Gorbachev: The Man Who Meant Well

The author of the book is an adviser and press secretary to Mikhail Gorbachev. It is a unique biography of the last leader of the Soviet Union and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. This is a psychological portrait of the man, the politician, the leader who was destined to change the course of history. Why did Gorbachev head the USSR before the collapse of the empire? Was he the initiator of dramatic processes in global politics at the end of the 20th century, or did he simply submit to the logic of events? Why didn’t Gorbachev cling to power at any cost and allow a coup attempt, and then voluntarily resign? What brought Gorbachev and his wife Raisa together—and what tied them for life? The book is built on exclusive materials: long hours of conversations between the author and Gorbachev, Raisa Maximovna, and their daughter Irina; with the people surrounding the General Secretary and the President—those who supported him or fought against him. It also contains excerpts from little-known documents of the Politburo and the Presidential Council.