Mikhail Gorbachev, who attempted bold reforms upon assuming leadership of the Soviet Union in 1985 and oversaw its dissolution in 1991, died at 91 on Tuesday, according to Russian state media.
The big picture: Gorbachev sought to modernize the economy and liberalize society through his trademark policies of perestroika and glasnost. He also improved relations with the West and signed arms control agreements with the U.S. But it was under his tenure that the Eastern Bloc, and later the USSR itself, collapsed.
