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Gorbachev, Mikhail
- The last president of the Soviet Union , Gorbachev came to power in 1985. Although a committed communist , he sought to revive the ailing Soviet economy by introducing some elements of capitalist competition (a policy he called perestroika , or “restructuring”) and to encourage free expression by a policy of glasnost . Perestroika failed to stimulate the economy, while glasnost spurred popular criticism of communism itself and the surfacing of long-repressed nationalism in the republics that composed the Soviet Union. In 1991 hard-line communists, many of them Gorbachev's appointees, staged a coup d'état against him. Boris Yeltsin , president of the Russian republic, rallied opposition against the coup, which also faced international criticism and aroused only lukewarm support in the Soviet military. The coup quickly collapsed and Gorbachev returned to the presidency, but with such weakened prestige that he was unable to prevent the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism .
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Example Sentences
RT also reported that former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has advised Kiev against building a wall with Russia.
From The Daily Beast
In 1990 the winner was Mikhail Gorbachev, who actually did what Carter had merely tried to do.
From The Daily Beast
Thatcher convinced Ronald Reagan to do business with Mikhail Gorbachev.
From The Daily Beast
Mikhail Gorbachev, Meryl Streep, and more bold-faced names react to the passing of an icon.
From The Daily Beast
Ronald Reagan became a dove when Mikhail Gorbachev signaled his desire to end the Cold War.
From The Daily Beast
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