With the rapid-fire deaths of Andropov and Chernenko, Gorbachev had outlived his only serious competition, and he was selected to become the new leader of the Soviet Union on March 11, 1985. During the next six years, Gorbachev led the Soviet Union through a dizzying pace of domestic reforms and foreign policy changes.
March 11, 1985 With the rapid-fire deaths of Andropov and Chernenko, Gorbachev had outlived his only serious competition, and he was selected to become the new leader of the Soviet Union on March 11, 1985. During the next six years, Gorbachev led the Soviet Union through a dizzying pace of domestic reforms and foreign policy changes.
