Mikhail Gorbachev: The Soviet Union's Final Leader with Vadim Malinovsky

Gorbachev was known in the West as a heroic figure who ended the Cold War and brought freedom to Eastern Europe. But today, Russians think that he was a man who brought a superpower to its knees and impoverished its people. A poll made by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center found Gorbachev to be the “most hated person of the Soviet era."

During this conversation, we will try to look at Mikhail Gorbachev as a person. What did he do before he became the head of the USSR and started his reforms? We will start with his early childhood and finish with Gorbachev’s personality and his role in the fall of the USSR in 1991.  We will conclude the talk with an examination of his vision of Putin’s present and Russia’s future.

Led by historian Vadim Malinovsky, this seminar will give a deep dive into the biography of Mikhail Gorbachev and his decisions that led the Soviet Union to collapse. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of the very controversial role this man played in Russian history.

This conversation has been designed as an ongoing series. To learn more about Russian History with Context, check out our upcoming seminars here.