Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91. He had a serious illness which he fought for a long time. He died in the hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Gorbachev was the leader of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1985 to December 1991, when it collapsed. While Gorbachev was leader, he made agreements with the West to reduce weapons. He also removed the Iron Curtain, the strict border the Soviets built between the West and the USSR.
Gorbachev was the leader for less than seven years, but he made many changes. Some say that those changes are the reason the Soviet Union collapsed. During his time as leader, Eastern European countries were let free and the idea of nuclear war between the Soviets and the West ended.
In August 1991, the vice president and top military leaders tried to take over the Soviet government from Gorbachev, but failed. On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union ended the next day.
In 1990, Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping end the Cold War between the USSR and the West. He received many other awards and compliments from all over the world, but he was unpopular at home.
Many Russian people blame Gorbachev for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some of his former allies also turned against him.
It seems that the amount of respect Mikhail Gorbachev has in the West is the same amount of detest he has in Russia.
The official news agency Tass says that Gorbachev will be buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow next to his wife, Raisa.
VOCABULARY
- Former – previous; past; ex-; before; in the past
- Treatment – medical care; surgery; the process of fixing an injury or illness
- Soviet Union – A former country that was in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Russia was the largest part of the Soviet Union.
- Collapse – to suddenly fail; to fall apart; to break down or break apart
- The West – usually means non-communist countries in Europe, North America, and Oceania
- Border – the line that separates two countries; the edge or outside part of an area
- Let free – release; let go; allowed to leave; allowed to become independent
- Take over – take control of; assume power; gain control;
- Resign – to leave a job; to step down; to quit; give up
- Blame – to feel, think or say that someone did something wrong;
- Ally – a person or organization that is on your side or helps you; friend; associate; partner
- Turn against – to suddenly become aggressive or hostile towards someone
- Detest – to strongly dislike; to hate
- Bury – to put a dead person in the ground; lay to rest
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