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Religious views: copied from New World Encyclopedia
He was "relieved" of office in 1991 after successfully bringing down 74 years of feared communist rule and surviving a temporary "coup" by the old communist guard that didn't take off and quickly fizzled. 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. Gorbachev was awarded the 1990 [[Nobel Peace Prize]].<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/ Nobel Peace Prize]</ref>
He was "relieved" of office in 1991 after successfully bringing down 74 years of feared communist rule and surviving a temporary "coup" by the old communist guard that didn't take off and quickly fizzled. 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. Gorbachev was awarded the 1990 [[Nobel Peace Prize]].<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/ Nobel Peace Prize]</ref>
==Religious views==
* Although baptized in the Russian Orthodox church as a child, Gorbachev publicly professed atheism during his political career. Nonetheless, as Soviet president, he campaigned for the establishment of freedom of religion laws in the Soviet Union, viewing the exercise of religious expression as a valuable source of societal cohesion. Finally, in March 2008, while visiting the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, he told the Italian press that he had become a Christian, moved particularly by the life of St. Francis. [http://www.encyclopediaproject.net/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev#Early_life_and_political_career]