

What was then the most expensive movie in German film history, "Das Boot" would be nominated for six Academy Awards (including two for Petersen, for direction and screenwriting).

German filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen (March 14, 1941-August 12, 2022) burst onto the international scene with his 1981 drama "Das Boot," one of the most compelling war films ever made, which perfectly captured the claustrophobia facing a German submarine crew during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. Wolfgang Petersen, director of the classic World War II drama "Das Boot." | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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And this is the most important achievement, which we have not fully come to grips with in part because we still have not learned how to use our freedom." Society has acquired freedom it has been freed politically and spiritually. However, let us acknowledge what has been achieved so far. In his address to the nation upon stepping down from office, Gorbachev reflected, "The process of renovating this country and bringing about fundamental changes in the international community proved to be much more complex than originally anticipated. When he ran for president in 1996, he received less than 1% of the vote. But his global popularity was not matched back home, where he was blamed for the Soviet Union's collapse, and for the economic turmoil that followed. Gorbachev received numerous accolades, including the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize. And with more persistence and determination." "I am often asked, would I have started it all again if I had to repeat it? Yes, indeed.

"I see myself as a man who started the reforms that were necessary for the country and for Europe and the world," Gorbachev told the Associated Press in 1992. Price increases led to shortages, bread lines, factory shutdowns, and strikes. Many seniors lost their life savings because of hyper-inflation.

There were uprisings and wars in the southern Caucasus and Baltic republics. He also oversaw the USSR's ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan, and initially called Western reports about the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident an "unbridled anti-Soviet campaign."īut the freedoms he promoted became synonymous to many of his countrymen with chaos, as long-suppressed ethnic tensions flared. Bush, and moved to reduce nuclear arsenals, while watching Eastern European satellite states pull away from Moscow's influence. He established closer ties with the West, holding summits with leaders such as American Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. The next day, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.ĭuring his short tenure (he had risen to become Soviet leader in March 1985), Gorbachev sought reforms freeing political prisoners, expanding the ability of citizens to travel and engage in open debate, and ending religious persecution. He survived an attempted coup in August 1991, but in a matter of months, after more and more Soviet republics declared their independence, he resigned on December 25, 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev (March 2, 1931-August 30, 2022) was the last president of the U.S.S.R., whose efforts to revitalize his country's lagging economy and to advance a staid communist bureaucracy through the introduction of "glasnost" (openness) led to the fall of the Iron Curtain, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and an end to the Cold War. The Associated Press contributed to this gallery. | Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty ImagesĪ look back at the esteemed personalities who left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.īy senior producer David Morgan. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev addresses the United Nations in New York City, December 1988.
