Which soviet leader sought to open up the country to economic liberation from the west.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a pivotal figure during Russia’s transition from communism to democracy, has died at the age of 91.

Russian media reported his death Aug. 30, citing a hospital statement that his death followed a long illness.

As leader of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Gorbachev introduced a policy of greater transparency of government institutions and freedom of information, which became known as “glasnost” and “perestroika.” The changes were credited with bringing an end to communism in the Soviet Union and the end to the Cold War.

Born March 2, 1931, in the Stavropol area of southwestern Russia, Gorbachev always credited the “little homeland” for helping mold his character, according to his biography on the Gorbachev Foundation’s website.

He graduated with a law degree from Moscow State University in 1955, where he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Despite contemplating a career in law or academia, he realized that politics was his lot in life after getting elected to a series of party posts in Stavropol.

In 1979, he was appointed to the Politburo, or executive committee of the communist party, and became general secretary in 1985 — the highest position in the nation — where he remained until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.

WATCH: A look at the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, final leader of the Soviet Union

As general secretary, he introduced the series of reforms that were later known as perestroika in an effort to accelerate economic and social progress. But as the primary driver of these changes, he increasingly found himself the target of criticism from conservatives, who wanted to prevent the reforms, and liberals, who thought the changes weren’t happening fast enough.

Despite the setbacks, he continued pushing for reforms, such as calling for multicandidate elections for local legislative bodies, and oversaw changes in government structures, including the formation of the Congress of People’s Deputies.

The election of the Congress of People’s Deputies marked the first time that Soviet voters could choose members of a national legislative body, and it opened the way for the deputies to publicly criticize Gorbachev, the military and the KGB. The weakening of a central party structure also allowed the constituent republics to begin pulling away from the union and eventually lead to its downfall.

Gorbachev was recognized internationally for his reform efforts and meetings with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which helped end the Cold War, when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

But opposition within his country was brewing. And on Aug. 19, 1991, a group of Communist hard liners took control of the country by sending tanks into Moscow, where they were met by angry protesters. Gorbachev was under house arrest at his vacation villa on the Black Sea at the time.

People holding a huge Russian flag flash victory signs on Aug. 22, 1991, on Red Square in Moscow as they celebrate the failure of a hardline communist-led coup which nearly toppled Mikhail Gorbachev. Photo by Anatoly Sapronyenko/AFP/Getty Images

Several tank crews switched sides, forming a shield around the parliament building, which then became headquarters for coup opponents.

Boris Yeltsin, then president of the Russian republic, led the counter coup and stood atop one of the friendly tanks in a sign of defiance.

The coup’s plotters, which included the vice president, defense minister and head of the KGB, said they were trying to keep Gorbachev from signing a treaty the next day that would give the Soviet republics more autonomy.

But within days, the 70-year rule of the Communist Party was suspended, and over the next few months, the USSR dissolved and 15 Soviet republics became 15 independent countries. Many of those former Soviet republics founded the Commonwealth of Independent States.

President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at Camp David in June 1990. Photo by Diana Walker/Time Life Pictures/Getty Image

After his removal, Gorbachev continued to be active in politics, forming various political parties: the Social Democratic Party of Russia in 2001, the Union of Social-Democrats in 2007 and the Independent Democratic Party of Russia in 2008.

In 1992, he founded the Gorbachev Foundation, a nonprofit think tank headquartered in San Francisco that researches issues of Russian politics and history.

In later years, Gorbachev was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite supporting Putin’s first term in office. He told the BBC that his relationship with Putin had “soured,” saying: “I think he should change his style and make adjustments to the regime.” He was also critical of the U.S. and its role both in NATO expansion and in tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In an December 2021 interview with state news agency RIA Novosti, Gorbachev called the U.S. “arrogant and self-confident” after the collapse of the Soviet Union, pointing to the country’s “desire to build a new empire” as a reason why talks around these issues had become so difficult.

“In such a position, how can you expect equal relations with the United States, with the West?” Gorbachev said. “Secondly, and no less important, is the triumphal mood in the West, especially in the U.S. Arrogance and self-confidence went to their heads.”

His wife Raisa, whose public appearances with Gorbachev as first lady helped personalize the country’s image, died of leukemia in 1999. They are both survived by their daughter Irina.