Mikhail Gorbachev

• Mikhail Gorbachev was the General Secretary of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. When Mikhail Gorbachev took office, his main objective was to jump start the economy. The Soviet economy had been in decline during the administrations of Leonid Breznev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, the three leaders prior to Gorbachev. Gorbachev attempted this by restructuring the industry in the Soviet Union. He is most remembered for his summits with United States President Ronald Reagan and his policies that led to the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990.
  
  

Deng Xiaoping

• Deng Xiaoping was a leader in the Communist Party in China from 1978 until 1992. He is credited with transforming China into a powerful global economy. He also raised the standard of living for the Chinese populace. Deng Xiaoping was purged from state leadership twice, but regained his following each time. He also opened the Chinese financial markets to outside trade and investment by foreign parties. He retired from politics in 1992, although many still believed he was an influential character in the Chinese government. He died in 1997 from Parkinson's disease.
  
  

Hu Yaobang

• Hu Yaobang was the leader of the People's Republic of China from 1982 until 1987. While in office, he ordered the removal of thousands of Chinese troops from Tibet after visiting the country. He also ordered many reforms in the Autonomous Region between Tibet and China. He bettered education and endorsed programs to preserve Tibetan heritage. He even made all the remaining troops learn the Tibetan language. He was forced to resign in 1987. He died in 1989, and because of slow and inadequate government recognition of his accomplishments and cultural changes, many students protested. This was a main factor in the Tienanmen Square protests and riots.
  
  

Konstantin Chernenko

• Konstantin Chernenko led the Soviet Union as the General Secretary from 1984 until his death in 1985. He only held 10 months in office. He was known as a man of compromise and was generally unwilling to take bold action for fear of upsetting fellow politicians. He opened trade with the People's Republic of China and expressed a serious interest in meeting U.S. President Ronald Reagan. When Chernenko died from a serious lung disease, there was little public reaction -- the news was printed on the second page of most newspapers.