se he was very suspicious of these independent southern farmers. His grandparents took control of the collective farms that were placed into the area, so Gorbachev was also shown high leadership skills from the day he was born.
             He also had a family secret that was rarely ever even hinted about. His grandfather was put on Stalin's blacklist in 1937, rounded up and sent to work in a prison camp for several years, and then deported from the country. It was something that could not be talked about at all. But the author feels that the shame and wrongfulness of this deed, and the realization that millions of others had suffered the same injustices, was one of the driving forces behind Gorbachev's need to make amends- his need for change.
             The small village where Gorbachev grew up was occupied by the Germans during World War II, or to use the Russian term- The Great Patriotic War. This is when he began learning to speak German. He was an incredibly bright and curious student, and began working for the Party very early in life. He back breaking hard work on the Party's farms earned him an award of recognition that got him into Moscow State University. During his stay here, he came into the favor of several important members of the aristocracy, and made many solid Party connections. He also had a hard time here dealing with the many Muscovites who were much more financially well off than he was, the author says that these hard days (especially compared to the wealth of his classmates) were the beginning of his disillusionment with socialism and the way his country was functioning.
             He then met his future wife, Raisa. Raisa was a philosophy student and considered and exceptional beauty. She is even more of a mystery than her husband Gorbachev. She was born and raised in the mountains of Siberia, has a Ukrainian maiden name, and some Mongol features. Other than a few
             ...