Gorbachev Wins Nobel: The Cold War's End Begins
Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize on October 15 for his role in ending the Cold War. By then, the Berlin Wall had fallen, Germany had reunified, and Soviet troops had withdrawn from Afghanistan. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) had loosened the Communist Party's grip on information and economic planning. Critics within the Soviet Union were less impressed: the economy was collapsing, nationalist movements were tearing the union apart, and hardliners blamed him for surrendering a superpower. Gorbachev couldn't travel to Oslo for the ceremony, sending his wife Raisa instead. Fourteen months after receiving the prize, the Soviet Union dissolved. His approval rating among Russians dropped into the single digits, where it remained for decades.
October 15, 1990
36 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Mikhail Gorbachev
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Nobel Peace Prize
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Cold War
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Mikhail Gorbachev
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Nobel Peace Prize
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David Trimble
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First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
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Northern Ireland
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Prime minister
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Good Friday Agreement
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