Mr Gorbachev came to power in 1985. At 54 he was seen as a young man in the role, and he followed a succession of elderly and fragile leaders. The Soviet economy was stagnant, and in 1984 he is reported to have said to his future Foreign Minister, "We cannot live this way any longer." His polices of perestroika and glasnost to reform the USSR economy and society were radical in their attempts to reform the communist system. Mr Gorbachev was a man of purpose, determination, and resilience. The UN Secretary António Guterres has hailed Mr Gorbachev as having done more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War.