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
tree humanity sacred
To me, nature is sacred; trees are my temples and forests are my cathedrals.
russia democracy painful
It will be difficult, even painful, but democracy will prevail in Russia. There will be no dictatorship, although relapses into authoritarianism are possible.
doe ufo extraterrestrial
The phenomenon of UFOs does exist, and it must be treated seriously.
danger
Dangers await only those who do not react to life.
democracy
Democracy must learn to defend itself.
russia benefits want
It sometimes seems to me that some of our Western partners do not want Russia to fully recover. They would like Russia to be in a subdued state, and they want Russian resources to be used for the benefit of the U.S. economy.
determination europe leader
The most puzzling development in politics during the last decade is the apparent determination of Western European leaders to re-create the Soviet Union in Western Europe.
ecosystems lakes russia
Lake Baikal in Russia has 25 percent of the freshwater resources of the world. Sixty-five percent of the Russian ecosystems are in danger. So let's preserve what we have, and let's take good care of nature.
hands nuclear-disarmament weapons
It is my firm belief that the infinite and uncontrollable fury of nuclear weapons should never be held in the hands of any mere mortal ever again, for any reason.
san-francisco president bay-area
You are fortunate to live here. If I were your President, I would levy a tax on you for living in San Francisco!
leadership hundred
It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.
economic-models america what-if
I remember Secretary of State [George] Shultz one day saying that America is an economic model for the world. I replied to him that America represents 5 percent of the world's population and consumes 30 percent of the world's energy. What if everyone in the world lives like Americans? Where do we get the energy for this standard of living?
heavy paid
I paid too heavy a price for perestroika.
writing capricious creatures
History is a capricious creature. It depends on who writes it.