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Birth
Mikhail Gorbachev was born March 2, 1931 in Privolye, Stavropol, Russia. His mother was Maria Panteleyevna Gorbacheva and father was Sergey Andreyevich Gorbachev. He was born into a peasant family and had to work his way up the social ladder. ( Sullivan) -
Entered Law School at Moscow University
Mikhali Gorbachev joined the Komsomol, or Young Communist League in 1946, then worked at a state farm for the next 4 years. Gorbachev was a valuable part of the Komsomol and got into law school at Moscow University. There, he became a member of the Communist Party. (Mikhail Gorbachev) -
The Beatles first Performance
John Lennon and Paul McCaurthy first performed together in 1957. The group grew from there and rose to fame in the 60's. In 1979 the band officially disbanded. (Miller) -
First Garfield Comic Released
Cartoonist Jim Davis first made Garfield in 1978. Garfield is a cartoon about a fat and lazy cat. It became one of the most popular comic strips and still is popular. (Garfield) -
Elected into Politburo
In 1979 Mikhail Gorbachev became a candidate member of the Politburo and in 1980 he became a full member. This was important because in the Politburo Mikhail Gorbachev gained a good reputation. He became one of the Politburo's most active and visible members. Gorbachev became elected General Secretary in 1985, when he was still the youngest member. (Mikhail Gorbachev) -
Japan Economic Crash 1980
Japan had one of the best economies in the world until it had a economic crash. Record low interest rates caused speculation on the stock market and real estate to soar in price. When the government realized this bubble was unsustainable, they raised interest rates to stop speculation. This quickly caused people to not be able to pay debts, causing the market crash. (Kuepper) -
Mount St Helens Eruption
On May 18th, 1980, Mount St Helens erupted. It triggered the largest land slide in recorded history and caused volcanic ash to be scattered ever where. 57 people were killed by the eruption. (Taylor) -
First Man in Space
On March 6th, 1981 Yuri Gagarin became the first Man in space. He was a 27 year old cosmonaut for the Soviet Union. When Gagarin returned to the earth, he was awarded the Order of Lenin and considered to be a great hero of the Soviet Union. (First Man in Space) -
Micheal Jordan Drafted by the Bulls
In 1984, Micheal Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. He led the league in scoring and was named rookie of the year. He injured his foot during the next season, but when he returned he led the league in scoring for the next 7 years. Micheal Jordan is considered to be one of the best basketball players ever. (Micheal Jordan) -
Perestroika
Perestroika means restructuring in Russian. Perestroika was a important policy made by Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980's. It was important because it changed how the economy in the Soviet Union worked and reduced some of the power of the Communist Party. Gorbachev decentralized the economy and made it so enterprising business could have success. The economic bureaucracy in control of the Soviet Union, tried to obstruct Gorbachev's plans, because they didn't want to lose their power. (Perestroika) -
Geneva Summit
In 1985, November 19 - 21, Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan met in Geneva. The Geneva Summit was the first meeting between leaders from the US and the Soviet Union in 8 years. No importanr agreements where made at this meeting but both leaders said they were satisfied with their meeting and extended good will towards each other. (Reagan) -
Cheronobyl Accident
On April 26, 1986 the Chernobyl 4 reactor was destroyed killing 30 operators and fireman and several deaths were caused after. This accident was important because it led to major changes in safety culture and in industry cooperation in the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev has said that that the Cheronobyl Accident was a more important factor in the Soviet Union's downfall than Perestroika. (Cheronobyl) -
Glasnost
Glasnost is important policy because it involved large changes to the Soviet government and economy. Glasnost means openness in Russian, and that was what the policy was about. Freedom of expression and access to information was greatly improved in the Soviet Union. The press was allowed to criticize the government and the legacy of totalitarian rule was ended. (Mikhail Gorbachev) -
Elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet
In October 1988 Mikhail Gorbachev was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet, or the national legislature. In December of 1988, a new bicameral parliament called the U.S.S.R. Congress of People’s Deputies was created. Some members of it were elected by the people in contested elections. In May 1989 was elected chairman of this Supreme Soviet, making it so he retained his power and the national presidency. (Mikhail Gorbachev) -
Fall of Berlin Wall
The Fall of the Berlin Wall was an important piece of history bringing Germany back together. Mikhail Gorbachev was important in this event because he sped up the process and made sure that it happened without any bloodshed. Mikhail Gorbachev thought that bringing down the wall would be the right thing to do, but it eventually led to the Soviet Unions downfall, because democracy and communism couldn't coexist together. (Mikhail Gorbachev) -
Later Life
In 1996 Gorbachev ran for president of Russia, but received less than 1% of the vote. He remained active in life and was a public speaker and was a member of multiple Russian think tanks. In September 2008, him and Aleksandr Lebedev where going to make a new political party, but it never materialized. Today Mikhail Gorbachev still lives in Russia. (Mikhail Gorbachev)
