Preview

Gorbachev Leader and Bio

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1007 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gorbachev Leader and Bio
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev is hailed as one of the greatest world leaders of all time. From a young age Gorbachev has continued to change the world socially, economically, and politically. The events leading up to Gorbachev’s resignation as president of the USSR show his leadership skills. Mikhail Gorbachev started from the bottom of the food chain but, with determination and phenomenal leadership skills he become president of the Soviet Union and a well-known world leader and peace advocate..
Mikhail Gorbachev was born the son of Soviet peasants in Stavropol in 1931. When he was ten years old, during World War II, the armies of Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Gorbachev's father, a farmer on a state farm in Stavropol, was forced to fight in the war and young Gorbachev took over many of his father's duties while continuing to work hard at school. Even after the war, while still a student, Mikhail Gorbachev continued to drive a combine harvester in the fields.
When Gorbachev was eighteen, he received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor award from the Communist Party for his achievements during the harvest. His experience working the land would serve him later in life, and his ability to be both an exemplary worker and a successful student earned him admission to the Law School of Moscow University in 1950. He continued part-time studies at Stavropol Agricultural Institute and in 1967 he obtained a degree in agriculture to add to his first degree in law. In 1952 he became a member of the Communist Party and upon his graduation with a law degree in 1955, he began his career in the Communist Party organization in Stavropol.
Gorbachev had always been recognized for his formidable intelligence and quickly rose through the ranks to become head of the regional Communist Party in 1970. There he attracted the attention of top Soviet leaders in Moscow, most notably Yuri Andropov, at the time head of the country's secret police. When Gorbachev went to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Gouzenko affair was one of the most significant events that lead to the start of the Cold War. However, Igor Gouzenko never wanted to play a role in Soviet relations, in fact, he only did so because of his selfishness. Upon hearing that he was to be recalled to the Soviet Union, Gouzenko devised a plan to keep himself in Canada, the country he had come to love. He achieved this by defecting from the Soviet Union with a hand full of documents. However, his defection also exposed a Soviet spy ring in the western world which aimed to gather atomic bomb secrets. Gouzenko disclosed documents revealing this espionage to the Canadian government in exchange for their protection, and his prolonged stay in their country. His need for self-preservation…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Who is the epitome of a great leader? What qualities (positive or negative) does he or she possess that gives him or her that title?…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Reagan was of course high on my list of possible candidates; and you might say that for a European I made a fairly strong case for him—but to no avail. Amongst a group of 500 very bright first-year students, there seemed to be only one correct answer, and that was not Ronald Reagan but, rather, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. By a considerable margin it was the Russian rather than the American who won the overwhelming majority of votes (over 70 percent of the total). (History Now, 2012). I agree because by the time that the Berlin Wall fell, the Russian economy was not in good shape. Many people inside Russia felt that Communism had failed. Gorbachev was a leader that was not afraid to take a…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    AP Euro

    • 2313 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-) – “Typical of the new generation of political leaders was Mikhail Gorbachev, who was, above all, a technocrat, someone who could apply specialized technical knowledge to the problems of a stagnant Soviet economy” (903).…

    • 2313 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nikita Khrushchev was born on April 15, 1894 in Kalinovka, Russia. Khrushchev was the politician who led the Soviet Union in part of the Cold War era. Khrushchev joined the Communist Party and fought in the Red Army during the Russian Revolution in 1918. He quickly rose up the party ranks, becoming a member of the Central Committee in 1934. On September 14, 1953, Khrushchev succeeded Joesph Stalin after his death in the beginning of the year. In a 1956 “secret speech,” Khrushchev talked about Stalin's crimes for the first time, starting a process called “de-Stalinization. Khrushchev was known to be a talkative, sociable, tough, shrewd and a man with great self-confidence. He was open to and established a reformed version…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Like Hitler, Stalin first became active in politics when he joined a militant political party. The party Stalin joined was known as the Russian Social Democratic Party. Stalin was arrested in 1902 and was deported to Siberia but escaped and was back in Georgia two year later. Stalin first met Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Party, when he returned to Georgia. Lenin was a political mentor to Stalin and had great respect for him. In 1912, Lenin nominated Stalin to the Central Committee of the Bolshevik party. However, Stalin was arrested once again and exiled to Siberia in 1917 where he would remain until the Czar was overthrown. After the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, Lenin became the new ruler of Russia and named Stalin the Commissar of Nationalities. Over the years, however, Lenin’s health began to deteriorate. In 1924, Lenin died and the party now known as the All-Union Communist Party was headed collectively by several of Lenin’s cabinet members. Like Hitler, Stalin was a very clever manipulator and was able to turn the members against each other. After successfully obtaining more power, Stalin had the few political enemies he had left shot and he assumed power of the Soviet Union (“Joseph Stalin”,…

    • 1278 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    As I stated in the beginning a great leader is defined with three vital factors. Now that we’ve changed perspectives to move into the light of things, we can all appreciate what he’s come to have done. That being said Ivan the Terrible, was a substantial ruler because he paved the foundation for what Russia has become today. Ivan the Terrible reformed a multitude of Russia’s fundamental systems, established new offices of power, and paved the road for new opportunities. Ivan the Terrible is a solid foundation to Russia’s history and it is forever changed because of…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Igor Gouzenko was a Russian who did a great deal of damage to communism and the USSR. Some may see him as a selfish man, who betrayed his country for money and personal freedom, but others may see him as a selfless man, who despite the severe consequences for him and his family, did what would ultimately benefit the whole world. My opinion is that he was a great, selfless man who sacrificed all he had for the freedoms we enjoy in democratic countries around the globe. Gouzenko's sacrifice also included the imprisonment of 11 people who had barely done anything wrong, but was unavoidable because the supporters of communism had to be stopped if they couldn't be converted.…

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    General Mikhail Gorbachev

    • 879 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Part 1: Choose eight events from the lesson. Complete the following chart by using information from the lesson and putting it into your own words.…

    • 879 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union. He believed that the future of the Soviet Union depended on important reforms and began to implement two programs.…

    • 398 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mba 621 Leadership Paper

    • 2870 Words
    • 12 Pages

    This paper will cover some of our great leaders that have held some of the best leadership skills and traits and how they became…

    • 2870 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Joseph Stalin is one of the most well known dictators. He is known to be the savior of Russia. He was also known to be a cruel leader that didn’t let anyone get in his way. This lead Stalin to be feared by many people in Russia. Stalin was the dictator that ruled over communist Russia in 1928. In his time of leading this totalitarian country, he accomplished many good and terrible things.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Niccolo Machiavelli had a grand vision of a man who would rule with cleverness and a steady hand when he wrote The Prince. Russia delivered a leader capable of taking power and controlling it in such a form as Machiavelli prescribed it. Vladimir Ilich Lenin was this man, he became the first leader of one of the most Machiavellian governments ever in existence, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    rosa parks

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When you think of a great leader you think of someone who will willingly stand up for their rights and the rights of others no matter the consequences. To me a great leader is someone who is kind, caring, and generous. Some people think being a great leader only takes bravery, but that’s not the case. Many people’s kindness makes them a great leader.…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: "Commanding Heights : Mikhail Gorbachev | on PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 23 Dec. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/int_mikhailgorbachev.html>.…

    • 1467 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays