Chapter 10 Summary

Mikhail Gorbachev grew up on a collective farm in the southern part of the Soviet Union in the Stravapol Region. He was born during the terror famines of 1931-32, when more than 30,000 people in the region starved to death. His family was poor, and he worked the farm with his father and friends.

At school, "Misha" was popular and did well academically. He was active in theater, and according to most accounts, was quite talented. Gorbachev met his first girlfriend, Yuliya Karagodina, through this past time. He would later find his acting skills to be beneficial to his political career as television became an important tool in communicating with the Soviet people. At the young age of 18, Misha became a candidate for the Communist Party. He studied law at to Moscow State University and mourned the death of Stalin while at college. Gorbachev...