Mihail Gorbačovs

Mihail Gorbačovs served as the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 and was instrumental in the reforms that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He is best known for his policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), which aimed to modernize the Soviet economy and promote more transparency in government. Gorbačovs' leadership during the final years of the Cold War was marked by significant geopolitical changes, including the end of the Iron Curtain and the eventual independence of several Soviet republics, including Latvia. He was in the news recently in relation to the 35th anniversary of Latvia's Declaration of Independence, reflecting on the historical context of the events of 1990.