Mikhail Gorbachev, Last Soviet Leader Dies At 91
Thompson Nsisongabasi
Aug 31, 2022
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader who brought the Cold War to a peaceful end, has died aged 91.
READ ALSO: 'Rhetorics Alone Can't Do It'
Mr Gorbachev took power in 1985 and introduced reforms, as well as opening up the Soviet Union to the world.
READ ALSO: President Trump Unveils $1,000 Investment Account for All Babies Born Between 2025-2028
But he was unable to prevent the slow collapse of the union, and many Russians blamed him for the years of turmoil that ensued.
READ ALSO: WHY Police Arrested Akon in Georgia Revealed: Full Details Emerge
Outside Russia, he was widely respected, with the UN chief saying he had "changed the course of history".
"Mikhail Gorbachev was a one-of-a kind statesman," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. "The world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace."
READ ALSO: Trump Speaks Out: Why U.S. May Join the Israel-Iran War | READ DETAILS
The hospital in Moscow where he died said he had been suffering from a long and serious illness.
READ ALSO: Dr. Chima Anyaso Hosts Namibian Governor, Strengthens Africa's Economic Partnerships
In recent years, his health had been in decline and he had been in and out of hospital. In June, international media reported that he had been admitted after suffering from a kidney ailment, though his cause of death has not been announced.
READ ALSO: Abia Assembly considers Bill to establish Teaching Hospital Management Board
He will be buried in Moscow's Novodevichy cemetery, the resting place of many prominent Russians. It is not clear whether he will receive a state funeral.
READ ALSO: Abia Speaker Graces Commissioning of Unique Life Hotel, Woos Investors | DETAILS
President Vladimir Putin sent his "deepest condolences", describing how Mr Gorbachev had had "a huge impact in the course of history".
READ ALSO: Wike reveals detailed plan by Bobosky to unleash mayhem On Rivers State
"He deeply understood that reforms were necessary, he strove to offer his own solutions to urgent problems," the Russian leader said.
READ ALSO: Abia Elections: ABSIEC Promises Fairness as Political Parties Sign Peace Accord | SEE PHOTOS
The two men had a strained relationship - their last meeting reportedly in 2006.
READ ALSO: Why Madagascar Soldiers Refused Orders to Shoot Protesters | WATCH VIDEO
Most recently, Mr Gorbachev was said to have been unhappy with Mr Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, even though he had supported the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
READ ALSO: How I Survived When Everyone Else DiedÔÇØ - Lone Survivor of Air India Crash Speaks
In his tribute, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he admired Mr Gorbachev's courage and integrity, adding: "In a time of Putin's aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all."
READ ALSO: 'Rhetorics Alone Can't Do It'
US President Joe Biden called him a "rare leader" and praised Mr Gorbachev as a unique politician who had the "imagination to see that a different future was possible" amid the tensions of the Cold War.
READ ALSO: President Trump Unveils $1,000 Investment Account for All Babies Born Between 2025-2028
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised him as a "trusted and respected leader" who "opened the way for a free Europe".
READ ALSO: WHY Police Arrested Akon in Georgia Revealed: Full Details Emerge
"This legacy is one we will not forget," she added.
Mr Gorbachev became general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, and de facto leader of the country, in 1985.
At the time, he was 54 - the youngest member of the ruling council known as the Politburo, and was seen as a breath of fresh air after several ageing leaders. His predecessor, Konstantin Chernenko, had died aged 73 after just over a year in office.
READ ALSO: Trump Speaks Out: Why U.S. May Join the Israel-Iran War | READ DETAILS
Few leaders have had such a profound effect on the global order, but Mr Gorbachev did not come to power seeking to end the Soviet grip over eastern Europe. Rather, he hoped to revitalise its society.
READ ALSO: Dr. Chima Anyaso Hosts Namibian Governor, Strengthens Africa's Economic Partnerships
The Soviet economy had been struggling for years to keep up with the US and his policy of perestroika sought to introduce some market-like reforms to the state run system.
READ ALSO: Abia Assembly considers Bill to establish Teaching Hospital Management Board
Internationally he reached arms control deals with the US, refused to intervene when eastern European nations rose up against their Communist rulers, and ended the bloody Soviet war in Afghanistan that had raged since 1979.
READ ALSO: Abia Speaker Graces Commissioning of Unique Life Hotel, Woos Investors | DETAILS
Meanwhile, his policy of glasnost, or openness, allowed people to criticise the government in a way which had been previously unthinkable.
READ ALSO: Wike reveals detailed plan by Bobosky to unleash mayhem On Rivers State
But it also unleashed nationalist sentiments in many regions of the country which eventually undermined the stability of the country and hastened its collapse.
READ ALSO: Abia Elections: ABSIEC Promises Fairness as Political Parties Sign Peace Accord | SEE PHOTOS
In 1991, after a shambolically organised coup by communist hardliners failed, Mr Gorbachev agreed to dissolve the Soviet Union and left office.
READ ALSO: Why Madagascar Soldiers Refused Orders to Shoot Protesters | WATCH VIDEO
Henry Kissinger, who served as US Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon, told the BBC's Newsnight programme that Mr Gorbachev would be "remembered in history as a man who started historic transformations that were to the benefit of mankind and to the Russian people".
READ ALSO: How I Survived When Everyone Else DiedÔÇØ - Lone Survivor of Air India Crash Speaks
Source: BBC News
Related Stories
WHY Police Arrested Akon in Georgia Revealed: Full Details Emerge
Dr. Chima Anyaso Hosts Namibian Governor, Strengthens Africa's Economic Partnerships
Why Madagascar Soldiers Refused Orders to Shoot Protesters | WATCH VIDEO
Trump Speaks Out: Why U.S. May Join the Israel-Iran War | READ DETAILS
How I Survived When Everyone Else DiedÔÇØ - Lone Survivor of Air India Crash Speaks
President Trump Unveils $1,000 Investment Account for All Babies Born Between 2025-2028
""
— Thompson Nsisongabasi