Leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to its dissolution in 1991, Gorbachev was instrumental in bringing democratic reforms to the USSR. His regime saw the first free elections in the Soviet Union, as well as his policies of glasnost (liberalisation) and perestroika (economic reconstruction) which would eventually lead to the collapse of the Soviet system. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 and is still active in politics, campaigning for social democracy and on a range of green issues.