Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev, born March 2, 1931, was the final leader of the Soviet Union, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985 to 1991. He played a crucial role in ending the Cold War through his policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), which aimed to revitalize the Soviet economy and allowed greater freedom of expression. In 1987, he signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, significantly reducing the number of nuclear weapons. Gorbachev also oversaw the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which symbolized the end of decades-long division in Europe. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his contributions to international peace and ending the Cold War.