CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the life of Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the USSR. Personal Birth date: March 2, 1931 Death date: August 30, 2022 Birth place: Privolnoye, Russia, ...

In 1985, after three elderly leaders died in quick succession, Gorbachev, a protégé of former Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, was appointed General Secretary and head of the Soviet Union.