Pres. Gorbachev was born in Stavropol Krai into a peasant family. He was admitted to Moscow State University and studied at the law faculty, graduating in 1955. As a student at the University Gorbachev joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1970 he was elected member of the CPSU Central Committee. In November 1978 he became a Central Committee Secretary and soon started to influence many areas of the Central Committee’s activities. In March 1985 Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Party Central Committee and initiated the process of change in the Soviet Union - what was later called perestroika, the fundamental transformation of the nation and society. Glasnost became perestroika’s driving force. A sweeping process of the nation’s democratization was launched and reforms were planned to put the nation’s ineffective economy back on track to market economics. The Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR - the first parliament in Soviet history - elected Gorbachev President of the USSR on March 15, 1990. Accordingly, he headed the nation’s Defense Council and was Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR. He brought great political victories in foreign policy, through his commitment to the cause of peace and cooperation, which led to the signing of the treaty with Ronald Reagan for the elimination of the euro-missiles (Washington, December 1987). In October 15, 1990 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He resigned in 1991 after a failed coup organised by the conservative fringe of the Communist Party. He is the Founder and President of The World Political Forum.