretary, who was accustomed not only to privileges, but also to power independent of the people's will.

Merits of M. S. Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeevich, in his last speech as the president of the country, took credit for the fact that the population of the state received freedom and became spiritually and politically liberated. Freedom of the press, free elections, a multi-party system, representative bodies of government, and religious freedoms have become real. Human rights were recognized as the highest principle. The movement towards a new multi-structured economy began, equality of forms of ownership was approved. Gorbachev finally ended the Cold War. During his reign, the militarization of the country and the arms race, which had crippled the economy, morality and public consciousness, were stopped.

The foreign policy of Gorbachev, who finally eliminated the Iron Curtain, ensured Mikhail Sergeevich respect throughout the world. The President of the USSR was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for activities aimed at developing cooperation between countries.

At the same time, some indecisiveness of Mikhail Sergeevich, his desire to find a compromise that would suit both radicals and conservatives, led to the fact that transformations in the state’s economy never began. A political settlement of contradictions and interethnic hostility, which ultimately destroyed the country, was never achieved. History is unlikely to be able to answer the question of whether someone else could have preserved the USSR and the socialist system in Gorbachev’s place.

Conclusion

The subject of supreme power, as the ruler of the state, must have full rights. M. S. Gorbachev, the leader of the party, who concentrated state and party power in himself, without being popularly elected to this post, in this respect was significantly inferior in the eyes of the public to B. Yeltsin. The latter eventually became the President of Russia (1991). Gorbachev, as if compensating for this shortcoming during his reign, increased his power and tried to achieve various powers. However, he did not follow the laws and did not force others to do so. That is why Gorbachev’s characterization is so ambiguous. Politics is, first of all, the art of acting wisely.

Among the many accusations brought against Gorbachev, perhaps the most significant was the accusation of indecisiveness. However, if you compare the significant scale of the breakthrough he made and the short period of time he was in power, you can argue with this. In addition to all of the above, the Gorbachev era was marked by the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the holding of the first competitive free elections in Russian history, and the elimination of the party's monopoly on power that existed before him. As a result of Gorbachev's reforms, the world has changed significantly. He will never be the same again. Without political will and courage, it is impossible to do this. Gorbachev can be viewed differently, but, of course, he is one of the largest figures in modern history.

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich a brief biography of the statesman is presented in this article. Gorbachev is the first and only President of the USSR (1990-1991).

Mikhail Gorbachev short biography

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931. In the Stavropol Territory in a peasant family. In 1950, Gorbachev graduated from school with a silver medal.

In 1955 Graduated from the Law Faculty of Moscow State University in 1967. – Stavropol Agricultural Institute.

By 1955, he was already the first secretary of the regional party committee. He always took an active part in social events. In the early 1960s, he was elected head of the department of organizational and party work. From 1966 to 1978, he alternately occupied the place of first and then second secretary of the Stavropol regional CPSU.

In November 1978 elected Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. And already in 1980 he became a member of the Politburo.

The turning point in his life was March 1985, when he was elected General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. The election of a new leader, 54-year-old M.S. Gorbachev, who, by the way, became the first party leader with a university degree after V.I. Lenin, was greeted with great hopes.

In 1990 Gorbachev became President of the USSR. He simultaneously held two highest positions: President and Secretary General.
With Gorbachev coming to power in the USSR, a process of democratization began, called “perestroika.” As head of the state, he attempted to reform the Soviet economy and helped create a more open society.

In 1990 he received the Nobel Prize for leading the peace process in the international community.

When the coup took place in 1991, Gorbachev was removed from power, but he later returned and resumed his post.
On December 25, 1991, he announced his resignation.

Since 2000, Gorbachev headed the RUSDP, and from the next year - the SDPR (he was the leader of the party until 2004).

Gorbachev's main achievements

  • During Gorbachev's reign, the Cold War was brought to an end.
  • He carried out a full-scale and effective anti-alcohol campaign.
  • Gorbachev was responsible for the attempt to reform the iron Soviet system, which went down in history as “Perestroika”.
  • Under Gorbachev, the policy of glasnost, freedom of the press and speech was introduced in the USSR.
  • Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.
  • It was Mikhail Sergeevich who abandoned communist ideology as a state status and the persecution of dissidents.
  • Gorbachev became the last leader of the USSR.

Mikhail Gorbachev's parents were peasants. The future President of the USSR spent his childhood during the war years; the family had to endure the German occupation. Mikhail Sergeevich’s father, Sergei Andreevich, fought at the front and was wounded twice.

In the post-war years, the collective farm had a catastrophic shortage of workers. Mikhail Gorbachev had to combine his studies at school with work as a combine operator on collective farm fields. When Gorbachev was 17 years old, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for exceeding the plan.

A working childhood did not prevent Gorbachev from graduating from high school with a silver medal and enrolling in the law faculty of Moscow State University. At the university, Mikhail Sergeevich headed the Komsomol organization of the faculty.

In 1953, Mikhail Sergeevich married Raisa Maksimovna Titarenko, a student at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. They were together until her death in 1999.

Career in the CPSU

Capital life and the atmosphere of the “thaw” had a great influence on the formation of the worldview of the future leader of the state. In 1955, Gorbachev graduated from the university and was sent to the Stavropol Regional Prosecutor's Office. However, Mikhail Sergeevich found himself in party work. He is making a good career through the Komsomol. In 1962, he was already appointed party organizer and became a deputy at the next congress of the CPSU. Since 1966, Gorbachev has already been the first secretary of the city committee of the CPSU in the Stavropol Territory.

The good harvests that were harvested in the Stavropol region created Gorbachev’s reputation as a strong business executive. Since the mid-70s, Gorbachev introduced brigade farming in the region, which brought high yields. Gorbachev's articles on rationalization methods in agriculture were often published in the central press. In 1971, Gorbachev became a member of the CPSU. Gorbachev was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1974.

Gorbachev finally moved to Moscow in 1978, where he became Secretary of the Central Committee for the agro-industrial complex

Years of reign

In the 80s, the need for change was brewing in the USSR. At that time, no one considered Gorbachev's candidacy as the leader of the country. However, Gorbachev managed to rally the young secretaries of the Central Committee around himself and gain the support of A.A. Gromyko, who enjoyed great authority among members of the Politburo.

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was officially elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He became the main initiator of “perestroika”. Unfortunately, Gorbachev did not have a clear plan for reforming the state. The consequences of some of his actions were simply catastrophic. For example, the so-called anti-alcohol company, thanks to which huge areas of vineyards were cut down and prices for alcoholic products increased sharply. Instead of improving the population's health and increasing average life expectancy, a shortage was artificially created, people started making handicrafts of dubious quality, and the destroyed rare grape varieties have not yet been restored.

The soft foreign policy pursued by Gorbachev led to a radical change in the entire world order. Mikhail Sergeevich withdrew Soviet troops from Afghanistan, ended the Cold War and played a huge role in the unification of Germany. In 1990, Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to easing international tensions.

The inconsistency and thoughtlessness of some reforms within the country led the USSR to a deep crisis. It was during the reign of Gorbachev that bloody interethnic conflicts began to break out in Nagorno-Karabakh, Fergana, Sumgait and other regions of the state. Mikhail Sergeevich, as a rule, was not able to influence the resolution of these bloody interethnic wars. His reaction to events was always very vague and delayed.

The Baltic republics were the first to decide to leave the USSR: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. In 1991, in Vilnius, during the storming of a television tower by USSR troops, 13 people died. Gorbachev began to disavow these events and stated that he had not given the order for the assault.

The crisis that finally collapsed the USSR occurred in August 1991. Former comrades of Gorbachev organized a coup d'etat and were defeated. In December 1991, the USSR was liquidated, and Gorbachev was dismissed as president of the USSR.

Life after power

After Gorbachev's political career ended, he began to be active in public life. Since January 1992, Gorbachev has served as President of the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Science Research.

In 2000, he created the Social Democratic Party (SDPR), which he headed until 2007.

On his eightieth birthday, March 2, 2011, Gorbachev was awarded the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

In March 2014, Gorbachev welcomed the result of the referendum in Crimea, and called the annexation of Crimea to Russia a correction of a historical mistake.