Mikhail Gorbachev

Westerners tend to overlook the fact that Gorbachev's aim in the late 1980s was not to dissolve the Soviet Union or abolish Communism but to rescue them by reforming both. The breakup of the USSR and the fading of Communism were unintended consequences of his efforts. Nevertheless, it is the consequences and not the intentions that have been (rightly) embraced.

The imperial collapse was an unintended consequence of Gorbachev's desire to humanize socialism and save the USSR. He utterly failed in both tasks, but Russia and other Soviet republics were liberated from the Communist nightmare, and the world gained 30 years of relative peace, which is now coming to an end.

President Gorbachev is a key player in the story of why I'm in the United States.

Putin had a tense relationship with Gorbachev, who oversaw the end of the Soviet Union.

A photo of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in the Red Square features another famous leader, social media users have speculated.

Gorbachev's purpose in power was to revitalize the Soviet Union and its ruling ideology.

To our amazement, on Dec. 6, 1987, over 250,000 people, Jews and non-Jews alike, including Vice President George H.W. Bush, attended Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews on the nation's Mall. They came to send a simple message to Gorbachev: Let my people go.

And Gorbachev is not, as many maintain, the man who "let the Jews go." During the first years of his rule, the number of Jews exiting plummeted, and key refuseniks such as Ida Nudel and Vladimir Slepak continued to have their exit visas denied.

The Russian president visited the Moscow hospital where Mikhail Gorbachev died on Tuesday and laid flowers at his coffin.

Cold War expert Sergey Radchenko told Newsweek it was a "tragedy" the last Soviet leader saw so many of his accomplishments dismantled by Putin.

Lauded in the West for his role in ending the Cold War, Gorbachev was a divisive figure in Russia, blamed by some for the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The last leader of the Soviet Union was praised for creating a freer world. Others said his missteps ended the Soviet Union and created instability.

"Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!" former President Ronald Reagan said during his famous 1987 speech in West Berlin. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

While the former Soviet leader was hailed for his political reforms, his death has spotlighted his complicated relationship with an independent Ukraine.

The well-known commercial aired around the world—but not in Russia.

Gorbachev ushered in a series of political reforms that fundamentally changed the Soviet Union in the years before its 1991 dissolution.

The Soviet Union's former leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, is "upset" his work has been undone by Vladimir Putin, journalist Alexei Venidiktov said.

Yevgeny Fyodorov from the ruling United Russia party said the 1991 resolution that led Vilnius to break from the USSR was "illegal."

The independent newspaper said it would stop production until the war in Ukraine is over after it received a second warning from the Russian government.

The 40th president's optimistic faith—and lucky timing—help explain his enduring appeal.

President-Elect Joe Biden is expected to take a tough line on Russia when he begins his term in January.

The president-elect has previously blamed Putin's regime for the poisoning of Alexey Navalny, vowing to work with allies to hold the Russian leader's government "accountable for its crimes."

The former Soviet leader warned that the coronavirus pandemic has set Washington, D.C. and Beijing on the path to conflict.

The president would be wise to follow the Gipper's lead.

Gorbachev, an advocate for nuclear disarmament, said, "The key to resolving security issues lies not in weapons, but in politics."

Gorbachev signed several pivotal anti-nuclear proliferation agreements with the U.S. during his time as the last leader of the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev was the Soviet leader when the agreement—limiting nuclear capable missiles in Europe—was signed in 1987.

In contrast to some other presidents, Bush understood the difficult nuances of Gorbachev's position.

The Soviet Union's last leader is calling for a face-to-face summit to de-escalate tensions.

The Soviet Union's last leader gave a rare interview on the 25th anniversary of its collapse.