Mikhail Gorbachev Fast Facts
Personal
Birth place: Privolnoye, Russia, Soviet Union
Birth name: Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Father: Sergei Andreyevich Gorbachev
Marriage: Raisa (Titarenko) Gorbachev (1953-September 20, 1999, her death)
Children: Irina 1956
Other Facts
Timeline
1952 - Joins the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and works in various positions in the party for the next two decades.
1955-1958
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1970-1978
1970-1990
1971
- Becomes a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
March 11, 1985 - Elected general secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union. In this post, he is effectively the leader of the USSR.