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Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, former president of the USSR, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

Just recently, one more unique piece was added to my collection – a post envelope of the USSR times. Upon the envelope there is a coloured official photograph of M. S. Gorbachev, above it there is an inscription – the First President of the USSR, under it – Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev. Next to the photograph there is an autograph of M. S. Gorbachev, two stamps of special franking: the first one – the Crimea, Foros, Foros Captive 19-21.08.1991 with the image of the Crimean map, and the second – Foros Captive 19-21.08.1991 with the image of the state resort. Besides special franking, there is a post office stamp on the envelope – USSR, Foros, Crimean Region, 19.08.1991 10.

The autograph was obtained by a “Renowned Brewer of Russian Federation” Vasili Ivanovich Medvedev on May 10 of 2006 in village Nikolina Gora, Moscow region, during a business meeting that had been specifically arranged for M. S. Gorbachev. According to the ex-owner of the rarity, when Mikhail Sergeevich was putting down his autograph, he gave a hearty laugh as he was surprised by the fact that such post envelopes even existed.

The rarity came into my possession after I purchased it at an auction MOLOTOK.RU at the end of June of 2010. The owner of the rarity, as he gave it over to me, signed his photograph, where he was pictured during his meeting with M. S. Gorbachev.

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2 of 1931 in village Privolnoye in Krasnogvardeisky district of Stavropolye Region, in a mixed Russian–Ukrainian family of settlers from Voronezh region and Ukraine’s Chernigov area.

M. S. Gorbachev’s father, Sergey Andreevich Gorbachev, worked as a mechanic at a machine and tractor station. In August of 1941, he was drafted into the army, and was in charge of a squad of sappers. He participated in many well-known battles of the Great Patriotic War. At the end of May of 1944, the Gorbachev’s family received a notification of his death. For three days there was weeping in the family. But soon after that, they received a letter from him and he was writing in his own hand to tell them that he was all right. At the end of the war, Sergey Andreevich sustained a shrapnel wound to his leg. For his military valour, Gorbachev’s father was awarded with a medal “For Bravery” and two Red Star Orders. Upon his return to homeland, he once again worked as a mechanic teaching his son to operate a combine harvester. “My father knew combines very well and trained me well too” – remembers M. S. Gorbachev – “One or two years later I could set up any mechanism for operation. The object of my special pride is the knack to determine that something is wrong with the operation of the combine just by listening to its sound.” In 1949, for his devoted labor in harvesting grain crops, M. S. Gorbachev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

M. S. Gorbachev’s mother, Maria Panteleevna Gorbacheva (maiden surname – Gopkalo), was a common peasant woman, who worked on a communal farm all of her life.

Before school, Mikhail mainly lived not in his parent’s house, but with his grandmother and grandfather – Gopkalo Pantelei Yefimovich and Vasilisa Lukyanovna (maiden name – Litovcheko), who took great delight in their grandson. Mikhail admired them, especially his grandfather, who had colossal authority with the villagers.

Repressions of 1930s did not spare the Gorbachev family: in 1937, grandpa Pantelei was arrested as “a member of counter-revolution right-wing Trotsky organization.” He stayed in prison for fourteen months, being under investigation, suffered tortures and humiliation. Stavropol region prosecutor deputy saved Pantelei Yefimovich from execution. In December of 1938, he was set free and came back to Privolnoye, and in 1939, he was elected again as head of the local communal farm.

The other grandfather of M. S. Gorbachev – Andrei Moiseevich Gorbachev, at first did not join the local communal farm, and lived as an individual farmer in a separate settlement. But the repressions also did not pass over his destiny. In 1933, due to the draught in the south of the country there was a terrible famine. In Andrei Moiseevich’s family out of six children three starved to death. In the spring of 1934, he was arrested for failure to fulfill the grain crops sowing plan – there was no grain to sow. Andrei Moiseevich for “sabotaging” was sent to a labour camp in Irkutsk region to cut down lumber. In two years, in 1935, he was released before his term was over for good work and exemplary behaviour. When he came back to Privolnoye, he joined the communal farm right away, where he worked to the end of his life. Mikhail Gorbachev studied very well at school. During school years, a hunger for knowledge, interest for everything new became manifested in him to stay with him forever. Mikhail devotedly participated in school performances. At one point his drama class went on a tour to the villages of their district. All the profits gained from the shows were used to buy 35 pairs of shoes for the children, who did not have anything to wear to school.

In 1950, M. S. Gorbachev finished school with a silver medal. His father insisted that Mikhail continued his studies. The choice was made in favour of the main university of the country – Moscow State University of M. V. Lomonosov (MSU). M. S. Gorbachev was accepted to the law department of MSU not only without the entrance exams, but even without any interview. He was summoned by a telegram, “enlisted with the provision of a dormitory.” Such a favorable decision could be explained by several factors – Gorbachev’s social background, work experience, high state award – Order of the Red Banner of Labour, and the fact that in 1950 (when he was studying in the tenth grade of school), M. S. Gorbachev was accepted as a candidate for the members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).

“Moscow University gave me the thorough knowledge and spiritual impetus that determined my life choice. It was here, where the long process of re-evaluating the history of the country, of its present and its future that continued for many years was started.”

Mikhail Sergeevich remembers, “The years of my studies in the university were not only utterly interesting, but also quite intensive. I had to make up for the blanks in my rural education, which were becoming obvious then – especially in the first years – and even more so, since, frankly speaking, I had never suffered from the lack of ambition.”

In his student years, M. S. Gorbachev met his future wife – Raisa Maksimovna Titarenko, who was also studying in MSU at the philosophy department. She was one year younger than Gorbachev, but entered the university one year before he did. On September 25 of 1953, they got married.

In 1955, M. S. Gorbachev finished law department at MSU summa cum laude and came back to Stavropol. He was directed to Stavropol region prosecutor’s office.

In Stavropol M. S. Gorbachev was still remembered by his activity in a school komsomol organization; his public activities and organizational talents were noted. Almost right away, M. S. Gorbachev was offered the position of a deputy chief of propaganda department in the regional committee of the All-Union Lenin’s Communist Young People’s Union (VLKSM). So, after working in the prosecutor’s office for only ten days (August 5-15 of 1955), M. S. Gorbachev took on his new responsibilities.

In September of 1956, M. S. Gorbachev became the first secretary of Stavropol city committee of VLKSM; on April 25 of 1958, he was chosen the second secretary of the regional committee of VLKSM and on March 21 of 1961 – the first secretary of regional VLKSM committee.

On September 26 of 1966, M. S. Gorbachev becomes the first secretary and a member of the City Bureau of the Stavropol Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). On August 5 of 1969, he became the second secretary of Stavropol region committee of CPSU.

On April 10 of 1970, M. S. Gorbachev was approved as the first secretary of Stavropol region committee of CPSU. The crucial elements of his program of the development of Stavropol region were efficient location of agricultural enterprises and their specialization; creating advanced chicken farms and agricultural complexes; introducing industrial technologies; construction of Big Stavropol Canal and irrigation-watering systems, which was of vital importance for the region with risky farming, where 50% of its territories were arid steppes, and completing the modernization projects in light and food industries.

During the years, spent in Stavropolye, M. S. Gorbachev was able to prepare and carry out a long-term program of the region’s development.

In those years, a young CPSU regional committee secretary had to face first-hand the system of decision-making under the conditions of the command economy and bureaucratically centralized country, which required endless voyages to the capital, negotiations, arguing with government officials, catering for Moscow bureaucrats.

Stavropol region is one of the most beautiful and famous resort areas of Russia. Top rank party leaders of USSR came for their vacation here. It is here, where M. S. Gorbachev met A. N. Kosygin and Y. V. Andropov. Gorbachev developed close and trustworthy relationships with Andropov. Later, Andropov would call Gorbachev “the Stavropol Nugget.”

For Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva, Stavropol region became very near and dear. After a few years of looking for a job in her profession, she started teaching at the economy faculty of Stavropol Agricultural Institute. Raisa Maksimovna gave lectures to students and post-graduates on philosophy, aesthetics, and problems of religion. On January 6, 1957, daughter Irina was born into the Gorbachev family. In 1967, R. M. Gorbacheva defended her PhD thesis on the subject of “Formation of new characteristics of the communal farmers’ way of living (based on the materials of sociological surveys in Stavropol region).”

On November 27, 1978, at the plenum of the Central Committee of CPSU, M. S. Gorbachev was elected Secretary of the Central Committee of CPSU. On December 6 of 1978, he and his family came to Moscow.

After he moved to Moscow, M. S. Gorbachev was at first handling the questions of agriculture, traveled in the country extensively and also made official visits abroad.

M. S. Gorbachev soon manifested himself as an initiative, energetic, and principled politician. Two years after his move, he was included into the highest controlling body of the party – the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of CPSU.

In March of 1985, M. S. Gorbachev became the Secretary General of CC CPSU.

When Gorbachev came to power, the process of democratization began in the Soviet Union, which was named “perestroika.” The ultimate issue of perestroika was the end of the totalitarian regime in USSR – in 1990, the power was transferred from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to the Congress of People’s Deputies of USSR – the first parliament in the Soviet history, elected on alternative basis during free democratic elections. The Congress chose Gorbachev to be the president of USSR (on March 15 of 1990). The driving power of perestroika was publicity and openness (“glasnost” and “otkrytost”). A program was being developed to transfer the economy to the socially-oriented market principles.

As for the international affairs, Gorbachev took an active course of relaxing the tensions, based on the principles of “new thinking” he formulated and became one of the key figures of the world politics. During 1985-1991, a radical breakthrough took place between the West and USSR, the image of the enemy, of the “Evil Empire” was changed for that of a friend. Gorbachev’s activity played a key role in ending the “cold war” and the nuclear weapons race, and in uniting Germany.

M. S. Gorbachev was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize

As the acknowledgement of M. S. Gorbachev’s immense services as a great reformer, world politician, who made a unique contribution to changing to better the very nature of the international development, he was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize (October 15 of 1990).

Destructive social and national processes, against which fledging democracy in USSR was not able to stand, eventually led to the disintegration of the great multi-national Union. Trying to prevent such an outcome, Gorbachev did the best of what could be done – except the use of force, which would contradict the basic principles of his political philosophy and ethics.

On December 25, 1991, M. S. Gorbachev stepped down from the office of the head of the state.

After his resignation, in 1992, M. S. Gorbachev created the International Fund of Social, Economic and Political Studies (Gorbachev Fund), becoming its president. After Raisa Maksimovna’s death, Mikhail Sergeevich’s family is still playing a major role in his life – his daughter Irina, granddaughters Xenia and Anastasia, great granddaughter Alexandra.

Since 1999, Irina Mikhailovna Gorbacheva-Virganskaya is the vice-president of the Gorbachev Fund.

In 1993, M. S. Gorbachev on the initiative of 108 countries’ representatives founded International non-Governmental Ecology Organization – the International Green Cross. This organization has among its objectives informing the general public of the problems of ecology, propagating new environmental consciousness, overcoming environmental consequences of the Cold War and Weapons’ Race. National organizations of the Green Cross are represented in 23 countries of the world.

M. S. Gorbachev is one of the initiators of creating a Forum of Noble Peace Prize Recipients in 1999. Gorbachev Fund carries out the studies of social, economic and political issues that are immediate to the present stage of Russian and World history, develops programs for supplying humanitarian aid, and undertakes charity actions.

At the annual meetings of the Forum there are discussions of global problems that concern the mankind: violence and wars, problems of poverty, ecological crisis.

In 2001-2003, M. S. Gorbachev was a co-chairman of the “Petersburg’s Dialogue” – regular meetings between Russia and Germany, which are alternatively held in both countries. Representatives of different political structures and business circles and young people participate in them.

M.S. Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II

In May of 2003, in Turin (Italy) there was a Constituent Conference of the World’s Politics Forum (WPF), created at the initiative of M. S. Gorbachev. In the activities, organized by WPF, most influential political leaders of the world participate – both former ones and those currently in their office. In the years past, since the foundation of the Forum, numerous assemblies were held, as well as regional seminars and symposia.

M. S. Gorbachev takes active participation in the political life of Russia: during the presidential campaign of 1996, he was one of the candidates for the office of the President of Russian Federation. M. S. Gorbachev is a convinced social-democrat, the creator of the Russian United Social-Democratic Party and Social-Democratic Party of Russia (2001 – 2007 г.), the founder of all-state social movement “The Union of Social Democrats” (formed in the fall of 2007).

M. S. Gorbachev characterizes his political credo and mission in the following way,

“…I aspired to unite politics and science, ethics, morality, responsibility before people. It was a principal matter to me. The rampage of rulers’ lusts, their willful tyranny had to be stopped. I did not succeed in some things, but I do not believe that my attitude was a mistake. Without this, it is difficult to expect the politics to fulfill its unique role, especially today, when we have entered into a new century, when we have to face dramatic challenges.”

During 1992-2008, M. S. Gorbachev made 266 international visits, visiting 50 countries. He is awarded with over 300 prizes, diplomas, honorary certificates and insignias. Since 1992, M. S. Gorbachev published scores of books in ten world languages.

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