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→General Secretary
Following the death of Communist leader [[Konstantin Chernenko]] in 1985, Gorbachev was elected General Secretary.<ref>https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037405/Mikhail-Gorbachev</ref> As General Secretary, Gorbachev improved relations with the [[United States]] and embarked on an extensive mission of attempying to reform the Communist Soviet Union under policies known as ''[[glasnost]]'' ("openness") and ''[[perestroika]]'' ("restructuring"). It is questioned to what extent he intended to bring about the wholesale changes that swept the Soviet Union and its satellites and how much events moved out of control.
Following the death of Communist leader [[Konstantin Chernenko]] in 1985, Gorbachev was elected General Secretary.<ref>https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037405/Mikhail-Gorbachev</ref> As General Secretary, Gorbachev improved relations with the [[United States]] and embarked on an extensive mission of attempying to reform the Communist Soviet Union under policies known as ''[[glasnost]]'' ("openness") and ''[[perestroika]]'' ("restructuring"). It is questioned to what extent he intended to bring about the wholesale changes that swept the Soviet Union and its satellites and how much events moved out of control.
===Nagorno-Karabakh===
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Muslim [[Azerbaijan]] SSR was a region with a predominantly Christian [[Armenia]]n population. The long-standing conflict between the two peoples flared up with renewed vigor in 1987. Gorbachev's team urged the parties to solve problems through discussion, completely ignorant of the Caucasian specifics. Moreover, [[Moscow]]'s emissaries who came to Azerbaijan and Armenia made mutually exclusive promises, which only exacerbated the situation. Gradually, the matter turned to acts of violence.
In February 1988, [[pogrom]]s on ethnic grounds took place in the satellite city of Baku Sumgait, the victims of which were more than 30 people. For almost three days, anarchy reigned in Sumgait, against the background of which [[extremist]]s brutally killed local Armenians, including women and children.
Only the intervention of units of the Soviet Army stopped the massacre. The Sumgait nightmare demanded from Gorbachev quick and clear decisions in the field of national policy. But instead, a new round of talking began.
Moscow's inability to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh problem showed the weakness of the Moscow center, which extremists in other Republics took advantage of.
===Georgian Republic===
In 1989, after [[Soviet]] troops moved into [[Tbilisi]] to crack down on protests and killed at least 20 people,<ref>https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-soviet-demonstrations/25324233.html</ref> Gorbachev was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for his efforts to preserve [[communism]] in what was then an [[slavery|enslaved]] Republic of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/ Nobel Peace Prize]</ref>
In 1989, after [[Soviet]] troops moved into [[Tbilisi]] to crack down on protests and killed at least 20 people,<ref>https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-soviet-demonstrations/25324233.html</ref> Gorbachev was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for his efforts to preserve [[communism]] in what was then an [[slavery|enslaved]] Republic of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/ Nobel Peace Prize]</ref>
[[Image:Bush and Gorbachev sign agreements.jpg|thumb|300px|Left|Gorbachev (left) signs agreement with President G.H.W. Bush]]
[[Image:Bush and Gorbachev sign agreements.jpg|thumb|300px|Left|Gorbachev (left) signs agreement with President G.H.W. Bush]]
===Putsch===
After surviving the unsuccessful August Coup of 1991, and following subsequent referendums in the constituent Soviet republics seeking independence, Gorbachev was forced to resign office on December 25, 1991. The Soviet Union was dissolved the following day. Although still thought of fondly in the West, Gorbachev did not maintain his popularity at home. After his "retirement" he was forced to live on a pension that deteriorated quickly in value as the Russian currency collapsed in the post-Communist era.
After surviving the unsuccessful August Coup of 1991, and following subsequent referendums in the constituent Soviet republics seeking independence, Gorbachev was forced to resign office on December 25, 1991. The Soviet Union was dissolved the following day. Although still thought of fondly in the West, Gorbachev did not maintain his popularity at home. After his "retirement" he was forced to live on a pension that deteriorated quickly in value as the Russian currency collapsed in the post-Communist era.