7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7

with Yeltsin, Gorbachev quit the Communist Party, dis-

banded its Central Committee, and supported measures

to strip the party of its control over the KGB and the

armed forces. Gorbachev also moved quickly to shift fun-

damental political powers to the Soviet Union’s constituent

republics. Events outpaced him, however, and the Russian

government under Yeltsin readily assumed the functions

of the collapsing Soviet government as the various repub-

lics agreed to form a new commonwealth under Yeltsin’s

leadership. On Dec. 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned the

presidency of the Soviet Union, which ceased to exist that

same day.

In 1996 Gorbachev ran for president of Russia but gar-

nered less than 1 percent of the vote. He nevertheless

remained active in public life, as a speaker and as a mem-

ber of various global and Russian think tanks.

Dalai Lama XIV

(b. July 6, 1935, Tibet)

D

alai Lama XIV is the title of the Tibetan Buddhist

monk Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho (Tenzin Gyatso). He

is a global figure, largely known for his advocacy of

Buddhism and of the rights of the people of Tibet.

To Tibetan Buddhists, a Dalai Lama is the incarnation

of the lord of compassion who takes earthly forms in order

to help humankind. The title is often translated as “Ocean

Teacher.” The Dalai Lama is the head of the religious order

called Dge-lugs-pa (or Yellow Hat). Since the order

achieved supremacy in Tibet in the mid-17th century, the

Dalai Lama has been the spiritual leader of Tibetan

Buddhism. Until the mid-20th century, when the 14th

Dalai Lama was forced into exile, the Dalai Lama also

ruled Tibet politically.