Mihail Sergeevich Gorbachyov

A politician from the late Soviet Union. Russian. Born on March 2nd to a farming family in the village of Pribornoye, Krasnogbardeysky district, Stavropol region, North Caucasus. Worked as an assistant combine harvester operator in a rural area of ​​Stavropol region from 1946 to 1950, then entered Moscow University. Joined the Communist Party in 1952 while studying there. After graduating from the university in 1955, he was active in the Komsomol (Young Communist League) and party activities in Stavropol, while graduating from Stavropol Agrarian University in 1967 through correspondence courses. In 1970, he became First Secretary of the Stavropol Regional Party Committee, and in 1971, a member of the Central Committee of the Party. In November 1978, he was selected as Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, and moved to Moscow, where he was quickly promoted to candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Party in November 1979, and to full member in October 1980.

On March 11, 1985, he was elected as the successor to General Secretary Chernenko after his death, and became the party's highest leader. Under the slogans of "glasnost" (openness) and "perestroika" (reconstruction), he actively promoted liberalization and democratization. He also promoted "new thinking diplomacy" and pursued a cooperative and conciliatory diplomacy. In October 1988, he also served as Chairman of the Supreme Presidium. In May 1989, he was elected Chairman of the newly established Supreme Soviet. In March 1990, following the revision of the constitution, he became the first President of the Soviet Union. In the same year, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. After an attempted conservative coup in August 1991, he resigned as General Secretary of the party. In December of the same year, he resigned as President following the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In June 1996, he ran for the Russian presidency, but lost, receiving only about 380,000 votes, or 0.5% of the total.

[Osamu Nakanishi]

"The Age of Gorbachev" by Shimotomai Nobuo (1988, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Gorbachev 1931-1991" by D. Doder, translated by Okura Yunosuke (1991, TBS Britannica)" ▽ "Gorbachev's Speeches" by M. Gorbachev, translated by the Yomiuri Shimbun Foreign News Department (1991, Yomiuri Shimbun)" ▽ "From the Soviet Union to the Community" by Nakanishi Osamu (1992, Nansosha)" ▽ "The Gorbachev-Yeltsin Revolution" by Shimizu Ryozo (1995, Seibundo)" ▽ "Gorbachev's Memoirs, Vol. 1 and 2" by M. Gorbachev, translated by Kudo Seiichiro and Suzuki Yasuo (1996, Shinchosha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧ソ連末期の政治家。ロシア人。3月2日北カフカスのスタブロポリ地方クラスノグバルジェイスキー地区プリボルノエ村の農家に生まれる。1946年から1950年までスタブロポリ地方の農村でコンバイン操縦助手として働いたのち、モスクワ大学に入学。在学中の1952年に共産党に入る。1955年に同校を卒業後、スタブロポリでコムソモール（青年共産同盟）と党の活動に従事しながら、1967年にスタブロポリ農業大学を通信教育で卒業。1970年にスタブロポリ地方党委員会第一書記、1971年に党中央委員。1978年11月に党中央委員会書記に抜擢(ばってき)され、モスクワに移り、1979年11月に党中央委員会政治局員候補、1980年10月に同正局員にスピード昇進。

　1985年3月10日のチェルネンコ書記長の死去の翌11日に後任書記長に選出され、党の最高指導者となり、「グラスノスチ（情報公開）」、「ペレストロイカ（建て直し）」のスローガンのもと、自由化と民主化を積極的に推し進めた。さらに、「新思考外交」を掲げて協調的・融和的外交を展開した。1988年10月、最高幹部会議長を兼任。1989年5月、新設の最高会議議長に選出。1990年3月、憲法改正に伴い初代のソ連大統領に就任した。同年、ノーベル平和賞を受賞。1991年8月の保守派クーデター未遂後、党書記長を辞任。同年12月、独立国家共同体（CIS）の創設とソ連消滅を受けて大統領を辞任した。1996年6月、ロシア大統領選に出馬したが、約38万票、0.5％の支持しか得られず、落選した。

［中西　治］

『下斗米伸夫著『ゴルバチョフの時代』（1988・岩波書店）』▽『D・ドーダー著、大蔵雄之助訳『ゴルバチョフ1931―1991』（1991・TBSブリタニカ）』▽『M．ゴルバチョフ著、読売新聞社外報部訳『ゴルバチョフ演説集』（1991・読売新聞社）』▽『中西治著『ソ連邦から共同体へ』（1992・南窓社）』▽『清水良三著『ゴルバチョフ・エリツィン革命』（1995・成文堂）』▽『M．ゴルバチョフ著、工藤精一郎・鈴木康雄訳『ゴルバチョフ回想録上・下』（1996・新潮社）』

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