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| 1931 | Birth |  |
| 2nd Mar Privolnoye Birth of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, Privolnoye, Stavropol krai, Nth Caucasus |
| 1950 | Communist Party | |
| Appointedandidate Member of the Communist Party |
| 1952 | Communist Party | |
| Moscow Appointed Member of the Communist Party |
| 1952 | Education | |
| Sep Moscow Enters the Law Faculty of Moscow State University |
| 1953 | Marriage | |
| 25th Sep Moscow Marries Raisa Titorenko, a philosophy student at Moscow University |
| 1955 | Education | |
| June Moscow Graduates from the Law Faculty at Moscow University |
| 1955 | Komsomol | |
| Appointed Organizer of local Komsomol |
| 1956 | First Secretary | |
| Sep Stavropol Appointed First Secretary of the Stravropol City Komsomol Committee |
| 1958 | Second Secretary | |
| 25th April Stavropol Appointed 2nd Secretary of the Komsomol Krai Committee |
| 1961 | First Secretary | |
| Mar Stavropol Appointed First Secretary of the Komsomol Krai Committee |
| 1962 | Party Organizer | |
| Mar Stavropol Appointedarty Organizer of a Territorial Production Association |
| 1964 | Education | |
| Stavropol Enrols in the Stavropol Agricultural Institute |
| 1967 | Education | |
| Stavropol Completes his agricultural degree |
| 1970 | First Secretary | |
| Stavropol Appointed First Party Secretary, Stavropol kraikom |
| 1971 | Central Committee | |
| Mar Moscow Appointed Member of the Central Committee |
| 1978 | Official | |
| Moscow Appointed Official in charge of agricultural production, under Andropov |
| 1978 | Secretary CPSU | |
| 27th Nov Appointed Secretary for Agriculture of the CPSU Central Committee at its plenum |
| 1979 | Politburo | |
| 26th Dec Moscow Appointed Member of the Politburo, Candidate Member |
| 1980 | Politburo | |
| Moscow Appointed Member of the Politburo |
| 1984 | Diplomacy | |
| Moscow Makes a positive impression on Thatcher, "A man I can do business with" |
| 1st Jan France gets its 1st delivery of Soviet natural gas |
| 10th Feb Russia & China sign a $1.2 billion trade agreement |
| 16th Dec Moscow Visits Margaret Thatcher at her invitation as an up & coming leader |
| 1984 | Economy | |
| Russian growth is %2.6, lowest since World War II |
| 10th Feb Russia & China sign a $1.2 billion trade agreement |
| 1984 | Reform | |
| 10th Dec Moscow Makes a conference speech supporting reform & introducing "perestroika" & "glasnost" |
| 1985 | Armament | |
| 7th April Russia announces a unilateral freeze of medium-range nuclear missiles |
| 1985 | Burial | |
| 13th Mar Moscow Leads the funeral procession |
| 1985 | Conference of Geneva | |
| 19th Nov Geneva 1st meets President Reagan, later describes him as a "political dinosaur" |
| 21st Nov Geneva Meets President Reagan to speed up arms control & renew cultural relations |
| 21st Nov Geneva Russia & the USAagree not to "achieve military superiority" |
| 21st Nov Geneva Russia & the USAagree "nuclear war cannot be won" |
| 1985 | Diplomacy | |
| 14th April Bitburg Pravda calls Regan's visit to Bitburg Nazi cemetry an "act of blasphemy" |
| 1985 | Economy | |
| Moscow Reduces vodka production by 60% & increases its price by 200% by 6 months in office |
| 1985 | General Secretary | |
| 10th Mar Moscow Appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party |
| 10th Mar Moscow Appointed President of Russia |
| 10th Mar Moscow The Politburo vote to appoint Gorbachev as Chernenko's successor |
| 11th Mar Moscow The Communist Party plenum ratify Gorbachev's succession |
| 1985 | Nuclear Warfare | |
| 7th April Russia announces a unilateral freeze of medium-range nuclear missiles |
| 8th April Moscow Announces the suspension of the deployment of SS-20 missiles in Europe |
| 8th April Announces the suspension of the deployment of SS-20 missiles in Europe |
| 21st Nov Geneva Meets Reagan to discuss arms control |
| 21st Nov Meets Reagan to discuss arms control |
| 21st Nov Geneva Russia & the USA agree not to "achieve military superiority" |
| 21st Nov Geneva Russia & the USA agree "nuclear war cannot be won" |
| 1985 | President | |
| 10th Mar Appointed President of the Supreme Soviet |
| 1986 | Congress of Peoples Deputies | |
| Moscow Creates a Parliament called the Congress of People's Deputies |
| 1986 | Demonstrations | |
| 9th April Tbilisi Disorders in Tbilisi, 20 demonstrators are killed by Soviet troops |
| Dec Alma Disorders in Alma |
| 1986 | Diplomacy | |
| Begins a series of summit meetings with President Reagan |
| 1986 | Disaster | |
| 14th May Chernobyl Speaks on Russian TV because radiation levels can be measured in the west |
| 1986 | Economy | |
| Moscow Attempts to prevent private enterprise on the black market |
| 1986 | General Secretary | |
| Moscow Appointed Member of the Politburo |
| 1986 | Nuclear Warfare | |
| 9th Jan Announces a 15 yr timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons |
| 26th April Chernobyl Reporting restrictions are restored, only Tass bulletins are published |
| 26th April Reporting restrictions are restored, only Tass bulletins are published |
| 14th May Chernobyl Speaks on Russian TV because radiation levels can be measured in the west |
| 1986 | Reform | |
| Moscow A law against unearned income is passed |
| Moscow Attempts to prevent private enterprise on the black market |
| Nov Moscow Legislation is passed allowing free enterprise |
| 1987 | Anniversary | |
| 2nd Nov Moscow In the 70th Anniversary speech says Stalin's crimes were "enormous & unforgiveable" |
| 1987 | Armament | |
| 14th April Moscow Proposes cuts to the USAby offering to remove short range missiles from Eastern Europe |
| 1987 | Arrest | |
| Feb Moscow Gorbachev & Sakharov meet publicly in Moscow at the International Peace Forum |
| 1987 | Congress of CP, 27th | |
| Feb Moscow 27th Party Congress |
| 1987 | Constitution | |
| Jan Moscow Proposes elections for party officials, a practice which is soon adopted |
| Mar Moscow Pravda announces larger constituencies & more candidates than seats in local elections |
| 1987 | Diplomacy | |
| Moscow The Comecon agrees to discuss co-operation with the European Community |
| 14th April Moscow Proposes removing Russia's short range missiles from Eastern Europe |
| Dec Washington Gorbachev pays a visit to the USA |
| 1987 | Dismissal | |
| Nov Moscow Gorbachev dismisses Yeltsin as Moscow party chief |
| 1987 | Economy | |
| Feb Moscow Creates co-operative businesses in catering, services & consumer goods manafacture |
| 1987 | Election | |
| Mar Pravda uses the word "democracy" for "multi-candidate" elections |
| 1987 | Invasion of Afghanistan | |
| Moscow Russian forces begin to withdraw from Afghanistan |
| 20th July The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan is announced |
| 1987 | Invasion of Angola | |
| Moscow Agrees with President Reagan that Russia & the USAshould reach a settlement on Angola |
| 1987 | Nuclear Warfare | |
| 28th Feb Moscow Drops his insistence on the curtailment of the USASDI program |
| 28th Feb Moscow Proposes a separate agreement on abolition of medium range nuclear missiles in Europe |
| 14th April Moscow Proposes removing Russia's short range missiles from Eastern Europe |
| 14th April Proposes removing Russia's short range missiles from Eastern Europe |
| 1987 | Publication | |
| "Perestroika", argues that national union is the greatest achievement of socialism |
| 1987 | Reform | |
| Moscow New law on "socialist enerprise" |
| Feb Moscow Creates co-operative businesses in catering, services & consumer goods manafacture |
| 1st May Moscow Legislation allowing free enterprise comes into effect |
| 1987 | Treaty of Nuclear | |
| 8th Dec Moscow A treaty is signed ending all intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe |
| 1988 | Accords of Geneva Pakistan | |
| Geneva Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the United States and Soviet Union serving as guarantors, sign an agreement settling the major differences between them known as the Geneva Accords |
| 1988 | Chairman Presidium | |
| Moscow Appointed Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, Head of State |
| 1988 | Conference of Communist Party | |
| 28th June Address es a special Communist Party conference & outlines "a new image of socialism" |
| 1988 | Conference of Moscow | |
| May Moscow INF treaty ratification documents are exchanged between Russia & the USA |
| May Moscow The 4th meeting between Reagan & Gorbachev |
| 1988 | Congress of People's Deputies | |
| 29th Nov The Supreme Soviet agrees to the foundation of the Congress of People's Deputies |
| 1988 | Constitution | |
| Oct Glasnost leads to the USSR Supreme Soviet dissenting with the Politburo & Central Comm |
| 29th Nov The Congress of People's Deputies will be elected except for 750 nominated by the CPSU |
| 29th Nov The Congress of People's Deputies will elect the Supreme Soviet |
| 29th Nov Moscow The Congress of People's Deputies will elect the Supreme Soviet |
| 29th Nov The Congress of People's Deputies will have 2,250 members |
| 29th Nov The Supreme Soviet abolishes itself |
| 29th Nov The Supreme Soviet agrees to the foundation of the Congress of People's Deputies |
| 1988 | Demonstrations | |
| Feb Yerevan About a million Armenians demonstrate for Armenian reunification |
| Mar Sumgait Crowds of Azeris rampage through the city of Sumgait, at least 32 Armenians are killed |
| 1988 | Election | |
| 29th Nov The Congress of People's Deputies will elect the Supreme Soviet |
| 1988 | Invasion of Afghanistan | |
| 7th April Moscow Announces Russia's withdrawal from Afghanistan |
| 1988 | Massacre Armenians | |
| 1st Mar Azerbaijan Takes place in Azerbaijan after a conflict with Muslim Azerbaijanis |
| 1988 | Massacre Sumgait | |
| Sumgait The Azeri attack the Armenians & in Sumgait at least 32 Armenians are killed |
| 1988 | Perestroika | |
| 28th June Moscow Address es a special Communist Party conference & outlines "a new image of socialism" |
| 1988 | President | |
| Appointed President of Russia, has a power base outside the Communist Party |
| 1988 | Reform | |
| Moscow Removes the Party from economic management |
| 9th Jan 1st advertisement in a Soviet newspaper appears in Izvestiya |
| 28th June Moscow Address es a special Communist Party conference & outlines "a new image of socialism" |
| 1988 | Rule of Nagorny | |
| 20th Feb Nagorny The Nagorny-Karabakh Soviet votes for a transfer to Armenia |
| 1988 | Supreme Soviet | |
| 29th Nov Moscow The Congress of People's Deputies will elect the Supreme Soviet |
| 29th Nov The Supreme Soviet abolishes itself |
| 1989 | Chemical Weapons | |
| 8th Jan Russia promises to eliminate stockpiles of chemical weapons |
| 1989 | Constitution | |
| Moscow In front of the Central Committtee says Russia must be restructured |
| Moscow The Head of the Presidium officially is recognized as the President of Russia |
| Mar Moscow The USSR Supreme Soviet is replaced by the USSR Congress of Peoples Deputies |
| Mar Yeltsin's presence in the Supreme Soviet's Chamber of People's Deputies provided a focus for the reformist minority, the legislature becomes a more pluralist body than Gorbachev intends |
| 1989 | Demonstrations | |
| Feb Nagorno Disorders in in Nagorno-Karabakh, ethnic conflicts |
| Dec Moscow The Czech government resigns in the wake of mass demonstrations |
| 1989 | Destruction Berlin Wall | |
| 9th Nov Moscow The Berlin wall falls & demonstrations of German unity are held in the DDR |
| Dec Berlin Mitterand visits Gorbachev in Kiev to to try & delay the fall of the Berlin Wall |
| 1989 | Diplomacy | |
| Malta Meets Bush in a warship off Malta, tells him Russia no longer sees the USAas an enemy |
| 8th Jan Russia promises to eliminate stockpiles of chemical weapons |
| Nov Vatican The 1st Soviet leader to visit the Vatican |
| Dec Kiev Mitterand visits Gorbachev in Kiev to try & delay the fall of the Berlin Wall |
| 1989 | Election | |
| Mar Communist Party members have to stand in elections for the 1st time ever |
| Mar Elections for the Congress of People's Deputies, 80% of candidates are CPSU members |
| Mar Fails to support Yeltsin against the conservatives, leads to Gorbachev's downfall |
| 1989 | General Secretary | |
| Moscow Appointed President of Russia, Head of the Presidium |
| 1989 | Independence | |
| Moscow Namibia proclaims its independence after Cuba withdraws |
| Nov Lithuania 1st national movement, Sajudis, is formed in Lithuania |
| 1989 | Invasion of Afghanistan | |
| Malta Meets Bush in a warship off Malta, tells him Russia does not regard the USAas an enemy |
| Moscow Russian forces complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan |
| 5th Feb Russia announces that all but a small rear-guard contingent of its troops had left Afghanistan |
| 15th Feb Moscow 14,454 Russians had died in the conflict |
| 15th Feb Moscow Russian withdrawal signifies a Mujahadin victory |
| 15th Feb Moscow The last Russian troops withdraw from Afghanistan |
| 1989 | Rebellion | |
| 19th Mar Tashkent A demonstration of 10,000 in Tashkent wish to make Uzbek their state language |
| 9th April Tiblisi A Nationalist demonstration is suppressed by army intervention |
| 23rd Aug Tallin Popular Fronts form a chain from Vilnius to Tallin, day of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact |
| 23rd Aug Vilnius Popular Fronts form a chain from Vilnius to Tallin, day of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact |
| 23rd Aug Tallin Popular Fronts form a human chain from Vilnius to Tallin |
| 23rd Aug Tallin The day of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact |
| 1989 | Resignation | |
| Dec Moscow The Czech government resigns in the wake of mass demonstrations |
| 22nd Dec Moscow The Romanian Government is overthrown |
| 1989 | Strike | |
| July Miners go on strike |
| 1989 | Unification | |
| 9th Nov Moscow The Berlin wall falls & demonstrations of German unity are held in the DDR |
| 1990 | Blockade of Baltic States | |
| Moscow The Baltic States are blockaded by Russia while the USA turns a blind eye |
| 1990 | Chairman Constitutional Commission | |
| Moscow Appointed Chair of the Constitutional Committee elected by the CPD |
| 1990 | Constitution | |
| Moscow Chairs a committee elected by the CPD to replace the 1977 constitution |
| 7th Feb Moscow The Cental Committee of the CP in USSR votes to end the CP political monopoly |
| 15th Mar Sworn in as the 1st executive President of the USSR |
| 8th June Moscow Russian Parliament votes its laws take precedence over the USSR |
| 12th June Moscow The Russian Federation declares itself a sovereign state |
| 1990 | Diplomacy | |
| Moscow Gorbachev agrees to East & West Germany having a single NATO force |
| May Moscow Visits the USA & is offerred financial aid |
| 1990 | Economy | |
| Moscow Triples bread prices in order to move toward a "regulated market economy" |
| 1990 | Election | |
| Elected Head of State by the Congress of People's Deputies |
| Elections are held after the USA & Russia agree not to support Contras & Sandanistas |
| Reformers & Popular Fronts sweep to victory to the Supreme Soviet of the Union |
| Mar "Democratic Russia" wins 56% of seats in the city soviet |
| Mar "Democratic Russia" wins 85% of the seats in the Congress of People's Deputies |
| Mar Radical groups win in the cities & many prominent party officials are defeated |
| 8th June Yeltsin is elected President of Russia, the largest Republic |
| 28th Oct Georgia Non Communist Parties triumph in elections in Georgia & call for independence |
| 1990 | Inauguration of Gorbachev | |
| 15th Mar Sworn in as the 1st executive President of the USSR |
| 1990 | Independence | |
| 26th Feb Russia agrees to withdraw troops from Czech by July 1991 |
| 11th Mar Lithuania Lithuania becomes the 1st republic to declare independence |
| 11th Mar Moscow Lithuania declares independence in accordance with it's constitution of 1938 |
| 22nd Mar Moscow Warns Lithuania to withdraw its declaration of independence but it refuses |
| 4th May Estonia Estonia votes to secede from the USSR |
| 4th May Latvia Latvia votes to secede from the USSR |
| 20th June Uzbekistan Uzbekistan declares independence |
| 16th July Ukraine The Ukrainian Parliament votes for sovereignty |
| 28th Oct Georgia Non Communist Parties triumph in elections in Georgia & call for independence |
| 1990 | Invasion of Lithuania | |
| 25th Mar Russia sends in the tanks to discourage secession |
| 1990 | Massacre Katyn | |
| 13th April Katyn The Kremlin admits to the massacre of 15,000 Polish army officers by the NKVD in 1940 |
| 1990 | Nobel Prize | |
| For campaigning for human rights in Myanmar |
