Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev; born 2 March 1931) is a former Soviet statesman. He was the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 when the party was dissolved. He served as the country's head of state from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991. He was the only General Secretary in the history of the Soviet Union to have been born after the October...
ProfessionWorld Leader
Date of Birth2 March 1931
CityPrivolnoye, Russia
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Sometimes it's difficult to accept, to recognise one's own mistakes, but one must do it. I was guilty of overconfidence and arrogance, and I was punished for that.
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Those who knew him remember how much his position and voice meant in difficult times when all the changes started and when people needed faithful, honest, truthful and courageous words.
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What the 21st century will be like depends on whether we learn the lessons of the 20th century and avoid repeating its worst mistakes - For example, it would be disastrous if we began to renew our entire system of social relations by acting like a bu
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was committed to the principles of democracy to his dying days.
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Those who want Russia to continue to grow in IT should work with Russian companies, with our science centers and with our software companies, ... Now is the time to go to Russia with investment.
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We don't need to kiss each other, we don't need to flirt with each other, we have to -- seriously on a human and political level -- we have to work together and be partners with the United States and Russia.
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Of course I invited Bush and Margaret Thatcher and (Spanish former prime minister) Felipe Gonzalez, but we are already at an age where it's not that easy to just travel somewhere.
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The pope did everything possible to help humanity out of its era of hate.
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It is a worthy reward for his efforts over many years. He is a man who does his job solidly and responsibly.
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There should be competition and exchanges between different countries, but there are certainly certain universal values, and that is freedom and democracy.
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I think the environmental problem will be the number one item on the agenda of the 21st century... This is a problem that cannot be postponed.
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Starting reforms in the Soviet Union was only possible from above, only from above. Any attempt to go from below was suppressed, suppressed in a most resolute way.
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We could only solve our problems by cooperating with other countries. It would have been paradoxical not to cooperate. And therefore we needed to put an end to the Iron Curtain, to change the nature of international relations, to rid them of ideological confrontation, and particularly to end the arms race.
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While adhering to his convictions, with which one could agree or disagree, he was not dogmatic; he was looking for negotiations and cooperation. And this was the most important thing to me; he had the trust of the American people.