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[[Image:03-026.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Mikhail Gorbachev]]'''Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: Михаи́л Серге́евич Горбачёв), born March 2, 1931), was the last effective leader of the [[Soviet Union]]from 1985 till 1991. Embarking on a new openness with the outside world not previously seen under Soviet rule, Gorbachev became quite popular in the West.

==Early life==Born in the agricultural region of [[Stavropol]], Gorbachev attended [[Moscow]] University, where he studied law. In 1953 he married Raisa Titorenko, a fellow student. He returned to [[Stavropol]] and began to move gradually upward in the Communist Party.  ==General Secretary==Following the death of Communist leader [[Konstantin Chernenko]] in 1985, Gorbachev was elected General Secretary.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037405/Mikhail-Gorbachev</ref> As General Secretary, Gorbachev improved relations with the [[United States]] and embarked on an extensive mission of reforming the Communist Soviet Union. He succeeded in reforming it politically, economically, and socially under policies known as ''[[glasnost]]''("openness") and ''[[perestroika]]'' ("restructuring"). It is questioned to what extent he intended to bring about the wholesale changes that swept the Soviet Union and its satellites and how much events moved out of control. In April 1990, Gorbachev granted a one-on-one meeting to arch anti-Communist [[Sun Myung Moon]]. Father Moon urged him to grant religious freedom to his nation, saying::"Mr. President, you have already achieved much success through perestroika, but that alone will not be sufficient for reform. You need to immediately allow [[freedom of religion]] in the Soviet Union. If you try to reform only the material world, without the involvement of [[God]], perestroika will be doomed to fail. [[Communism]] is about to end. The only way to save this nation is to allow the freedom of religion. The time is now for you to act with the courage that you have shown in reforming the Soviet Union and become a president of the world who works to bring about [[world peace]]."<ref>[http://cheonilguk2013.blogspot.com/2010/12/allow-freedom-of-religion-in-soviet_7230.html “Allow Freedom of Religion in the Soviet Union”]</ref> He also asked him to revive diplomatic relations with [[South Korea]]. :President Gorbachev met President Roh in San Francisco in June that year for a bilateral summit. Then, on September 30, 1990, South Korea and the Soviet Union signed a historic agreement to open diplomatic relations for the first time in eighty six years.<ref>[http://cheonilguk2013.blogspot.com/2010/12/allow-freedom-of-religion-in-soviet_8021.html “Allow Freedom of Religion in the Soviet Union”]</ref>