Mikhail Gorbachev, a former leader of the Soviet Union, died on 30 August, aged 91. Thousands of people attended his funeral in Moscow, the Russian capital, on 3 September. However, the current Russian president, Vladimir Putin, did not go.
Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union (see panel above). He took charge from 1985 to 1991 and became well known for important reforms (changes) in the Soviet Union, and also for ending the Cold War. His reforms gave Soviet people and businesses a lot more freedom. When Gorbachev first came to power, the Soviet Union’s economy (the way a country organises its workers, money and resources) was not doing well, and the reforms were Gorbachev’s attempt to help it. However, the changes eventually…
