Although Mr. Gorbachev, who assumed power in 1985, is best recognized for liberalizing the USSR and improving relations with the West, he was powerless to stop his nation from falling apart in 1991. Many Russians hold him and his reforming policies responsible for the decline of their nation. According to the hospital where he passed away, he had a protracted and terrible illness. At the age of 54, Mr. Gorbachev was appointed general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and de facto president of the nation.
He was regarded as a breath of fresh air after several aging leaders because he was the youngest member of the Politburo at the time. His glasnost, or openness, doctrine allowed for official criticism at a level that was previously unimaginable. However, it also gave rise to nationalist feelings in various areas of the nation
