Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader...

On March 11, 1985, Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party"s Central Committee. He was elected President of the Soviet Union on March 15, 1990.

In just 5 years and 4 days, Gorbachev managed to shake the foundation of the country and the entire world.

The era of perestroika was born exactly 25 years ago, although no one noticed at the time. The word "perestroika" was coined later to contrast Gorbachev"s rule with the "era of stagnation."

The relatively young Gorbachev - who was 54 years old when he assumed power in 1985 - was an attractive prospect compared to the Kremlin elders who ruled the country "without ever regaining consciousness," to quote a popular political joke of the time. His relative youth brought with it the popular hope that the country would undergo at least some degree of modernization.

Although the winds of change were already howling by 1990, the more radical elements in society wanted to go even further.

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