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At the age of 54, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected to the general secretariat by Politburo on 11 March 1985. [29] In May 1985, Gorbachev publicly admitted the slowing down of the economic development and inadequate living standards, being the first Soviet leader to do so while also beginning a series of fundamental reforms.
Gorbachev became first and last president of the Union. [2] His tenure was marked by the legal and political confrontation with Russia and other republics of the USSR which eventually led to their full independence in late 1991.
In his relations with the developing world, Gorbachev found many of its leaders professing revolutionary socialist credentials or a pro-Soviet attitude—such as Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and Syria's Hafez al-Assad—frustrating, and his best personal relationship was instead with India's prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. [100]
The coup leaders demanded that Gorbachev formally declare a state of emergency in the country, but he refused. [412] Gorbachev and his family were kept under house arrest in their dacha. [413] The coup plotters publicly announced that Gorbachev was ill and thus Vice President Yanayev would take charge of the country. [414]
Of the eleven individuals appointed head of state, three died in office of natural causes (Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko), one held the position in a temporary role (Vasily Kuznetsov), and four held posts of party leader and head of state simultaneously (Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko and Mikhail Gorbachev).
This is a list of rulers of Kievan Rus', the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic, the Soviet Union, and the modern Russian Federation.It does not include regents, acting rulers, rulers of the separatist states in the territory of Russia, persons who applied for the post of ruler, but did not become one, rebel leaders who did not control the capital, and the nominal ...
Mikhail Gorbachev: Succeeded by: Mikhail Gorbachev: Vice President of the Soviet Union; In office 27 December 1990 – 21 August 1991 [1] President: Mikhail Gorbachev: Preceded by: Anatoly Lukyanov (as vice head of state) Succeeded by: None (post abolished) Chairman of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions; In office April – July 1990 ...
The only person to hold this office was Gennady Yanayev, who the following year became the leader of the Gang of Eight which attempted the August coup, assuming the position of acting president of the Soviet Union on 19 August 1991. After three days the coup collapsed and Gorbachev was restored.